A personal, eloquent portrayal of the meanings and cultural history of forests.
Boria Sax Book order
This author delves into the captivating realm of animals in literature, inspired by early texts and myths. Their work explores the rich history of human-animal relationships through narratives, fables, and mythology. Concerned about the over-academicization of the field, they strive to preserve the sensuous immediacy and poetics that originally accompanied this study. Through the organization Nature in Legend and Story (NILAS), the author bridges storytelling and scholarship, continuing to enrich our understanding of culture and history through the lens of animal characters.







- 2023
- 2021
Avian Illuminations
- 456 pages
- 16 hours of reading
A superbly illustrated overview of our long relationship with our feathered friends.
- 2018
Dinomania
- 272 pages
- 10 hours of reading
The story of our unlikely romance with the dinosaurs, from the finding of their enormous bones to the dinosaur theme parks of today
- 2017
Lizard
- 224 pages
- 8 hours of reading
Filled with beguiling images throughout, Lizard is a unique and sometimes surprising introduction to this popular but little-understood reptile. Boria Sax describes the diversity of lizard species and traces the representation of this reptile in cultures worldwide.
- 2014
First thought to be divine, animals have played an active role in human culture since prehistoric times. Even today, animals wield symbolic powers as varied as the cultures that embrace them. From ants and elephants to tigers and wrens, the 75 conversational entries in this volume weave together a cross-cultural tapestry encompassing mythology, history, art, science, philosophy and literature while discussing the special significance of animals in human cultures.
- 2013
A beautifully history of imaginary animals from Palaeolithic art to Harry Potter.
- 2010
The Raven and the Sun: Poems and Stories
- 84 pages
- 3 hours of reading
Boria Sax, steeped in animal studies in myth and literature, is not only a teacher and scholar, but also one of our finest lyric poets. This collection of poems and tales, centered around the mysterious world of crows and ravens that exists around us almost unnoticed, demonstrates the universality of the narratives in which animal wisdom plays, as he retells Eastern European and Native American crow/raven tales. The book is also interspersed with Sax's sensitive lyrics on other topics. Includes two "crow wheel" illustrations by Tom Fitzpatrick.
- 2003
Crow
- 184 pages
- 7 hours of reading
A classic account of the crow, now available in B-format paperback. Boria Sax looks at the crow in myth, literature and life, from Noah's raven to films such as The Crow.
- 2001
Serpent & Swan: Animal Bride Folklore & Literature
- 276 pages
- 10 hours of reading
Exploring the concept of animal bride tales, this work delves into their historical significance and cultural evolution from antiquity to the present. Boria Sax highlights how these stories reflect humanity's connection to nature, tracing their origins to serpent cults in Mesopotamia and southeastern Europe. By examining various legends and literary works, he reveals how perceptions of the natural world have transformed the narratives over time. The book illustrates the enduring presence of the animal bride archetype in myths, enriching our cultural landscape with vivid imagery.
- 2000
Animals in the Third Reich
- 206 pages
- 8 hours of reading
"This is the first book to explore the paradox of the Nazi cult of animals and the obsession with the annhilation of "biologically inferior" people." "Animals in the Third Reich begins by contrasting Jewish, Christian, and polytheistic traditions relating to animals in Germany, and examines the ways that the Nazi movement adopted, altered, challenged, or exploited these traditions. This discussion covers several perspectives on the treatment of animals, including those of zoologists, veterinarians, novelists, painters, sculptors, and the general public. Adopting and exploiting such traditions, the Nazis elaborated their own symbolic system of relating certain animals to supporters and antagonists of the movement - Aryan wolves and horses; Jewish pigs and apes."--BOOK JACKET.Title Summary field provided by Blackwell North America, Inc. All Rights Reserved

