Stories Rabbits Tell: A Natural and Cultural History of a Misunderstood Creature FROM THE PUBLISHER
Long considered either pests or figures of cartoon fun, rabbits are in fact the most popular pets after cats and dogs in the United States. In Stories Rabbits Tell, Susan E. Davis and Margo DeMello explore the relationship between rabbits and people throughout time, from the perspectives of natural history, cultural anthropology and the current debate over animal consciousness. Stories Rabbits Tell is destined to become an indispensable guide for the increasing number of people interested in caring for and finding out more about these intriguing creatures.
Author Biography:Susan E. Davis has written for the Washington Post, Ladies Home Journal and Sports Illustrated. Her previous books include Toddler Play and The Sporting Life, and she is a national educator with the House Rabbit Society.
Margo DeMello is a cultural anthropologist and was the Education Director for the House Rabbit Society. She has one of the only "warrens" (large groups of domestic, free-roaming house rabbits) in the United States.
SYNOPSIS
Revered as a symbol of fertility, sexuality, purity and childhood,
beloved as a children?s pet and widely represented in the myths, art and
collectibles of almost every culture, the rabbit is one of the most
popular animals known to humans. Ironically, it has also been one of the
most misunderstood and abused. Indeed, the rabbit is the only animal
that our culture adores as a pet, idolizes as a storybook hero and
slaughters for commercial purposes.
Stories Rabbits Tell takes a comprehensive look at the rabbit as a wild
animal, ancient symbol, pop culture icon, commercial ?product? and
domesticated pet. In so doing, the book explores how one species can be
simultaneously adored as a symbol of childhood (think Peter Rabbit),
revered as a symbol of female sexuality (e.g., Playboy Bunnies),
dismissed as a ?dumb bunny? in domesticity and loathed as a pest in the
wild. The authors counter these stereotypes with engaging analyses of
real rabbit behavior, drawn both from the authors' own experience and
from academic studies, and place those behaviors in the context of
current debates about animal consciousness. In a detailed investigative
section, the authors also describe conditions in the rabbit meat, fur,
pet and vivisection industries, and raise important questions about the
ethics of treating rabbits as we do.
The first book of its kind, Stories Rabbits Tell provides invaluable
information and insight into the life and history of an animal whom many
love, but whom most of us barely know. As such, it is a key addition to
the current thinking on animal emotions, intelligences and welfare, and
the way that human perceptions influence the treatment of individual
species.
FROM THE CRITICS
Publishers Weekly
"Most people approach rabbits as if they were stuffed animals: cute, but not capable of much except, maybe, eating carrots and twitching their noses," note Davis (writer and rabbit owner) and DeMello (president of the House Rabbit Society), who present quite a different picture: rabbits (and hares) are complex, social creatures intertwined with human culture. To date, no book has so closely examined the behavior and place of the rabbit-as pet, prey, pest and mythic figure-in history. As the only animal Westerners use as both pet and meat, the rabbit reflects some of our most unsettling cultural contradictions. Part literary companion, with analyses of rabbits in art and literature from poet William Cowper to Beatrix Potter, and part clear-eyed review of facts on rabbit "industry" and rabbit biology, this volume imparts insight into the genesis of pet keeping, the fur industry and the permutations of rabbits in folklore. With colorful anecdotes (including one about introducing Jack, a rabbit grieving for his mate, to new friends), this absorbing book opens the door on the realm of all things lagomorph. The prevalence of rabbits in folklore (as fools, mischief makers and sexualized witches) reveals just how much baggage this small creature has carried, up through the age of the Playboy Bunny. (July) Copyright 2003 Reed Business Information.
Home
