Hunting
The Pursuit That Shaped Humanity
Will be published approx. on 23. June 2026
Book
Hardback
272 pages
978-0-300-27349-6 (ISBN)
Description
From an acclaimed archaeological writer, a worldwide history of hunting
"Offers a comprehensive, authoritative history tracing hunting's influence on culture and society through the ages."-Bill Heavy, Wall Street Journal
Hunting is one of humanity's most ancient and universal activities. It has been embedded in every facet of our lives, shaping social bonds, power hierarchies, and interactions with the spirit world. This book tells the story of how hunting evolved from a means of survival practiced with clubs and spears to a genteel display of royal power, and how it has become, in today's world, complicated and hotly contested.
In this wide-ranging study, Brian Fagan discusses how Neanderthals stalked prey and killed at close range, how hunting evolved as a political spectacle, and how commercial and trophy hunting precipitated an ecological crisis. He invites us to hunt with Charlemagne, explains how there was more to the demise of North American bison herds than rifles, and describes how influential figures such as John Muir, George Bird Grinnell, and Theodore Roosevelt fought for conservation during the nineteenth and early twentieth centuries. Filled with lively stories, fascinating discoveries, and compelling characters, Fagan's exploration of hunting-a companion to his Fishing-offers an informed and entertaining history of an essential human pursuit.
"Offers a comprehensive, authoritative history tracing hunting's influence on culture and society through the ages."-Bill Heavy, Wall Street Journal
Hunting is one of humanity's most ancient and universal activities. It has been embedded in every facet of our lives, shaping social bonds, power hierarchies, and interactions with the spirit world. This book tells the story of how hunting evolved from a means of survival practiced with clubs and spears to a genteel display of royal power, and how it has become, in today's world, complicated and hotly contested.
In this wide-ranging study, Brian Fagan discusses how Neanderthals stalked prey and killed at close range, how hunting evolved as a political spectacle, and how commercial and trophy hunting precipitated an ecological crisis. He invites us to hunt with Charlemagne, explains how there was more to the demise of North American bison herds than rifles, and describes how influential figures such as John Muir, George Bird Grinnell, and Theodore Roosevelt fought for conservation during the nineteenth and early twentieth centuries. Filled with lively stories, fascinating discoveries, and compelling characters, Fagan's exploration of hunting-a companion to his Fishing-offers an informed and entertaining history of an essential human pursuit.
Reviews / Votes
"In Hunting: The Pursuit That Shaped Humanity [Fagan] offers a comprehensive, authoritative history tracing hunting's influence on culture and society through the ages."-Bill Heavy, Wall Street Journal"When meat comes shrink-wrapped, it is salutary to learn from Brian Fagan how much our human condition owes to a hunting deep past. Fagan also entertainingly explores historical hunting traditions and the role of hunters in the modern conservation movement."-Ian Tattersall, author of Understanding Human Evolution
"Six decades ago, the influential edited volume Man the Hunter argued the fundamental role of hunting in the evolution of our species. It was heavily critiqued. Fagan revisits the entire issue in context of more recent history and societal attitudes. Although time is devoted to Pleistocene hunting and foraging, he moves rapidly into elite hunting behaviors with dogs and horses, culminating with the much more contemporary concerns around conservation and the impact of personalities like Muir and Roosevelt. The book provides a highly accessible and truly global assessment of hunting."-Vernon L. Scarborough, author of The Flow of Power: Ancient Water Systems and Landscapes
More details
Language
English
Place of publication
United States
Target group
College/higher education
Product notice
Cloth over boards
Illustrations
25 b-w illus.
Dimensions
Height: 216 mm
Width: 140 mm
ISBN-13
978-0-300-27349-6 (9780300273496)
Copyright in bibliographic data and cover images is held by Nielsen Book Services Limited or by the publishers or by their respective licensors: all rights reserved.
Schweitzer Classification
Person
Brian Fagan (1936-2025) was an internationally recognized authority on global prehistory. He was emeritus professor of anthropology at the University of California, Santa Barbara, and the author of dozens of books, including Fishing: How the Sea Fed Civilization; A Little History of Archaeology; The Great Warming: Climate Change and the Rise and Fall of Civilizations; and The Little Ice Age: How Climate Made History.