The natural history of unicorns - Hardcover

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 1847080626 ISBN 13: 9781847080622

Publisher: London: Granta

Synopsis

“Lavers keeps his intellectual detective story passionate and suspenseful.”
— Washington Post Book World

 

From Biblical stories about virgins to adventures with Harry Potter, unicorns have enchanted people for millennia. In the endlessly fascinating The Natural History of Unicorns, author Chris Lavers ingeniously traces the legend of this mysterious creature to the real people, places, and animals that have influenced its story.

About this title

From the Back Cover

For over two thousand years, unicorns have inspired, enchanted, and eluded humanity. The beast appears in Old Testament texts and Greek and Roman natural histories; Christians adopted it as a symbol of Christ, the Middle Ages as a symbol of courtly love. There was a brisk trade in unicorn parts in medieval and Renaissance times, and travelers regularly reported sightings into the modern era. But by the early twentieth century the real-life contenders for the beast had been ruled out, and scientists concluded that the unicorn never existed. It turns out they were a little hasty.

Where did the unicorn come from, and how was it accepted as a part of the animal kingdom for so long? Chris Lavers argues that although the unicorn of our imagination isn't real, traces of its character can be found in existing species. In this lively and vivid exploration of the natural world, Lavers follows the beast's trail to the plateaus of India and into the jungles of Africa to unearth the flesh and blood ancestors of our iconic unicorn.

Along the way, Lavers introduces the peoples, historians, explorers, traders, and scientists who believed in the unicorn, and describes their efforts to pin it down. Its changing status—from one-horned ass to religious symbol to pure myth—reflects man's journey from superstition to scientific understanding, ultimately leading to a greater insight into the natural world.

About the Author

Chris Lavers is senior lecturer in natural history in the School of Geography, University of Nottingham. He is the author of Why Elephants Have Big Ears, and he lives in Nottingham, England.

Edition details

• Publisher: London: Granta
• Language: English
• ISBN 10: 1847080626
• ISBN 13: 9781847080622
• Binding: Hardcover
• Edition number: 1