The Pug Who Bit Napoleon: Animal Tales of the 18th and 19th Centuries

by Mimi Matthews

From elaborate Victorian cat funerals to a Regency era pony who took a ride in a hot air balloon, Mimi Matthews shares some of the quirkiest and most poignant animal tales of the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries.

Meet Fortune, the Pug who bit Napoleon on his wedding night, and Looty, the Pekingese sleeve dog who was presented to Queen Victoria after the 1860 sacking of the Summer Palace in Peking. The four-legged friends of Lord Byron, Emily Brontë, and Prince Albert also make an appearance, as do the treasured pets of Alexander Pope, Samuel Johnson, and Charles Dickens.

Less famous, but no less fascinating, are the animals that were the subject of historical lawsuits, scandals, and public curiosity. There's Tuppy, the purloined pet donkey; Biddy, the regimental chicken; and Barnaby and Burgho, the bloodhounds hired to hunt Jack the Ripper. Wild animals also get a mention in tales that encompass everything from field mice and foxes to alligators and sharks lurking in the Thames.

Using research from eighteenth and nineteenth century books, letters, journals, and newspapers, Mimi Matthews brings each animal's unique history to vivid life.The details are sometimes humorous, sometimes heartbreaking, but the stories are never anything less than fascinating reading for animal lovers of all ages.

Genres: History, Nonfiction, Animals, Historical, Dogs, Victorian

152 pages, Paperback

First published November 30, 2017

About the author

USA Today bestselling author Mimi Matthews writes both historical nonfiction and award-winning historical romance, including Rules for Ruin, a Kirkus, NYPL, NPR, Library Journal, BookPage, and Marie Claire Best Book of 2025; The Siren of Sussex, a 2023 RUSA Reading List shortlist pick for Best Romance; Fair as a Star, a Library Journal Best Romance of 2020; Gentleman Jim, a Kirkus Best Book of 2020; and The Work of Art, winner of the 2020 HOLT Medallion and a 2021 Daphne du Maurier Award nominee. Her novels have received starred reviews from Publishers Weekly, Library Journal, Booklist, Kirkus, BookPage, and Shelf Awareness, and her articles have been featured on the Victorian Web, the Journal of Victorian Culture, and in syndication at BUST Magazine.

In her other life, Mimi is an attorney. She resides in California with her family, which includes an Andalusian dressage horse, a miniature poodle, a Sheltie, and two Siamese cats.

**I only rate the books I love.**

Reviews

[Sara · Rating 3 out of 5]

I received a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

The Pug Who Bit Napoleon takes a unique look into 18th and 19th century European history, by looking at the pets and other animals associated with the people of the time. From Fortune, the pug belonging to Napoleon's new bride, to Looty, the stolen Pekingese presented to Victoria on the sacking of China.

As I may have mentioned once (or twice), I'm the proud owner of a miniature dachshund named Monty. Because of this, I have a keen interest at the moment in anything dog related - and I really enjoyed the sections relating to dogs in this. Relatively short, I managed to read it in one afternoon, I particularly enjoyed reading about the different personalities of the dogs and the fondness often (although not always) shown by their owners. Dog really has been man's best friend for a long time.

The chapters on Fortune were my favorite. I'm a sucker for French history, and I'd never heard of Fortune's tale before and how he was used as a 'spy' during the revolution. The research was well thought thought in this regard, and I could tell that Mimi Matthews really enjoyed regaling Fortune's exploits with Napoleon. I also enjoyed the sections on the bloodhounds used in the Jack the Ripper case and the introduction to rabies that's mentioned near the end when discussing foxes as pets. It's actually got me interested in researching more on the rabies virus.

I was less enthralled by the later sections of the book, which featured birds, horses and smaller mammals (and rather randomly, sharks). I would have preferred more time with the various dogs and their owners as I felt the research done here was not as strong, and it just wasn't as interesting.

I also wasn't fond of the authors use of other writers texts that make up good chunks of the chapters. I felt it took away some of the author's credibility by using up half of the book with other people's work - especially as it was so short.

Started strong, but too short and not enough dog content for my liking. However, a rather unique look at an area of history I like to read about.

