3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
A wonderful book of wagging tales, adoring eyes and simple pleasures, December 10, 2009
This review is from: A Treasury for Dog Lovers: Wit and Wisdom, Information and Inspiration About Man's Best Friend (Hardcover)
Winter has hit the Heartland and I was starting to sleep a little longer, and take our two Alaskan Huskies out a bit later.
But reading Lederer's book inspired me to be happy with each and every minute I can be with Avu and Nuna --the dogs.
He gives lots of basic facts about our best friends to show how special they have been to us throughout history. But it is the mixture of affection and humor where he really excells in terms of human-dog interaction.
For example, if you are content eathing the same food every day, "then you are almost as good as your dog." He follows that up with dogs and their appreciation of very simple pleasures. We may come home after a difficult day, full of frustrations, but the dog is just overjoyed to see us, and get some petting.
Of course dogs do wangle some benefits from our relationships ---Lederer's doggie dictionary describes "the leash" as being a way for dogs to lead humans where the dog wants to go. Now I understand how my attempts at walking control are futile.
If you have ever had a dog, or might have one or more in the future, get the book. You won't be able to put it down.
Now I have to go --Our dogs are staring at me. Lederer says if dogs stare at someone long enough, eventually they will get what they want. So what is it Huskies --food, or walk...or both?
Earl
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1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
A Treasury for Dog Lovers, December 2, 2010
This review is from: A Treasury for Dog Lovers: Wit and Wisdom, Information and Inspiration About Man's Best Friend (Hardcover)
This was an exceptionally well written interesting book on the impact of dogs on our culture. I was impressed with the factual information on dogs and also their influence on our language. I purchased several other books by Lederer and they are also fascinating. For those who have limited patience with long books, it was very concise and had pictures.
Mark Montobbio
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4.0 out of 5 stars
Are you a cynophile? Take a look at this one..., December 30, 2011
This review is from: A Treasury for Dog Lovers: Wit and Wisdom, Information and Inspiration About Man's Best Friend (Hardcover)
Richard Lederer loves dogs. That makes him a cynophile, a person who loves canines; a dog lover. He is also a verbivore, someone who metaphorically eats words. The term "verbivore" was coined by the author himself in the early 1980s, a man best known for his books on word play and the English language. That he is a dog lover becomes apparent when one opens the cover of
A Treasury for Dog Lovers: Wit and Wisdom, Information and Inspiration About Man's Best Friend for the very first time.
This 128-page book is a fun yet factual read for those who have any form of infatuation for all breeds of the canine species. Within his introduction, you'll find the following facts:
"The United States is a nation of dog lovers. About 77 million dogs live here, and more than six million Canine Americans are born here each year. More than one in three American families (39%) own a dog, the highest dog population in the world. Our mass caninophilia (love of dogs) speaks volumes about America. 'The greatness of a nation and its moral progress,' said Mahatma Gandhi, 'can be measured by the way in which its animals are treated.' Six out of every ten American households are graced by pets, whereas only three of every ten have children. Each year we spend more than 43 billion dollars on our pets, including 8 billion on dog food and 4 billion on cat food, more than we spend on baby food. Based on an average life span of eleven years, the cost of owning a dog is $13,350."
I cannot find a good reference to the word "caninophilia" (love of dogs) that the author has used here, but never mind, as he has coined new words in the past. In any case, as one peruses this easy to read book, there is much to find for cynophiles of all ages, and for dog lovers of all breeds.
My favorite chapters were:
* All I Need to Know I Learned from My Dog
* The Difference Between Dogs and Cats
And speaking of cats, if you're an ailurophile (cat lover), then look to this author's other book,
A Treasury for Cat Lovers: Wit and Wisdom, Information and Inspiration About Our Feline Friends. You'll find this to be as factual, witty and entertaining as is this book.
I actually bought this book for someone who is a true dog lover, and the gift was highly appreciated. Might have passed on it originally, but am familiar with the works of this author, going back to the '80s when I first heard him speak in New England, and first bought a copy of his
Anguished English, a book that spawned an entire best-selling series. It is one of the funniest books that I have ever read, and every once in awhile I pick it up to read again to add to improve my health as a lover of words. It's absolutely hilarious, and one that I've given as a frequent gift as well.
So if you're a cynophile, a caninophiliac (still trying to look up that one, or just a plain and ordinary dog lover, this book is highly recommended... as it is to verbivores of all types. Not my favorite of Dr. Lederer's works, but this one is a good 4-star read and a great gift.
12/30/2011
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