"...an authoritative text that offers delightful and informative reading on up-to-date knowledge. ...an outstanding reference source."
?P. Langer in MAMMALIAN BIOLOGY (2001)
"The Poyser series have a certain reputation for high quality and well-produced publications and
The History of British Mammals by Derek Yalden is no exception. ?this book will certainly be an important addition to the library of natural historians, palaeontologists and zooarchaeologists alike."
-Keith Dobney, University of York, in ENVIRONMENTAL ARCHAEOLOGY (2000)
"As an ecological 'test case', followed over 10,000 years, this work has an interest much broader than its apparently parochial subject matter.
The History of British Mammals is a book of scholarship, and Yalden leaves no stone unturned in his search for information."
--Adrian Lister in TREE (November 1999)
"Yalden, a seasoned mammalogist, has produced a remarkable volume; he begins with the combination of a brief account of mammal history expanded into an expert treatment of the modern mammals of Europe, emphasizing Britain. What follows is a perspective never accomplished for any other area of the world before as well as it is here. It points the way toward an interdisciplinary, analytical perspective that can be achieved for other parts of the world where the dizzying changes of the past several hundred thousand years, not in small measure due to human agents, have altered both the landscape and the fauna as well. Such understanding is paramount for the entire world in order to usher in an appreciation of issues relevant for conservation. Highly recommended."
--F.S. Szalay in CHOICE (October 1999)
"The author has used the latest zoological and archaeological research to trace the arrival, progess, and in some cases the decline and extinction of animals ranging from the woolly mammoth, wolf and wild boar to the weasel, watervole, and surprisingly, the wallaby. ?In a final thought-provoking chapter Derek Yalden reviews the current status of our natival mammalfauna and highlights the threats which they continue to face. He also suggests the possibility of reintroducing former native mammals to Britain. Who knows, in the next millennium the beaver may once again return to share at least some of our rivers and streams with the otter."
--Peter Irvine in DORSET WILDLIFE (September 1999)
"...this is one of the very best. It includes the best and most convincing accounts I have ever read on the loss of our more spectacular animals. This is one of the most interesting and enjoyable books I have reviewed recently, and I recommend it strongly."
--Peter Marren in BRITISH WILDLIFE (April 1999)
"Scientists have now confirmed that our ancestors did meet and hunt mammoths in Britain as recently as 11,000 years ago, but early peoples' relationships with animals were far more complex and protracted than we thought. Our whole perception of what is 'wild' could be misplaced. Yalden's compilation reveals that Britain's mammals have been staggeringly diverse and have come and gone and come again - along with early people. Early species sharing Britain with Neanderthals included elephants, lions, spotted hyaenas, European jaguars and a Barbary ape, as well as the ever-popular sabre-toothed cat."
--Trevor Lawson in THE GUARDIAN (April 1999)
"To have written such a book requires in an author a deep knowledge of very disparate academic fields including palaeontology, archaeology, history, and biogeography amongst others. ...this is a wonderful, authoritative and fascinating book that should appeal to a very wide audience."
--Geoff Oxford in MAMMALS NEWS (1999)
"...a book full of fascinating detail based on meticulous research, which makes for very good reading."
--BULLETIN OF THE BRITISH ECOLOGICAL SOCIETY (1999)
"...this is a book which everyone interested in British mammals will require on their shelves and it will, no doubt, achieve a deservedly wide readership among more general naturalists. This book will remain a standard reference text long into the next century and, in addition, solve the problem of what to give your fellow naturalists next Christmas."
--Clive Herbert in THE LONDON NATURALIST (1999)
"There are many lessons in this book for thoughtful conservationists. Yalden himself present firm views on the need to deal with alien introductions and, conversely, to restore those species that have been lost to the hand of man. The whole book is lucid, informative and fascinating."
--HABITAT
As the ice retreated from Britain 15,000 years ago, a host of large mammals including Reindeer, Wild Horse, Wooly Mammoth, Moose, Wolf, Brown Bear, Lynx and Wolverine established themselves in Britain. Now we have a fauna which is dominated by domestic cattle, sheep and pigs, plus Humans. The largest surviving wild land mammal is the Red Deer, the largest land carnivore the Badger, and the 65 or so extant wild mammals include about a quarter that have been introduced.
This account explores the fate of the large extinct species, and how, why and when the introduced species appeared. What did happen to the Wooly Mammoth, the Reindeer and the Irish Elk? Did the native wild ungulates, Horse, Aurochs and Boar, become domesticated here, or were their farm descendants introduced already domesticated? How have the native Red Squirrel and Red Deer fared in the face of introduced Grey Squirrel and Sika? What has happened to the balance of the British fauna, and should we interfere further by trying to exterminate some of the introduced species, or by reintroducing the extinct ones?
This book documents the history of the British mammal fauna over the last 15,000 years or so, combining information culled from the zoological, archaeological and palaeontological literature. In the process, a large number of myths, perpetuated from the previous book on this subject, written 117 years ago, are dispelled. Modern research has provided a much better basis for this story, particularly from the extensive but scattered archaeological literature. It is a fascinating tale not only of the inevitable changes wrought by climatic and habitat change, but also of the impact of Human development of the countryside and will fascinate the specialist and general reader alike.
