Deer

Description

The Celts called them 'fairy cattle' and the Greeks associated them with the hunter-goddess Artemis, but for most people today deer are seen as cute, like Bambi, or noble, like the Monarch of the Glen. Deer appear on coats of arms, in fine art and in literature. In Deer, veterinarian and deer farmer John Fletcher brings together the cultural and natural history of these fascinating animals.

John Fletcher is a qualified veterinarian who lives and works with his wife on a deer farm in Auchtermuchty, Scotland. His previous books include Fletcher's Game: A Vet's Life with Scotland's Deer (2003) and Gardens of Earthly Delight: the History of Deer Parks (2011).

"An attractive and wide-ranging summary of an animal that is perhaps more central to human culture than any other. John Fletcher's lively text is illustrated with artifacts, memorabilia, and paintings covering the different species all over their global domain . . . [this] small but packed book has a tasty morsel on every page." -- "Country Life" "This is another title in Reaktion's remarkable animal series, offering a tantalizing mix of science and the arts. Nothing helps us to understand an animal more fully than knowing its history, biology, and mythology . . . Fletcher offers a comprehensive overview of deer, from their biological classification to role in venery . . . well-written, informative, and enlightening." -- "The Field" "An interesting and well-written book that details the symbolism and the close association that humans and deer have had over centuries. Anywhere that people have lived, humans have made use of some of the 40 species of deer found worldwide. There are definitely things in this book that everyone will learn for the first time and that alone makes the book worthy of reading. And there are also many wonderful images that really bring the chapters to life." -- "Canadian Field-Naturalist"