Otter

Daniel Allen is a Lecturer in Geography at Keele University with expertise in human-animal relations and conservation, and the author of The Nature Magpie (2013).

"Did you know that the otter is J K Rowling’s favourite animal? Or that the earliest evidence of its existence dates back 20 million years? Or that the fur of the sea otter is the densest in the animal kingdom? All these and numerous other intriguing snippets of otter lore are contained within a beautifully presented volume as charming and captivating as its subject matter . . . gorgeous illustrations on nearly every page . . . you will love this one." - Daily Mail"Allen's writing is engaging, especially in describing otter's natural history and popular otters real and fictional, including Henry Williamson's famous Tarka . . . there's an urgent reason to keep reading about beavers and otters. The need to restore Britain's wetlands, indeed all wildlands, makes their stories a compelling part of conservation science, deserving our full attention." - Barbara J. King, TLS"This wide-ranging book includes anecdotes from folklore, sports and popular literature, as well as exploring the ongoing efforts towards the otter's conservation. Otter is a fascinating book that offers a new way of thinking about this much-loved, but endangered animal." - Countryside Magazine"From more familiar species of otter, such as the sea otters commonly found along California shores, to theEurasian otters of England’s rivers, Allen’s Otter covers the entire gamut of the family tree, including such not-so-well-known notables as the once-thought-extinct hairy-nosed otter of the Far East and the nearing-extinction Giant Otter of The Guianas in South America. His rendering of the otter’s story offers anexpansive glimpse at one of nature’s most delightful beings." - Rain Taxi"Daniel Allen and Reaktion’s accomplished production of Otter befit its exceptionally charismatic and beautiful subject, and skilfully tracks the manner in which conservation lobbying and literature helped transform the otter from victim to survivor. It is to be hoped that it will inspire renewed efforts to study and conserve an animal which is now showing worrying signs of decline." - TLS"Daniel Allen gives a captivating account of our changing relationship with the otter - once persecuted, now adored." - BBC Wildlife Magazine"[A] fine furry paean" - The Guardian"The otters reputation is well served by this readable account." - The Countryman"This monograph tells both sides of the story and pulls no punches and must be the best account and resume of otters and their problems and their success than any other book I have read. It deals with the whole spectrum from persecution to folklore and sport to commercial enterprise." - Highland News"a fascinating text, many illustrations and good value for money . . . a must-have of a book" - North Devon Journal"Otter is the most brilliant mix of facts ancient and modern about the otter species and its vulnerability to man’s seemingly insatiable need to hunt the poor animal for reasons other than survival. I am sure the book will help to ensure that the hunting of otters will never return to this country - and I hope other lands will follow this example . . . A fascinating and illuminating book." - Virginia McKenna OBE

• 1 Introducing the Otter2 Folklore, Fables, Tradition and the Otter3 Commercial Otter Hunting4 Otter Hunting for Sport5 The Literary Otter6 The Otter On Screen7 Protecting the OtterAppendix: Otter DataTimeline of the OtterReferencesSelect BibliographyWebsites and AssociationsAcknowledgementsPhoto AcknowledgementsIndex