[QNPoohBear · Rating 5 out of 5]

This slim volume is full of charming stories about beloved, and often spoiled, pets in 18th and 19th-century Britain and Europe. There's the usual dogs and cats, horses and rabbits, but also some more odd choices like chickens, mice, alligators, killer sharks and even a flea circus! The stories are simply told and most can be enjoyed by the whole family. The titular pug alas did not have enough sense to know Napoleon was trouble but merely a spoiled, pampered baby who claimed Joséphine de Beauharnais as his own. Napoleon was an interloper in the relationship. Mimi Matthews makes the story funny and any mother or father of a furbaby will be able to relate to either Joséphine and her pugs or Napoleon. Also included in this book is the story of the mouse that inspired Robert Burns to pen the famous line about mice and men. It's a sweet story behind the famous line of poetry. The entire poem, in dialect, is included.

The stories are accompanied by beautiful period artwork. I especially liked seeing the dog portraits and seeing how different the familiar breeds looked at the time. Even the pug looks slightly different from the modern pug. The Newfoundland is unrecognizable to the modern eye but the rough collie could be a modern day Border Collie and not what the dog fanciers show as a collie. Also lovely is the portrait of Queen Victoria's baby and their dogs and the Queen's beloved dogs and parrot. I knew about the dogs but did you know the royals also had a parrot? The horse paintings are also very sweet and show how prized horses were at the time. I had a pet tabbit when I was a girl and was especially touched by the portrait of the little girl with her domestic pet rabbit. It's very sweet. The flea circus drawing was a bit much. That whole story creeped me out.

This book is recommended for pet lovers and those who enjoy esoteric and oddball history. I would happily read a second volume!

[Denise · Rating 5 out of 5]

If you love animals, you will love this book about pets of famous historical figures and authors.

[Kristin · Rating 4 out of 5]

I would like to thank Pen and Sword for a free copy of the book in exchange for an honest review.

Adorable animal stories, perfect for any animal lover.

[Kellie · Rating 5 out of 5]

This review is from on my blog, The Abstract: https://www.theabstractnews.com/2017/...

Mimi Matthews' book "The Pug Who Bit Napoleon: Animal Tales of the 18th and 19th Centuries" was one of the most delightful historical books I've read in a while. As an animal lover and a history buff, this book was quite fun to read. I read it in one sitting and I feel that many will do that. The pace is perfect and it's just really full of fascinating facts.

The book kicks off with the story about Fortune, the pug of Empress Josephine's and the dog who bit Napoleon on his wedding night. I laughed while reading that story and found the story about the love between Samuel Pope and his cats adorable. Same goes with Lord Byron and his faithful dog, Boatswain.

I read stuff I didn't even know about like sharks and alligators in the Thames River. I also thought I knew everything about the Jack the Ripper case, but didn't remember reading about the bloodhounds Barnaby and Burgho. Other strange stories include circus fleas and a chicken that was the unofficial mascot for a New York Regiment during the Civil War. So that's just some of the things that you'll read about in "The Pug Who Bit Napoleon."

Mimi Matthews used letters and newspapers for some of her research, which is a total plus. The newspaper clippings that she shared in the book really helped bring the stories alive. It seemed to be well researched too.

So if you are an animal lover and adore history, you'll find "The Pug Who Bit Napoleon" to be your next favorite read.

[Nate · Rating 3 out of 5]

The Pug Who Bit Napoleon provides anecdotes about animals, particularly ones of historical figures. The stories themselves were generally interesting, more so when the owner was somebody well-known, like the Empress Josephine or the Hanoverians, which may make some of these stories less interesting if you do not know who these people are. These short stories (in a relatively short book) were obtained from credible sources, so they are not rumourmongering or lore. However, it seemed that some of these stories were not really too special, like the one about the cat ladies, because they were just ordinary people with no funny or intriguing new things to see. The last story about flea circuses was phenomenal, showing an unusual side to entertainment of the time and explaining it beautifully. I was also a big fan of Alexander Pope's dogs and the goat in London.

A digital copy of this book was provided by NetGalley in exchange for an honest review

[Jayne Fresina · Rating 5 out of 5]

As an animal lover -- and a history geek--I found this a delightful, intriguing read. Also a fan of Ms. Matthews too, of course!

[J. Lee Hazlett · Rating 4 out of 5]

Delightful. A quick and entertaining read, perfect for the reader who wants to spend a couple of hours indulging in a bit of warm-hearted history. Smoothly written, amusing without being overly sentimental (which so many animal tales often are), and featuring human characters both new and known. A great little book to kill a bit of pleasant down time with.

