Beastly Britain cover art

Beastly Britain

An Animal History

Pre-order: Try Premium Plus free
Pick 1 audiobook a month from our unmatched collection - including bestsellers and new releases.
Unlimited access to our all-you-can-listen catalogue of 15K+ audiobooks and podcasts
Access exclusive sales and deals.
£8.99/month after 30 days. Renews automatically.

Beastly Britain

By: Karen R. Jones
Narrated by: Deborah Balm
Pre-order: Try Premium Plus free

£8.99/month after 30 days. Renews automatically. See here for eligibility.

Pre-order Now for £12.99

Pre-order Now for £12.99

About this listen

The remarkable history of Britain and its animals, told through ten iconic species

Have you ever wondered why we count sheep to get to sleep? Or where the phrase "red herring" comes from? Across British history, animals have been written about in poetry, painted in oils, and even recorded in law. Loved or feared, familiar or endangered, animals are everywhere to be seen.

In this enchanting study, Karen R. Jones takes a journey through the history of ten animals to show the extraordinary story of "beastly" Britain. Jones looks at animals including foxes and hedgehogs, newts and beetles, ghostly hounds, and even the Loch Ness Monster. She reveals the place of animals in British cultural identity and sheds new light on the most iconic moments of British history, from the Black Death to World War II.

The story of these isles may be told by human voices, but it is fully brought to life by listening to the squawks, bellows, and howls that make Britain what it is.

©2025 Karen R. Jones (P)2026 Tantor Media
Animals Biological Sciences Europe Great Britain Outdoors & Nature Science

Listeners also enjoyed...

The Cuckoo's Lea cover art
Uncommon Ground: Rethinking our relationship with the countryside cover art
Eagle Days cover art
The Hidden Life of Garden Birds cover art
The Long Shoe cover art
Colonialism: A Moral Reckoning cover art
Trees in Winter cover art
Hunt for the Shadow Wolf cover art
Get In cover art
Myself and Other Animals cover art
No reviews yet