For the Love of Animals The Rise of the Animal Protection Movement [Paperback]

An exceptionally interesting history of the animal protection movement . . .For the Love of Animalsis exemplary in every respect. The Washington Post Book World

In eighteenth-century Englandwhere the abuse of animals was routinethe idea of animal protection was dismissed as laughably radical. But as pets became more common, human attitudes toward animals evolved steadily, and with the concentrated efforts of an unconventional duchess, a gentleman scientist, and an eccentric Scots barrister, the lives of beastsand, correspondingly, men and womenbegan to change.

Kathryn Shevelow, an award-winning eighteenth-century scholar, gives us the dramatic story of the bold reformers (including Richard Martin, William Wilberforce, and Alexander Pope) who braved attacks because they sympathized with the plight of creatures everywhere. More than just a history, this is an eye-opening exploration into how our feelings toward animals reveal our ideas about ourselves, God, mercy, and nature. Accessible and lively,For the Love of Animalsis a captivating cultural narrative that takes us into the lives of animalsand into the minds of humansat a transforming moment in history.

A specialist in eighteenth-century British literature and culture,Kathryn Shevelowis a professor at the University of California in San Diego. She is the author ofCharlotte: Being a True Account of an Actress's Flamboyant Adventures in Eighteenth-Century London's Wild and Wicked Theatrical WorldandWomen and Print Culture. She lives in Solana Beach, California.

For the Love of Animalsis an absorbing, rich book - I learned much and it made me think more deeply about the relationship between humans and animals. A fresh new voice has been added to the growing literature about the complexity of the rights of animals. Jeffrey Moussaieff Masson, author of When Elephants Weep

This shocking book tells the story of thel#D