[J · Rating 2 out of 5]

***Actual Star Rating: 2.5 Stars***

Another random grab off the bookshelf that seemed to correspond to other similar books.

This was a book that definitely had great potential in my opinion, especially as it mentioned nice little animal memoir-type stories that went hand-in-hand with history - both subjects that I enjoy. And since they included Greyfriars Bobby I think I was sold.

The writing for the book was more or less confined to just a few pages for each chapter and introduced the reader to a nice detailed history about the animal, its escapades and its relationship to the people around it. And since these are historical stories you also got to see indirectly the views that people had concerning animals in the 18th and 19th centuries whether it was the cruelness of boys, the eccentricity of widows or widowers or even quiet contemplation with the aid of one's animal companion.

At the same time the book also included a lot of nice animal artwork from the same timeframe for illustrative purposes and even some pieces that captured the main person so that way the reader has a reference. This point I thought was quite creative and introduced probably many readers to a newer range of art that many probably haven't studied with any depth but seen with maybe just a quick glance when they were hanging up in museums.

The reason why the book gets so many little stars from me, though, is since of all her repetition. First of all the author continuously repeated the terms of 18th and 19th century. As long as it is in the title then it makes sense the timeframe hasn't changed unless specified to one particular century. And if it was really necessary to differentiate the centuries then why didn't the author just add parts that combined the centuries then also had a section each for every century?

At the same time why did the author feel it necessary to include all the information for the artwork all on the same page. As a result the reader was given a caption under the artwork explaining what it was showing. This was followed by adding the artist, his dates, the name of the artwork, the medium that was used in its making and the place where you can now find that piece. As much as I agree in giving credit to the artist, especially those whose names are little known to non-art students, please include that in a back section instead of all dumping in one area.

In the end this was a nice little bit of a read that gave voice to some great animal characters in history and their place. But unless you are interested in either artwork, animals, history or any combination of the above then I don't think a recommendation can be suggested.

[Debbie · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book is a collection of animal stories from the 1700s & 1800s. The author went back to the original sources of the stories (letters, newspaper and magazine articles, and poems) and included quotes from those sources. Many of the stories were about favorite pets owned by famous people. There were 9 dog stories (including stories about animals grieving the death of their person), 4 cat chapters (including information about the first cat show in England and pet funerals), a chapter each on horses, a pony, a donkey, a famous goat, a monkey and a parrot, two ravens, two military hens, an inspiring wild field mouse, pet rabbits, several shark sightings in the Thames, an "alligator" in the Thames, two foxes as pets (bad idea), and flea circuses. There were also pictures of the animal (in the case of famous pets) or of animals like the one described. The book is a quick, fun read. I'd recommend this enjoyable book to fans of animal stories.

I received a free ebook review copy from the publisher through NetGalley.

[Liselotte · Rating 4 out of 5]

Really fun little book! The stories were fun and interesting and you can tell the author did their research. My only downside for this book, personally, was that there were so many individual stories of all animals, except cats, most cat stories were more about people than cats, but I did really enjoy this book and do recommend this to everyone.

The art in the book is really nice as well, some were just way too small for the pages because the art work is horizontal, instead of vertical, and they made those artworks smaller to fit the pages, makes sense, but some of the artwork loses it's beauty because of it, especially if you aren't wearing your glasses when you read this book! ;)

Note, if you just lost your pet, please stay away from this book, because there are some really sad stories in this book that would make you upset, I mean, I don't even like dogs all that much but I nearly cried about some dog stories because they were so sad! Just a slight warning about that! :)

[Jillianne Hamilton · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book was sent to me by Pen and Sword Books in exchange for an honest review.

The Pug Who Bit Napoleon: Animal Tales of the 18th & 19th Centuries by Mimi Matthews is a delightful little book that I enjoyed reading very much.

Made up of 27 short accounts of animal stories, this quick and easy read is heartwarming, funny and touching.

I’m a dog lover so the stories about canine companions were my favorites but there’s one about a goat that I loved almost as much. Cats, birds, horses and exotic pets even make the cut too.

Animals rarely make it into most standard history tomes so this collection is a really lovely and unique book.

