Hedgehog (Animal)

New
Paperback
2014
$15.74

The hedgehog has long had a close connection with people. It has been an animal of fascination, endearment and cultural significance since the ancient Egyptians. The Romans regarded it as a weather prophet, and modern gardeners depend on the creature to keep their gardens free of pests. This book explores how this and other characteristics of the small creature have propelled it to the top of a number of polls of people's favorite animals. People react with passion and enthusiasm for the hedgehog, as it is, quite unusually, a wild animal that one can connect with. When scared the hedgehog stays still, allowing a closer look. It remains one of the few creatures that people can get close to without the fear of an attack, or it running away at the slightest movement. The hedgehog has spread through Europe and Asia to the foot of Africa, and is a prickly pet in the USA. The hedgehog's appeal and public accessibility has lead to it to be found on numerous products, from advertising to films and children's books. Instantly recognizable, benign in reputation, Hedgehog demonstrates that there is much to admire about this beautiful, and now threatened, icon of wildlife.

Synopsis

The hedgehog has long had a close connection with people. It has been an animal of fascination, endearment and cultural significance since the ancient Egyptians. The Romans regarded it as a weather prophet, and modern gardeners depend on the creature to keep their gardens free of pests. This book explores how this and other characteristics of the small creature have propelled it to the top of a number of polls of people's favorite animals. People react with passion and enthusiasm for the hedgehog, as it is, quite unusually, a wild animal that one can connect with. When scared the hedgehog stays still, allowing a closer look. It remains one of the few creatures that people can get close to without the fear of an attack, or it running away at the slightest movement. The hedgehog has spread through Europe and Asia to the foot of Africa, and is a prickly pet in the USA. The hedgehog's appeal and public accessibility has lead to it to be found on numerous products, from advertising to films and children's books. Instantly recognizable, benign in reputation, Hedgehog demonstrates that there is much to admire about this beautiful, and now threatened, icon of wildlife.

$15.74

Save:$0.74 (4%)

Quantity

3 in stock

More Information

Format: Paperback
Pages: 216
Publisher: Reaktion Books
Published: 11 Apr 2014
ISBN 10: 1780232756
ISBN 13: 9781780232751

Media Reviews

It is one of the things that I have always loved about the hedgehog, that there is so much more to it than just the animal itself. They have been a part of human culture since the dawn of civilization--the very earliest, Mesopotamia and Babylonian, have left hedgehog artefacts. The ancient Egyptians in particular seem to have been very fond of the animal. These things I knew. But the way the hedgehog has appeared more recently is quite astounding--and Warwick has a field day with everything from philosophy to poetry, via some rather more adult themes and over a hundred pictures. . . . I would really recommend this unique book to anyone with an interest in hedgehogs. Despite taking a serious look at some of the big issues, Hugh Warwick manages to sprinkle his trademark wit and charm throughout. --Fay Vass, British Hedgehog Preservation Society
There is much in Hedgehog to fascinate and entertain the reader, and anything that Oxford-based ecologist and author Hugh Warwick doesn't tell us about hedgehogs probably isn't worth knowing. The book is liberally and attractively illustrated and makes satisfying, undemanding reading. Sadly, it might also prove to be the closest that many readers will get to these endearing but increasingly rare mammals. --IVU Online News
It is one of the things that I have always loved about the hedgehog, that there is so much more to it than just the animal itself. They have been a part of human culture since the dawn of civilization the very earliest, Mesopotamia and Babylonian, have left hedgehog artefacts. The ancient Egyptians in particular seem to have been very fond of the animal. These things I knew. But the way the hedgehog has appeared more recently is quite astounding and Warwick has a field day with everything from philosophy to poetry, via some rather more adult themes and over a hundred pictures. . . . I would really recommend this unique book to anyone with an interest in hedgehogs. Despite taking a serious look at some of the big issues, Hugh Warwick manages to sprinkle his trademark wit and charm throughout. --Fay Vass, British Hedgehog Preservation Society
There is much in Hedgehog to fascinate and entertain the reader, and anything that Oxford-based ecologist and author Hugh Warwick doesn t tell us about hedgehogs probably isn t worth knowing. The book is liberally and attractively illustrated and makes satisfying, undemanding reading. Sadly, it might also prove to be the closest that many readers will get to these endearing but increasingly rare mammals. --IVU Online News

Author Bio

Hugh Warwick is an ecologist, photographer, video producer, and radio journalist who has worked at the BBC's Natural History Unit. He has written widely for newspapers and magazines, including the Guardian, the Times, New Scientist, and BBC Wildlife Magazine, and is a regular contributor to BBC Radio 4 and BBC Scotland. He lives in Oxford, UK.