Velvet Antlers, Velvet Noses

Everybody thinks they know what a reindeer is. It comes with a red nose and a sleigh. But there is a lot more to them than the seasonal misconception which Tilly Smith aims to put right in this account of how she and her husband Alan run their Cairngorm reindeer herd on the edge of Scotland's bleakest mountains. Her book tells the story of the herd, its life cycle and its personalities, its successes and disasters. She tells how they hire the reindeer out for film work or take them to visit community centres, hospitals and, especially near Christmas, shopping malls.