A perfect addition to your bookshelf if you love history and animals.

[Lisa · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was a fun collection of stories about animal in the 18th and 19th century (just like the title says)! The story of the pug who bit Napoleon is actually one of the least interesting stories! I think it just made for a good title! 😂. The ones who stood out to me were the one about the monkey and parrot who were given to a lady by her suitors, the shark in the Thames, and I loved the goat of Piccadilly!

[Lisa Montgomery · Rating 4 out of 5]

I bought this book for one of my friends, who is a great animal activity. Naturally, I had to read a few excerpts for myself. I ended up reading the whole book. One can find tales of dogs, cats, horses, goats, chickens, mice, rabbits, even alligators. I am eager to find out what my friend thinks of it.

[Rebecca · Rating 3 out of 5]

Casual, fascinating, and excellently researched. (Though I'd expect nothing less of Mimi Matthews!)

[Bethany Hamilton · Rating 4 out of 5]

4.5 stars. This book was clearly very well researched and told in brief story format. Some stories I enjoyed more than others, but I think that is only due to personal preference.

[Jane · Rating 5 out of 5]

I enjoyed these stories very much, especially the stories about dogs. Greyfriars’ Bobby is mentioned here, as well as other dogs I have heard about in passing. This was fun to read.

[felicitea · Rating 5 out of 5]

As an animal and history lover, this book was a perfect palette cleanser between reads. Carefully researched, entertaining, and written in Matthews' engaging style. If only all monographs were written like this.

[Keith Knudsen · Rating 5 out of 5]

It was fun to read about pets from the 18th and 19th centuries.

[Rebekka Steg · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was such a fun read, as well as informative and at times very touching. Loving our pets isn't new, and through original sources this book shares a wonderful collection of amusing, entertaining, heart warming and delightful stories of people and their pets, some famous some completely ordinary.

*I received a free copy through Netgalley, but the review is my own opinion*

[Jerry Jares · Rating 4 out of 5]

These stories about dogs, cats, horses, and other animals, are the results of Mimi Matthew's research into favored animals of the 18th and 19th centuries. The surprise was the photos of famous artists. In addition, many canvases were of the animal in the story. It was surprising to see how different dogs looked compared to the same breeds today. This is one of those books that one keeps on the night table and reads when too restless to sleep. The story of the flea circus of earlier days was quite diverting.

This book tells how Pekingese dogs were imported to England after the British attacked the Summer Palace (during the second Opium War) and stole five palace dogs. It was forbidden to export these animals, and they were called Little Lion Dogs of China or a Chinese Sleeve Dog. Then, there is the fascinating story of the first cat show, which took place in the Crystal Palace in 1871. The organizers couldn't find enough cats, so workers brought their cats from home to fill up the cages. The exposition was such a massive hit that cat shows appeared in many other countries.

In Victorian times, spinster ladies with their cats were a common source of amusement in newspapers. However, the Victorians took pet funerals to a new level, causing amusement, consternation, and even scorn. The anger of having pets interred in human cemeteries, with all the gravity of a Christian funeral, caused the creation of pet cemeteries by 1881.

However, my favorite of the whole bunch was the fantastic story of the killer shark in the Thames. When they cut him open, they found a watch and other items. They traced the watch to the son who went on his first trip as a sailor and was thrown overboard two years before. The father bought the shark as a memorial to his son. The whole story was unique.

[Annie · Rating 4 out of 5]

First published on my blog: Nonstop Reader.

The Pug Who Bit Napoleon is a collection of anecdotes and lore about animals and their humans in the 1700-1800's. Many of them encountered (or occasionally bit) famous people, were immortalized by poets or artists or otherwise found their ways into the annals of history.

The book has a chapter/story format with different animals separated into different categories. There are categories for dogs and cats of course, but also for farm animals, birds, rodents (and rabbits), reptiles and fish and a couple of stories about exotic animals (foxes) and a final weirdly endearing chapter about flea circuses of the Victorian era (odd and silly in about equal measures).

The book is lavishly illustrated with beautiful paintings and illustrations from the period. The stories themselves are well written and (mostly) historically sound, and when there are discrepancies, they're clearly noted. The book also includes a useful index and a sources list as well as a bibliography which provides a good resource list for further reading.

I enjoyed this book a lot and found the author's informal style both accessible and fun to read.

