Overview

"Pigs were an important and integral part of English village life, both visible and essential. Living in close proximity to their owners and fed on scraps, they were the subject of perennial interest. While the words associated with the pig, such as ""hoggish"", ""swine"" and ""pigsty"", and phrases like ""greedy as a pig"" associate the pig with greed and dirt, this book shows the pig's virtues, intelligence and distinctive character. The pig also has its place in literature from Fielding's pig-keeping Parson Trulliber to Hardy's ""Jude the Obscure and Flora Thompson's ""Lark Rise to Candleford""."

Full Product Details

9781852853358

Table of Contents

Reviews

People learn about pigs as children from nursery rhymes (The Three Little Pigs) and growing-up stories (from Babe the Sheep-Pig to Orwell's Animal Farm). Yet there is much more to the human relationship with the pig, an intelligent domestic animal with personality and perceived humanlike attributes such as greediness and even a tendency to make breaks for freedom sometimes celebrated in the press. It is only when you start to read this affectionate literary and historical ode to the pig that you realize that it is long overdue. Focusing on the English domestic pig and pig-keeping as a cottage-industry from the 16th Century to the present, the book manages to tell almost everything imaginable about pigs (I almost called it a 'well rounded' story - but it is.) Anyone who has ever raised, cared for or spent any extended time with pigs will enjoy this book. With attractive illustrations and numerous sidebars, the book will also catch the eye and interest of many other readers. (Kirkus UK)

Author Information

Robert Malcolmson is Professor of History at Queen's University, Ontario.

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