Greyhound Nation
A Coevolutionary History of England, 1200–1900

Edmund Russell examines interactions between greyhounds and their owners in England from 1200 to 1900 to prove that history is an evolutionary process.

Edmund Russell (Author)

9780521745055, Cambridge University Press

Paperback, published 11 January 2018

214 pages, 19 b/w illus. 2 tables
22.8 x 15.2 x 1.5 cm, 0.34 kg

'Russell has given his readers a new tool kit for approaching and understanding the impact of dogs (and other domesticated animals) and humans in each other's intertwined histories.' Stephanie Howard-Smith, H-Environment

Edmund Russell's much-anticipated new book examines interactions between greyhounds and their owners in England from 1200 to 1900 to make a compelling case that history is an evolutionary process. Challenging the popular notion that animal breeds remain uniform over time and space, Russell integrates history and biology to offer a fresh take on human-animal coevolution. Using greyhounds in England as a case study, Russell shows that greyhounds varied and changed just as much as their owners. Not only did they evolve in response to each other, but people and dogs both evolved in response to the forces of modernization, such as capitalism, democracy, and industry. History and evolution were not separate processes, each proceeding at its own rate according to its own rules, but instead were the same.

1. Introduction
2. Patrician coevolution (1200–1831)
3. Human evolution in a transitional era (1776–1831)
4. Greyhound evolution and coevolution in a transitional era (1776–1831)
5. Modernizing human evolution (1831–1900)
6. Modern coevolution for coursing (1831–1900)
7. Modern coevolution for shows (1860–1900)
8. Epilogue.

Subject Areas: Evolution [PSAJ], Animals & society [JFFZ], Modern history to 20th century: c 1700 to c 1900 [HBLL], Early modern history: c 1450/1500 to c 1700 [HBLH], Early history: c 500 to c 1450/1500 [HBLC], British & Irish history [HBJD1]