Stats: The Pug Who Bit Napoleon; Animal Tales of the 18th&19th Centuries
192 pages, Kindle & Paperback format,
Anticipated pub. date: 30 Nov 2017
Author: Mimi Matthews
Publisher: Pen & Sword UK

Four stars

Disclosure: I received an ARC at no cost from the author/publisher.

[Camille · Rating 4 out of 5]

A series of stories about animals in the 18th and 19th centuries - it's pretty self-explanatory! There is a chapter on dogs, one on cats, and then several more on other animals (farm animals, reptiles, other pets, etc.).

This is a fun, quick read, and also very interesting. I didn't know a single one of these stories. Some are downright hilarious (the pug who but Napoleon for example), some are also surprising (the story of the Sailor and the Shark).

There are numerous colour illustrations of paintings of the time featuring animals, which I think was a great addition to the book. I always like a bibliography, so was pleased to see one at the end of the book. I feel like a short conclusion would have be nice instead of abruptly finishing with the last story and leaving it at that, hence my rating of 4.

Definitely recommended whether you like history or animals or even art.

Disclaimer - I received a free digital copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. Thank you to NetGalley and Pen&Sword.

[Irma Orozco · Rating 5 out of 5]

I enjoyed reading about the animal pets people had during the these periods. My favorites: Lord Byron's love of his dogs. He had a Bull mastiff, Nelson, was always fighting with his mother's dog. His mother's dog went missing but Nelson found him. Apparently, he couldn't live without him. My next favorite is about the two black swans given to Napoleon's wife, Josephine, male and female. Years later the female died and the male swan couldn't be comforted, even after introducing a female, white swan. He wouldn't let her near him. An article came out back then stating that if swans could mate for life, men and women should be able to do so, too. Funny. I learned interesting information about animals that I didn't know before. Ravens are very intelligent though it could end up being their downfall, too. What was great about this book are the photos included.

[Lora · Rating 5 out of 5]

Physically, I love the thick paper quality and the large, detailed photos. I love that Mimi Matthews digs deep into her research. She often cites unique primary sources (some of my favorites were the newspapers put out in England during the Victorian period) that helps the reader to quickly become immersed in the historical context of each of the stories. I'd recommend this book to any animal/pet lovers, history readers, or anyone who wants some quick and often humorous reading.

[Amber Ray · Rating 3 out of 5]

Cute and quirky read. I thought the section on spinsters and cats too thin--for all the stereotype of cat spinsters are promoted, what's the tipping point for people who hoard cats? I'd have liked them to dig into that a hair.
Good exploration of other historical animal varieties...including sharks!

One thing I'd have liked to see is just a bit about how popular breeds have changed and why! Bulldogs and Persian cats are HUGELY different--this would have been a good book to show the more historical versions of these breeds and lay out why and how today's breeds came about.

[Lara Calleja · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a book that lets you shut off completely from the complex world and lets you delve into quirky short stories about past pets and their (+their owners') eccentricities.

Horses on balloons; a pug who loathed Napolean; a loved crow owned by Dickens, and British 'spinsters' who owned tens of cats and made a fool out of a bewildered court hearing.

These are just some of the stories recounted in this book - its pages transcended to a funnier, quirkier, lighter sense of being that all pets bring to our life.

[Lucy · Rating 3 out of 5]

Interesting in bits. My favorites are the portraits. the chapter on cats focused on cat funerals and single women who liked cats. Other animals that get a mention are horses, a donkey, monkeys, parrots and other birds. Lots of dogs of course, including those belonging to Queen Victoria's family, and the title pug who belonged to Napoleon's first wife Josephine and who did indeed bite him on his wedding night.

[Jayne · Rating 2 out of 5]

I found this at my local library and was instantly intrigued. The title is very catchy and there are interesting tidbits in the book. It's also a fairly quick read. However, there were just a few interesting stories and the rest felt like filler. I enjoyed the historical artwork in the pages, but overall it felt like it could have benefited from additional stories or facts.

[Mary Virginia · Rating 2 out of 5]

This book is the only Pen and Sword publication I’ve been disappointed in. Oh my gosh it was boring and never seemed to end. I love animals but I was so irritated with these unpleasant pets and their aggravating people. I really can’t recommend a book just because some of the pictures are stunning.