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Fauna Britannica: The Practical Guide to Wild & Domestic Creatures of Britain: The Practical Guide to Wild and Domestic Creatures of Britain

Fauna Britannica: The Practical Guide to Wild & Domestic Creatures of Britain: The Practical Guide to Wild and Domestic Creatures of Britain

by Duff Hart - Davis (Author)

  • Used

    Hardcover 2002

    $4.10
Synopsis

A practical encyclopedia of animals, birds and fish, reptiles and insects, both wild and domestic. It also provides an historic survey from the earliest records: when and how species were introduced and died out, and how they have flourished or declined. There are essays on the 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.

$4.10

Save:$33.53 (89%)

Quantity

2 in stock

More Information

Format: Hardcover
 Pages: 416
 Edition: First Edition
 Publisher: W&N
Published: 22 Aug 2002
ISBN 10: 0297825321
ISBN 13: 9780297825326
Book Overview: One of Britain's most famous countrymen writes about Britain's creatures, wild and domestic, extinct and prolific, great and small A reference guide to the major species of animals, birds, fish, reptiles and insects A social history of the countryside and a record of man's intervention - for good or ill - through the centuries Superbly written text, rich in anecdotes and observation, from well-known author FLORA BRITANNICA by Richard Mabey, a no.1 bestseller

Media Reviews
'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
Author Bio
Duff Hart-Davis is a writer and journalist celebrated particularly for his books and colums on the countryside. He was literary editor and assistant editor of the SUNDAY TELEGRAPH and has been country columnist for THE INDEPENDENT since 1986. He lives and farms in Gloucestershire.