"Beaver" by John Kettlewell is a book about beards. Each illustration in this book originally faced a different beard description. Excerpt: "A. IS AN ADMIRAL-BEAVER. The specimen mounted is typical and the coat is good, harsh and not silky, a common fault in these rough-haired examples. An Admiral-King-Beaver is unthinkable ... "derogation of God's honour," etc. Though the sport is deservedly popular in the Service, it is attended by infinite risk should the specimen be of higher rank than the players. K. R. and A. I. contain no definite ruling as to the legality or otherwise of the game, but a Court-Martial would probably trip an unlucky player on "conduct to the prejudice," etc."

With their building prowess and distinctive features, beavers are a rare, but wonderful sight in UK waters following their extinction and re-introduction. Through informative chapters ranging from the psychological and environment to the inclusion of the beaver in myth, legend, art and literature, The Beaver Book is an ideal guide to its subject for all nature lovers, beautifully illustrated throughout with photography and artwork. With record numbers of beavers set to be reintroduced across the UK in 2021, securing the place of this mammal in the country’s ecosystem for generation’s to come, this is both a relevant and timely publication.

A humorous and bizarre artifact from the Victorian culture of manliness, and the perfect gift book for the man in your life -- bearded or not. The Philosophy of Beards is a curious look into the Victorian culture of hyper-manliness. The author makes his case for the universal wearing of a beard--proclaiming that a beard is the essential symbol of manly virtue and distinction since time immemorial. The book is here republished for the first time since 1854 in this distinctive gift edition, edited by the British Library with illustrations of impressive beards from history.

With unique fish-like tails, chainsaw teeth, a pungent musk, and astonishing building skills, beavers are unlike any other creature in the world. Not surprisingly, the extraordinary beaver has played a fascinating role in human history and has inspired a rich cultural tradition for millennia. In Beaver, Rachel Poliquin explores four exceptional beaver features: beaver musk, beaver fur, beaver architecture, and beaver ecology, tracing the long evolutionary history of the two living species and revealing them to be survivors capable of withstanding ice ages, major droughts, and all predators, except one: humans. Widely hunted for their fur, beavers were a driving force behind the colonization of North America and remain, today, Canada’s national symbol. Poliquin examines depictions of beavers in Aesop’s Fables, American mythology, contemporary art, and environmental politics, and she explores the fact and fictions of beaver chain gangs, beaver-flavored ice cream, and South America’s ever-growing beaver population. And yes, she even examines the history of the sexual euphemism. Poliquin delights in the strange tales and improbable history of the beaver. Written in an accessible style for a broad readership, this beautifully illustrated book will appeal to anyone who enjoys long-forgotten animal lore and extraordinary animal biology.