The Majesty of the Horse: An Illustrated History

by Tamsin Pickeral, Astrid Harrisson (Photographer)

Horses have played a central role in human societies for millennia, and this magnificently written and beautifully illustrated volume celebrates that long, eventful history. It pays homage not only to the physical splendor of the horse--its grace, beauty, strength, and adaptability--but also to its remarkable diversity. Equestrian specialist Tamsin Pickeral traces the evolution of many different horse breeds from the dawn of written history to the present day. Separate chapters are devoted to--

Genres: Animals, Horses, Nonfiction, Photography

288 pages, Hardcover

First published September 1, 2012

About the author

Tamsin Pickeral is an art historian and an author of books on art, horses, animals and travel.

She wrote her first book, The Encyclopedia of Horses and Ponies (published 1999) while living in the US, where she stayed for eight years, and has since that time written or co-written over twenty books.

She has lived back in the UK since 2004.

Pickeral's books are published internationally and have received critical acclaim in the media. This includes her book The Horse: 30,000 Years of the Horse in Art, chosen as Book of the Week by The Guardian newspaper (2006), and her book, The Dog: 5,000 Years of the Dog in Art, picked as one of the Top Fifty Art Books of the Year, 2008 by the Financial Times and voted into the Sunday Times Books Of The Year, Art, 2008.

Reviews

[Ann Keller · Rating 5 out of 5]

What an incredible resource. This book is great for the coffee table or for those who truly enjoy reading about horses of all types, from all over the world.

[GK Stritch · Rating 4 out of 5]

beautiful photos

[Linda Nichols · Rating 4 out of 5]

I would have given it five stars, but the photography left something to be desired. I love artsy shots as much as anyone, but this book is a history, not an art book. I would have liked full photos of the horses, not close-ups of braided manes. Other than that, the book is full of information about various horse breeds from around the world, and information on extinct breeds as well. I enjoyed the photography, even though I did have the above-named complaint. Where there were full-on photos of the horses, they were beautifully expressive of the breed's characteristics. This was indeed a history, as it went into the development of the various breeds, and their ancient and recent progenitors. It would be a nice coffee table book.

[Patricia · Rating 5 out of 5]

If you are in love with horses as much as I am . This is the book for you . I have learnt so much . There were some horse breeds I didn't know exsisted . This is a beautiful written book and the illustrations are beautiful . Tamsin took a lot if time to bring this book together . Thank you . Check it out if you love horses

[Amber · Rating 4 out of 5]

Beautiful pictures. I was inspired.

[Brenda · Rating 5 out of 5]

The pictures are fantastic. The historical information is so interesting. This is a gorgeous book! I had a copy from the local library, but may have to purchase it.