Animals

Bison, Swallow, and Skunk are three of the latest additions to Reakton Books’ “Animal” series, which stretches from A to (approximately) Z. From Albatross, Ant, and Ape to Walrus, Whale, and Wolf – and many in between – this series offers appealing overviews of 75 individual vertebrate and invertebrate animals. Each book presents a holistic view of its subject animal, including history, natural history, art, economics, and mythology. Short, well-illustrated, and appealing, the books in this series allow readers to understand each animal from a far broader perspective than biology.

Thus, in Skunk, for example, we learn about such diverse topics as skunk natural history (“true to their independent natures, skunks are polygamous and do not form enduring romantic relationships), skunks in history (such as the dozens of “fully-equipped specimens” kept by “The Skunk Woman,” Chrissy Hand), skunks in Native American lore, and...