Back in 2014, I was presented with, read, and reviewed a book that opened my eyes to an area of natural history study that was previously unknown to me. The book was Hannah Velten‘s superb Beastly London; A History of Animals in the City from Reaktion Books / University of Chicago Press, and the area of study was the history of domestic and semi-domestic animals in urban environments. I was absolutely enthralled. In learning about the long and varied history of urban (non-human) animals, I felt that I was uncovering a long-forgotten treasure that few had been seeking but for those fortunate enough to discover it, the expansion of perspective it offered was both delicious and exquisite.
Thus when a copy of Dr. Andrew A. Robichaud‘s recently published Animal City; The Domestication of America from Harvard University Press arrived on my desk, I began reading it that very evening. Focusing primarily on the major urban centers of the United States in the nineteenth century but progressing into the twentieth in its narrative and analysis, Dr. Robichaud’s work is thus far proving to be historically enlightening, delightfully literary, and a true pleasure to read.
I’ve not quite finished the entire book, however I expect I shall in the near future (it’s difficult to put down once taken up). Expect a complete review to be available here soon.
