Pet Revolution

Hamlett and Strange state that their aim is to chart 200 years of pet-keeping in order to ‘understand how pets became so integral to the British and their homes’. In this richly detailed and enjoyable history, they have achieved their purpose. -- Nick Rennison * The Daily Mail *
The extraordinary menagerie of pets [are] described and discussed in a magisterial book entitled Pet Revolution. -- Laurie Taylor * 'Thinking Allowed', BBC Radio 4 *
In this well-researched and engagingly-written book, Jane Hamlett and Julie-Marie Strange demonstrate with much analytical flair how the ‘pet revolution’ of the nineteenth and twentieth centuries transformed animal and human lives in modern Britain . . . Pet Revolution is a thought-provoking, accessible, and stimulating book that uses pet-keeping to explore social and cultural change in modern Britain. It is a welcome addition to animal history. -- Chris Pearson * Environment and History *
The two authors are both history professors . . . so they should be well placed to tell, as the publisher put it, the 'story of the "pet revolution" alongside other revolutions – industrial, agricultural, political – to highlight how animals contributed to modern British life'. The book describes the growth of pet foods and medicines, the rise of pet shops and the development of veterinary care creating the pet economy. * The Oldie *
Pet Revolution provides a panoramic and yet detailed history of pet-keeping in Britain from the eighteenth-century to the present, drawing upon a multiplicity of academic perspectives: social, economic and colonial histories, animal ethics, and even, in some respects, affect theory. It deftly articulates a human perspective and a careful concern for animals, as well as economics and emotions, and sheds light on the inter- and intra-species power dynamics that regulate pet-keeping . . . Hamlett and Strange make a unique and important contribution to this already existing body of works . . . the multi-faceted discussion of pet-keeping, from domestic ecologies, to education, regulations, personal behaviours, and market economies makes this book an excellent introduction to the vast topic. This book will prove invaluable to both newcomers to the field and scholars more familiar with the history of pets . . . Pet Revolution not only provides historical depth to the topic, but also social depth. -- Emma Thiébaut * British Association for Victorian Studies Newsletter *

Written by two professors of modern history, the chief delight for me in this book was the wealth of illustrations of pets in the family
life of Victorian England. A research tour de force . . . dense with information . . . More of a bedside, ongoing read than an easily assimilated tale, the book is packed with information on every aspect of our life with domesticated animals.

-- Gay Robertson * The Kennel Gazette *
From guard animals to becoming a beloved family member, animals have offered humans love and companionship for hundreds of years. Hamlett and Strange [chart] the evolution of pet ownership across the centuries. * The Sunday Post, Scotland *
From pet economics to pet cemeteries, this wonderfully engaging history explains the changing role of pets over two hundred years. It is as entertaining as it is informative, comprising charming stories and smart analysis. * Claire Langhamer, Director of the Institute of Historical Research, London *
This fascinating book combines very extensive historical research with a keen interest in animals’ wellbeing. It provides a subtle analysis of the gendered aspects of pet ownership, and is especially enlightening when the authors discuss the experiences of working people and their animal companions across two centuries. * Diana Donald, author of Women Against Cruelty: Protection of Animals in Nineteenth-Century Britain (2019) *
Pet Revolutionchronicles the increasing integration of pets into British life in fresh and fascinating detail. It shows how the definition of "pet" narrowed over the last two centuries, as pet ownership spread through all social classes and the status of non-human animals evolved. The broad range of sources and engaging illustrations document the intense commitment that pets (or animal companions, as they are sometimes termed currently) inspired in their humans. * Harriet Ritvo, Arthur J. Conner Emeritus Professor of History, MIT *