Medieval Pets Hardcover – October 18, 2012

I love animals, and I’m an art history/ middle ages nerd, so — wish the book had more pictures, but the citations are so thorough that I bet I can find primary-source images online.

This was a great doctoral disertation, now it boiled down to a great read. For the casual reader, though, it is Medieval Cats all the way.It is dear and all cats enjoy it immensely.

Drawing primarily upon later medieval documentary sources and visual representations, Walker-Meikle demonstrates that the keeping of companion animals (as we learn there was no medieval equivalent for the word ‘pet’) was commonplace amongst certain groups – elite secular women, ecclesiastics, and scholars. The first part of the book charts how these animals were acquired, their welfare, the expenses that were lavished upon them, and the spaces they occupied. This section is copiously illustrated with captivating anecdotes which highlight the sentimentality felt towards animals. The second half of the book explores in more depth two evidential strands which cast light upon medieval pet keeping practice: iconography and literature.Despite the lack of a detailed critical appraisal of some of the sources (which also only reflect upon the upper classes of medieval society), the book brings into focus the entangled relationships between certain groups of people and certain animals in medieval Europe and emphasises how they were bound up in the construction of human social identities, often as manifestations of social status

Arrived on time and performs as advertised.

Sin duda el tratado más completo que hay sobre mascotas en la edad media. La doctora Kathleen ha indagado en correspondencia, libros de cuentas, arte de la época y un montón de fuentes más para traernos una obra absolutamente maravillosa que cuenta de manera sencilla y clara todo lo relacionado con este tema: Adquisición, crianza, cuidados, alimentación, perspectiva social...un libro único destinando a convertirse en la principal fuente de consulta sobre las mascotas en la edad media

A fascinating analysis of the available info on pet keeping in the middle ages which is full of unexpected little details - for instance they recommended feeding lap dogs on milk and bread, squirrels were frequently kept as pets, pets often wore red leather collars with gold bells on… and much more.

Testo molto interessante, forse un apparato di immagini a colori più ricco sarebbe stato gradito. Consigliato anche ai non addetti ai lavori.

I'm sure this will be of great interest to many but I purchased hoping for lots of medieval art/pictures and it was clear I had made a blob so sadly I returned this book. I can't comment on its contents other than to say not enough pictures for me.

Very insightful. Beautifully presented and a very good read.