Advertisement
Books

Medieval Pets

Medieval Pets

By Kathleen Walker-Meikle

Boydell, 2012
ISBN: 9781843837589

Animals in the middle ages have often been discussed – but usually only as a source of food, as beasts of burden, or as aids for hunters. This book takes a completely different angle, showing that they were also beloved domestic companions to their human owners, whether they were dogs, cats, monkeys, squirrels, and parrots. It offers a full survey of pets and pet-keeping: from how they were acquired, kept, fed, exercised, and displayed, to the problems they could cause. It also examines the representation of pets and their owners in art and literature; the many charming illustrations offer further evidence for the bonds between humans and their pets, then as now. A wide range of sources, including chronicles, letters, sermons and poems, are used in what is both an authoritative and entertaining account.

Click here to read an interview with Kathleen Walker-Meikle by Boydell and Brewer

Click here to visit Kathleen Walker-Meikle’s page at the University of York

Click here to see Medieval Pets on Amazon.com

 

Advertisement