There’s a very good chance that when you are driving or riding along a road or track adjacent to a field in which cattle are present that you inexplicably say – to no one in particular – “cows,” or perhaps even give voice to a soft but prolonged and emphatic “mooooo.”
It’s a curious response, particularly given that most of us no longer have much direct contact with, or personal experience of, cows – aside, of course, from on plates or in glasses, or as upholstery, handbags, belts, or shoes. Their modern existence is simultaneously ubiquitous and mysterious. One would think that given how significant a role cows play in the modern world that we would be more familiar with them as more than simply entrees or roadside attractions, but overwhelmingly, we are not.
Dr. Catrin Rutland would like to change that, and turn our ignorance into understanding. To do this she has recently written, and Princeton University Press has published, The Cow; a Natural & Cultural History. As “a comprehensive guide to help us understand these important animals, offering a wealth of information about their anatomy and behaviors, breed varieties, and place in human culture past and present,” Dr. Rutland’s new book is intended to be appropriate to a wide range of readers, bringing to all interested a better understanding of these iconic yet widely misunderstood creatures.
The Cow will be published in the United States, US Dependencies, and Canada in early June 2021.
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