Books

Some wear to the jacket. A history of the horse and donkey in human societies.

At the end of the last ice age the horse and ass were hunted for their meat, but between six and three thousand years ago, humans discovered that by riding on horseback they could travel at greater speeds and for longer distances than they could on foot.

This discovery transformed the course of human history, enabling the invasion of foreign lands. Without such fast transport, and ability to move goods, weapons and food, Alexander the Great could never have achieved his conquests in Asia, there would have been no Crusades, and the Normans could not have conquered England in 1066.

Beginning with natural history and biology of the wild species of equid, and describing their widespread distribution, the author combines biological, archaeological and historical evidence to describe these and other major events in which horsepower has played a decisive role. Horse Power will interest the biologist, archaeologist, historian, and horse-lover.

Hardback.