Title
For the love of animals : the rise of the animal protection movement / Kathryn Shevelow.
Edition
1st ed.
ISBN
9780805080902
0805080902
Publication Details
New York : Henry Holt and Co., 2008.
Language
English
Description
x, 352 p. : ill. ; 25 cm.
Call Number
HV4805.A3 S54 2008
Dewey Decimal Classification
179/.30941
Summary
In eighteenth-century England--where cockfighting and bullbaiting drew large crowds, and the abuse of animals was routine--the idea of animal protection was dismissed as laughably radical. But as pets became more common, human attitudes toward animals evolved. An unconventional duchess defended their intellect in her writings; a gentleman scientist believed that animals should be treated with compassion; and with the concentrated efforts of an eccentric Scots barrister and a flamboyant Irishman, the lives of beasts--and, correspondingly, men and women--began to change. Kathryn Shevelow, a scholar of the eighteenth century, gives us the dramatic story of the bold reformers who braved attacks because they sympathized with the plight of creatures everywhere. More than just a history, this cultural narrative is an exploration into how our feelings toward animals reveal our ideas about ourselves, God, mercy, and nature.--From publisher description.
Bibliography, etc. Note
Includes bibliographical references (p. 317-332) and index.
Introduction : Saved
Of duchesses and ducks
Rude and nasty pleasures
Pets and the city
Dancing dogs and horses of knowledge
Animal crimes
Parliaments of monsters
Stages of cruelty
The meanest worm is our sister
Throw down the butcher's knife
Hair-trigger Martin and the wolfhound
Taking the bull by the horns
The unfortunate tourist's dog
Humanity Dick
For the love of animals
Conclusion : The legacy of animal protection.
