Dog’s Best Friend

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What to expect

'This love letter to our four-legged friends is a delight . . . there is a good joke, an intriguing tale or a fascinating statistic on every page' Craig Brown, Mail on Sunday

'A fact-packed history of a 15,000-year relationship' Sunday Times

How did we arrive at the moment when a dog goes to the cinema? How did we realise that dogs could assist humans not only in hunting, but also in bomb disposal and cancer detection? When did pawsecco and naps on a luxury bed replace the scavenging of their wolf ancestors? From the first glimpses of our early bond on ancient rock art to the latest scientific and psychological insights, from the Corgis at the Palace to the true story of the Labradoodle, Dog's Best Friend is the story of a relationship built over 15,000 years that tells us much about dogs and even more about their owners.

Critics Review

A witty celebration of the long-lasting dog/human relationship . . . There are some extraordinary facts in this book
THE TIMES
From the Queen's corgi named Rozavel Lucky Strike to Donald Trump being terrorised by a poodle, this love letter to our four-legged friends is a delight . . . there is a good joke, an intriguing tale or a fascinating statistic on every page
MAIL ON SUNDAY
Garfield exudes a puppyish persona, his prose is bouncy and his dog facts digestible . . . [a] fact-packed history of a 15,000-year relationship
THE SUNDAY TIMES
A glorious new celebration of man's best friend . . . [a] moving and invigorating study of all things canine
DAILY MAIL
A treat . . . [a] charming and erudite book on the mutually rewarding relationship between Homo sapiens and Canis lupus familiaris
DAILY TELEGRAPH
In the latest fun, excursive contribution to an eclectic oeuvre, this author explores the bond between humans and the dogs who love us and walk us, guard and rescue us
SAGA
DOG'S BEST FRIEND is as fascinating, funny and wise as we've come to expect from Simon Garfield. More than that, it's a book that asks profound questions about what it means to be canine
ANDY MILLER, author THE YEAR OF READING DANGEROUSLY
Funny, fascinating and endearing - this is a book that will make your tail wag
KATE HUMBLE
A fascinating, informative and highly entertaining expedition through the highways and byways of dogdom
JOHN BRADSHAW, author of IN DEFENCE OF DOGS
Byron, Sassoon, Woolf, Charles Schulz . . . many have managed to express the love we have for our dogs, but until now, no one has adequately explained it. Simon Garfield has written a book every owner will lap up with the same delight and enthusiasm their Fido would a discarded box of fried chicken. That is to say, with great pleasure
KATE SPICER, author of LOST DOG
A wise and witty alternative history of humanity . . . Interesting and somewhat unusual
PLATINUM MAGAZINE
Starting with ancient cave paintings and taking the reader on a journey from Buckingham Palace to the Soviet space program before heading into the genome lab, the book invites testimony from breeders, psychoanalysts, and pooch lovers the world over in its quest to work out the secrets behind the astonishing human-and-beast bond. A joy!
WOMAN & HOME, best non-fiction books of 2021
A romp through the history of our relationship with dogs, packed with fascinating facts and heart-warming tales of loyalty and derring-do. Discover how our canine companions help heal us, where designer dog trends began and more
WOMAN'S WEEKLY
Witty, probing, and spot-on . . . With emotional acuity, DOG'S BEST FRIEND leaves the reader acknowledging that Canis lupus familiaris will always be a mixed bag of ancestry and characters while maintaining an unflinching connection with us
American Kennel Club
This engaging study, by turns wry, ironic and poignant, goes from prehistory to now. By the end - even though the dog comes when you call - you wonder who really is in charge
SYDNEY MORNING HERALD
In this well-researched and absorbing narrative, written with the same enthusiasm that characterized JUST MY TYPE and ON THE MAP, Garfield explores the human-dog relationship with humor, intelligence, and warmth . . . A dog fancier's delight
KIRKUS REVIEWS
If you have a dog in your life, Simon Garfield's Dog's Best Friend will make you laugh with recognition, cry at the pity of it all, and leave you feeling like you've just had your belly rubbed. As refreshing and restorative as a good walk
D.D. GUTTENPLAN, Editor, The Nation
Garfield is like the schoolteacher who made the time fly, a one-man Blue Peter team for intelligent adults, a great British explainer
OBSERVER
Garfield has a genius for being sparked to life by esoteric enthusiasm and charming readers with his delight
THE TIMES

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