In this richly illustrated book, Victoria Dickenson explores the natural and cultural history of this most familiar creature, from the giant extinct rabbits of Minorca to the tiny endangered Volcano rabbits of Mexico.
The rabbit is prey, chased by enemies from eagles to foxes to domestic cats. But it is also trickster, who outwits all rivals and escapes every trap. The rabbit is lucky, and its foot will charm away evil. It is suitable as a cuddly companion for children but also as a symbol of unbridled animal passion. From Peter Rabbit to B’rer Rabbit to Watership Down and the Energizer Bunny, rabbits inhabit our imaginations.
Victoria Dickenson is a historian and curator based in Montreal, Canada. She is the author of Drawn from Life: Science and Art in the Portrayal of the New World (1998), Rabbit (Reaktion Books, 2013) and Seal (Reaktion Books, 2015).
1 A Natural History
2 The Natural and Unnatural History of the European Rabbit
3 The ‘Useful’ Rabbit
4 Rabbit in Mind
5 Rabbits and Us
6 The Twenty-first-century Rabbit Paradox
A Few Rabbit Poems
Timeline
References
Select Bibliography
Associations and Websites
Acknowledgements
Photo Acknowledgements
Index