The Wild Life of the Fox by John Lewis-Stempel

And, although not openly stated, the impression given that fox hunting was hugely supported across the countryside, ignores the fact that every poll of my adulthood showed majority opposition to hunting in the countryside as well as the towns, and the Agricultural section of the TGWU trade union was opposed to hunting for decades.

Just a couple of quibbles, ‘foxing’ in books does not refer to brown marks on their covers, but on the end papers and pages within the covers. I am very glad to report that this is a definite improvement in terms of value, with almost 4 times the original text of the last volume! A beautifully produced dust-wrappered hardback book for less than a tenner, excellent writing, as always, and plenty of information on foxes (and foxhunting) that I was unaware of. I have to admit that, when I saw this latest volume, I didn’t stop to consider at all, and bought it straight away. OK, I was critical of the last 2 of the author’s books in the series, and said that I would think hard about buying any further volumes. I do appreciate how balanced Lewis-Stempel's view of foxes is: you can love and loathe them at the same time, and most important thing is to understand that foxes do not act out from malice. Lewis-Stempel only scratched the surface here, and if a reader has not read on the subject previously, it will most likely leave them wanting more. I feel like Lucy Jones's Foxes Unearthed handled the discussion of hunting better, because it is able to focus on all sides of the issue as it is much longer and more detailed account of foxes in Britain. While these things are briefly discussed, much more is focused on the hunting. On this occasion, I would have preferred if Lewis-Stempel had focused on the wild life of the fox their nature, habitat etc. The logo for Pioneer Nursery is the Black Squirrel, which is another story and local resident. However, it is relatively short and focuses a lot on the issue of hunting foxes. A fox may live live to 4 years old, but their average life span in the wild is only 18 months. It's beautifully produced, with stunning illustrations and gorgeous cover art and design. They captivate us like no other species.Įxploring a long and sometimes complicated relationship, The Wild Life of the Fox captures our love - and sometimes loathing - of this magnificent creature in vivid detail and lyrical prose.The Wild Life of the Fox is interesting addition to the natural history of foxes in Britain category. And yet we long to stroke the tumbling cubs outside their tunnel homes and watch the vixen stalk the cornfield. We have witnessed its wild touch, watched it slink by bins at night and been chilled by its high-pitched scream. The fox is our apex predator, our most beautiful and clever killer. To love and loathe the fox is a British condition.'

'I adore the fox for its magnificence I hate the fox for killing my chickens.

The Wild Life of the Fox by John Lewis-Stempel