"Histories are more full of examples of the fidelity of dogs than of friends." —Alexander Pope
Throughout the history of writing, dogs have captivated their owners with their loyalty and playfulness. The timeless and universal friendship between people and dogs has inspired great poets, novelists, and short-story writers across the Western world to put pen to paper. This anthology celebrates dozens of the greatest dogs in literature as imagined by writers from the Middle Ages to the present day. William Shakespeare, Mark Twain, Charles Dickens, and Rudyard Kipling all recognize the contribution dogs make to people's lives; Virginia Woolf, Beatrix Potter, and William Cowper lend voices to our furry friends and write from the unique perspective of dogs; and Lord Byron and Arthur Conan Doyle commemorate dogs as lifelong companions and true friends. Many of the great dogs of literature are here, from Dodie Smith's beloved Dalmatian couple Pongo and Perdita to Jack London's fearsome White Fang, and the anthology is illustrated throughout with heart-warming scenes of man's best friend.