Fauna Britannica: The Practical Guide to Wild & Domestic Creatures of Britain [Hardcover]

Duff Hart-Davis (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: March 1, 2003

A practical encyclopedia of animals, birds, fish, reptiles, and insects, both wild and domestic. It also provides a historic survey of when and how species were introduced and died out, and how they have flourished or declined. There are essays on their interaction with man, from outright exploitation to over-production. Social history, folklore, and legend are included to give the most magisterial survey of Britain's fauna.

Editorial Reviews

Review

'FAUNA BRITANNICA is an important, and exciting, tour de force ... Readers will be stunned not only by the wealth of organised information but by the imaginative character of so much that is offered ... Clearly, Duff Hart-Davis isa thoroughly 'good egg' steeped in rural affairs to an awesome degree and a skilled scribe who has completed a Herculean task which few would have the courage to tackle. He and his publisher have fashioned a most noble volume of immense public value and deserve our warmest congratulations.' Lord Barber of Tewkesbury, COUNTRY ILLUSTRATED 'Hart-Davis approaches the subject as a practical countryman who has loved the countryside since he roamed the Chiltern Hills as a boy ... That good-humoured but hard-headed note is typical of Hart-Davis's approach ... He clearly loves the beauty of wild creatures, but he undrestands too the farmer's and the country sportsman's way of life. Many people will, I think, appreciate his very clear account of the different kinds of farm animal ... to my taste, Hart-Davis's is the more interesting and rewarding book' Derwent May, THE TIMES '...highly readable, skilfully researched andconstructed and beautifully illustrated ... it is the solid information and myriad fascinating details in this book which make it such a pleasure, not Hart-Davis's deft way with controversy ... this book is not only a serious achievement as a record and guide, it is a delight.' On Stefan Buczacki: ' The result is more populist and discursive, but less well-integrated and not so well written.' Ann Chisholm THE SUNDAY TELEGRAPH '...FAUNA BRITANNICA is far beyond what it claims to be - a 'practical guide' to Britain's wild and domesticcreatures. It is more like a celebration and the author's passion for these animals is written all over it. He gives us the usual encyclopedic statisticsand fantastic pictures, but a great deal more besides - most importantly, the history of the British people's relationship with each species. Mythology and tradition become as significant as biology...' Michael Bond, NEW SCIENTIST(17/9/02) 'If you stride out into the countryside in a battered Barbour withan ancestral Purdey shotgun by your side, Hart-Davis is your man ... Darwin filtered through Tennyson ("nature red in tooth and claw") ... It's Hart-Davis who stands up for the sturdy poacher against centuries of 'repressive' gamelaws; who rails most fiercely against the squalid horror of the battery-fowlbusiness ... unlike Buczacki he covers farm and domestic animals. Absurdly, pedantic Buczacki investigates horse-mussels but not horses ... this is zoological correctness gone mad ... Buczacki's finical definitions and omissions can also - especially with horses - lead him to make an 'Equus aisnus' of himself.' Boyd Tonkin, THE INDEPENDENT (10/8/02) '..this gorgeous book... paints a vivid picture of the UK's animal life. Richly illustrated, each entry offers a potted history of each species and anecdotal tales. A fabulous book...' SAINSBURY'S MAGAZINE 'Huge, fascinating and a must for nature lovers 'The practical guide to wild and domestic creatures of Britain' is a beautifully illustrated reference tome that's a joy to dip into. Combining natural and social history, it raises some controversial issues too. Put it on the Christmas wish list.' CHOICE MAGAZINE COUNTRY LIVING magazine has featured FAUNA BRITANNICA in their September issue new 'Out & About' section with a competition. THE FIELD and COUNTRY HOUSE & HOME have run reviews in their September issues. Duff Hart-Davis has written an article for THE COUNTRYMAN and a featurefor the Blackwell's Christmas Catalogue 2002. Duff Hart-Davis has also done a very successful day of regional radio interviews and will be appearing at the Cheltenham Literary festival (Oct). Duff is to be interviewed for BBC RADIO 4's THE FOOD PROGRAMME on Sunday 6 Oct and is doing a Christmas Signing for

From the Publisher

Masterfully written, rich in anecdote and illustration, this lavish, large–format volume is an authoritative survey of the most common animals, birds, fish, reptiles, and insects found in Britain and Ireland. Covering when and how species were introduced and died out, as well as how they have flourished or declined, Fauna Britannica also documents how attitudes to animals have changed over the centuries. Combining social history and folklore with scientific authority, and featuring 250 color photos and works of art, this is an enthralling encyclopedia of Britain’s creatures, then and now.

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Hardcover: 416 pages
• Publisher: Orion Publishing (March 1, 2003)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0297825321
• ISBN-13: 978-0297825326
• Product Dimensions: 11.2 x 8.7 x 1.7 inches
• Shipping Weight: 4.6 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (2 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #2,786,893 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Discover books, learn about writers, read author blogs, and more.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars "Must-Have" Resource for this History Writer, September 19, 2003

By A Customer

This review is from: Fauna Britannica: The Practical Guide to Wild & Domestic Creatures of Britain (Hardcover)

I checked this book out of my local library while working on a novel that is placed in Southern Scotland/Northern England in the 500's A.D/C.E. I needed to know the fauna of the area at this time. Not only did I learn this but I gleaned a host of other historical details about the times and people that raised, hunted and/or feared these animals. It is such an excellent resource - with a diverse bibliography that helped me get to prime sources - that I have chosen to purchase it for my personal library. The price tag is extremely reasonable for the in-depth information and stunning photography of this well written, easy to read book.

5.0 out of 5 stars Enriched by a healthy dose of natural history, February 3, 2004

By 

Midwest Book Review (Oregon, WI USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Fauna Britannica: The Practical Guide to Wild & Domestic Creatures of Britain (Hardcover)

Duff Hart-Davis' FAUNA BRITANNICA has a specialized focus which may limit its audience to British libraries, but this colorful and weighty reference will prove a strong work for any whose interest in animals has been awakened. Creatures wild and domesticated which have lived and now live in the British Isles are covered in colorful detail enriched by a healthy dose of natural history.