A Short History of the World in 50 Animals

Description

A Short History of the World in 50 Animals provides a new perspective on the grand sweep of our planet's making, taking readers from the time of the dinosaurs to the time of Dolly, the world's most famous sheep, who was the first cloned mammal. This book will include a great variety of beasts from across the animal kingdom, some well known and others far more surprising, from every continent in the world. Each entry will show the creature's influence on world development, economy, health, culture, religion and society. The size of the animals range from hulking elephants to tiny bees but each one has made a significant impact on history. The book will include charming black and white illustrations and fact boxes that will pick out specific examples of extraordinary animals. A Short History of the World in 50 Animals details the impact, legacy and role of fifty animals that determined the world's history, and shows how many of them are essential for our future survival.

Dr Jacob F. Field is a historian and writer who was a contributor to 1001 Historic Sites and 1001 Battles. He is the author of One Bloody Thing After Another: The World's Gruesome History, and We Shall Fight on the Beaches: The Speeches That Inspired History, both published by Michael O'Mara Books. He studied for his undergraduate degree at the University of Oxford, and then moved to Newcastle University for his PhD, where he completed a thesis on the Great Fire of London. He then worked as a research associate at the University of Cambridge.