Throughout history the cat has been an indomitable influence on societies and cultures, first as goddess, then as demon, and now as hero and social media empress. Man's view of the cat has come full circle. As both mascot and muse to great adventurers, writers, artists and statesmen, the cat has offered comfort and inspiration. Never obsequious or ordinary, always elegant and inscrutable, the cat has played a fundamental role in civilization through the centuries, and this is its story. -Find out why women and cats have been bound together throughout history. -Ever wondered why the black cat is considered bad luck; why cats were considered good luck on ships and planes? -The answers to these questions and many more are here in this easy to read and fully referenced cat history with over 150 black and white illustrations.

They have been worshipped as fertility goddesses and revered as symbols of peace. Domesticated since the dawn of humankind, they have been crucial to wartime communications for every major historical superpower from ancient Egypt to the United States and are credited with saving thousands of lives. One delivered the results of the first Olympics in 776 BC and another brought the news of Napoleon's defeat at Waterloo more than 2500 years later. Charles Darwin relied heavily upon them to help formulate and support his theory of evolution. Yet today the pigeon is reviled as a rat with wings. How did we come to misunderstand one of humanity's most steadfast companions?In Pigeons, Andrew D. Blechman travels across the United States and Europe in a quest to chronicle the bird's transformation from beloved friend to feathered outlaw.

Don Revie remains one of football's most controversial and complex characters. Through the eyes of those who knew him best, family, friends, team-mates, players, colleagues and even a member of the royal family, this title tells how a child born in Middlesbrough in the depression-hit 1920s rose to the very top as both a player and manager.

"Fun, fanciful, and even informative." —People The first comprehensive history of felines—from the laps of pagan gods to present-day status as meme stars—as revealed by a very learned tabby with a knack for hunting down facts Since the dawn of civilization, felines have prowled alongside mankind as they expanded their territory and spread the myth of human greatness. And today, cats are peddled on social media as silly creatures here to amuse humans with their antics. But this is an absurd, self-centered fantasy. The true history of felines is one of heroism, love, tragedy, sacrifice, and gravitas. Not entirely convinced? Well, get ready, because Baba the Cat is here to set the record straight. Spanning almost every continent and thousands—yes, thousands—of years, Baba’s complex story of feline survival presents readers with a diverse cast of cats long forgotten: from her prehistoric feline ancestors and the ancient Egyptian cat goddess Bastet to the daring mariners at the height of oceanic discovery, key intellectuals in the Enlightenment period, revered heroes from World Wars I and II, and the infamous American tabbies. Baba, a talented model in addition to a scholar, goes beyond surface-level scratches, pairing her freshly unearthed research with a series of stunning costume portraits to bring history to life. A paws-on journey through the feline hall of fame, with in-depth research and four-legged testaments that will make you rethink who defines history, A Cat’s Tale is a one-of-a-kind chronicle that introduces readers to the illustrious ancestors of their closest companions and shows, once and for all, that cats know exactly what they’re doing.

This pioneering book looks at the importance of insects to culture. While in the developed West a good deal of time and money may be spent trying to exterminate insects, in other cultures human-insect relations can be far more subtle and multi-faceted. Like animals, insects may be revered or reviled - and in some tribal communities insects may be the only source of food available. How people respond to, make use of, and relate to insects speaks volumes about their culture. In an effort to get to the bottom of our vexed relationship with the insect world, Brian Morris spent years in Malawi, a country where insects proliferate and people contend. In Malawi as in many tropical regions, insects have a profound impact on agriculture, the household, disease and medicine, and hence on oral literature, music, art, folklore, recreation and religion. Much of the complexity of human-insect relations rests on paradox: insects may represent the source of contagion, but they are also integral to many folk remedies for a wide range of illnesses. They may be at the root of catastrophic crop failure, but they can also be a form of sustenance. Weaving science with personal observations, Morris demonstrates a profound and intimate knowledge of virtually every aspect of human-insect relations. Not only is this book extraordinarily useful in terms of the more practical side of entomology, it also provides a wealth of information on the role of insects in cultural production. Malawian proverbs alone provide many such delightful examples - 'Bemberezi adziwa nyumba yake' ('The carpenter bee knows his own home'). This final volume in Morris' trilogy on Malawi's animal and insect worlds is certain to become a classic study of uncharted territory - the insect world that surrounds us and how we relate to it. Praise for The Power of Animals: Although based upon examination of a single culture, Morris incorporates ecological and anthropological concepts that expand this study of

With access to previously unpublished material in the form of Hilaire Belloc's letters and photographs, Pearce's major new biography uncovers a romantic, complex, and solitary character. Illustrations.

Ideas are like buses, you wait forever and then 500 come along atonce. The Big Idea Book is 500 novel, ingenious anddownright crazy ideas designed to inspire, amuse and divert.Developed by the team behind the innovative website, Idea-a-Day atwww.idea-a-day.com, itcovers everything from business to travel, politics to money andeverything in between. Idea-a-Day has a vast network of followers and contributors -some famous, some infamous, some revered, some reviled – whopost ideas to be read, enjoyed, used or abused. Seth Godin, MalcolmMaclaren and Wayne Hemmingway are just a few of its fans. In TheBig Idea Book all this creative energy is mixed together withunpublished ideas, quotes, cartoons, illustrations andthought-pieces to give creatives and cool office types a visual andintellectual treat guaranteed to kickstart the imagination andcreative flair!