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The Book of Beasts

'An essential for any bestiary or folklore fan' LALLY MACBETH

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The Book of Beasts

By: Elizabeth Sulis Kim
Narrated by: Helen Keeley
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A modern bestiary with an ancient heart: meet twelve emblematic animals and restore your relationship with the natural world, from the editor of Cunning Folk.

The bear deities, Artio and Artaius, who’ll rise from sleep; the salmon of wisdom who gifts understanding of the universe’s past, present and future; the Lion Man carved 40,000 years ago. Join Elizabeth Sulis Kim as she travels across the globe and through time, from our deep past into the future, bringing together the animals which have captivated us for millennia.

Steeped in folklore, mythology, magic and religion, The Book of Beasts tells the story of our shapeshifting relationships with animals, from reverence to persecution, friendship to fear, awe to indifference. It asks us what we actually know about the creatures we share this world with – and offers us a different way of living together.

'Folklore, myth and magic collide beautifully' EDWARD PARNELL, author of Ghostland
'Beautifully written' RONALD HUTTON, author of The Witch
'Immersive, enchanting and exquisitely written' KRISTEN J. SOLLEE, author of Cat Call
'Powerful and beautifully written' MELANIE JOY, author of Why We Love Dogs, Eat Pigs, and Wear Cows

© Elizabeth Sulis Kim 2026 (P) Penguin Audio 2026

 Animals Biological Sciences Customs & Traditions Literary History & Criticism Outdoors & Nature Science Social Sciences Mythology Heartfelt Magic Witchcraft Magic Users
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Critic reviews

This beautifully written book considers the relationship between humans and animals through the whole of time and across the planet... [it is] ultimately an examination of the place of humans in the world, past and present (RONALD HUTTON, author of The Witch)
Wild and strange, and full to the brim with tales from the deep past, offering a meaningful connection to our ancestors. It is a reminder of what we came from and how we might move forwards into the future; a brighter future filled with beasts. An essential for any bestiary or folklore fan (LALLY MACBETH, author of The Lost Folk)
Beautiful and provocative. Anyone who loved animal stories as a child will find this book enchanting. Elizabeth Sulis Kim shows how to think differently about the creatures with whom we share our planet (HENRY MANCE, author of How To Love Animals)
Highly captivating, deeply emotional and beautifully nuanced (CHELSEA WOLFE)
Folklore, myth and magic collide beautifully in The Book of Beasts (EDWARD PARNELL, author of Ghostland)
Immersive, enchanting, and exquisitely written, The Book of Beasts is a clarion call to rethink and rewild our relationship with animals. Prepare to be changed by this magical book (KRISTEN J. SOLLEE, author of Cat Call: Reclaiming the Feral Feminine)
In this powerful and beautifully written book, Elizabeth Sulis Kim explores humanity’s relationship with animals across history and cultures. She weaves together archaeology, mythology, religion, ecology, and psychology to show how the stories we create about animals shape our understanding of humanity, and how changing those stories could help change our world (MELANIE JOY, PhD, bestselling author of Why We Love Dogs, Eat Pigs, and Wear Cows)
Dazzling in range and tender in purpose, The Book of Beasts is an invitation to remember our kinship with the living world. Elizabeth Sulis Kim asks urgent questions with a scholar's rigour and a storyteller's heart. It is both confounding and humbling to consider how often humans forget that we belong to nature too (HOLLIE STARLING, editor of Bog People)
The Book of Beasts is epic and wise, but also tender and sensitive. From prehistory to the present, through myth and magic to religion and literature, this captivating and highly-original book explores the immense importance of animals across diverse human cultures. With profound reflections about the power of beastly thinking, The Book of Beasts is essential reading for animal lovers everywhere (THOMAS WATERS, author of Cursed Britain: A History of Witchcraft and Black Magic in Modern Times)
All stars
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It's rare to discover a book that changes the way you view the world, but Kim's collection of folk tales from across the globe and reflections on what they tell us about animal nature does just that. It explores the stories we tell about twelve beasts and urges us to question narratives that prioritise consumption over co-operation. Wide-ranging and global in scope, the research that went into this book is impressive, and while this is not a travel guide, it introduces the reader to places and cultures they may not be familiar with to demonstrate the porosity of folk traditions. A good one to listen to while on a walk.

A invitation to a more empathic life

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Likely to ruffle some feathers but I found this enchanting. Beautifully written and narrated. Vital reading in the Anthropocene and for anyone who cares about our shared futures. I learnt a lot which is my measure of a good non-fiction book.

Beautiful and provocative

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