The Hidden Life of Deer
Lessons from the Natural World
(Harper Collins, 2009)

The animal kingdom operates by ancient rules, and the deer in our woods and backyards can teach us many of them -- but only if we take the time to notice.

In the fall of 2007 in southern New Hampshire, the acorn crop failed and the animals who depended on it faced starvation. Elizabeth Marshall Thomas began leaving food in small piles around her farmhouse. Soon she had over thirty deer coming to her fields, and her naturalist's eye was riveted. How did they know when to come, all together, and why did they sometimes cooperate, sometimes compete?

Throughout the next twelve months she observed the local deer families as they fought through a rough winter; bred fawns in the spring; fended off coyotes, a bobcat, a bear, and plenty of hunters; and made it to the next fall when the acorn crop was back to normal. As she hiked through her woods, spotting tree rubbings, deer beds, and deer yards, she discovered a vast hidden world. Deer families are run by their mothers. Local families arrange into a hierarchy. They adopt orphans; they occasionally reject a child; they use complex warnings to signal danger; they mark their territories; they master local microclimates to choose their beds; they send countless coded messages that we can read, if only we know what to look for.

Just as she did in her beloved books The Hidden Life of Dogs and Tribe of Tiger, Thomas describes a network of rules that have allowed earth's species to coexist for millions of years. Most of us have lost touch with these rules, yet they are a deep part of us, from our ancient evolutionary past. The Hidden Life of Deer is a narrative masterpiece and a naturalist's delight.

also in paperback

The Old Way
A Story of the First People
(paperback: Picador, 2007)
(hardcover: Farrar, Straus and Girous, 2006)

One of our most influential anthropologists reevaluates her long and illustrious career by returning to her roots -- and the roots of life as we know it

When Elizabeth Marshall Thomas first arrived in Africa to live among the Kalahari San, or bushmen, it was 1950, she was 19 years old, and these last surviving hunter-gatherers were living as humans had lived for 15,000 centuries. Thomas wound up writing about their world in a seminal work, The Harmless People (1959). It has never gone out of print.

Back then, this was uncharted territory and little was known about our human origins. Today, our beginnings are better understood. And after a lifetime of interest in the bushmen, Thomas has come to see that their lifestyle reveals great, hidden truths about human evolution.

As she displayed in her bestseller, The Hidden Life of Dogs, Thomas has a rare gift for giving voice to the voices we don’t usually listen to, and helps us see the path that we have taken in our human journey. In The Old Way, she shows how the skills and customs of the hunter-gatherer share much in common with the survival tactics of our animal predecessors. And since it is “knowledge, not objects, that endure” over time, Thomas vividly brings us to see how linked we are to our origins in the animal kingdom.

The Old Way is a rare and remarkable achievement, sure to stir up controversy, and worthy of celebration.

Wild Discovery Guide to Your Cat
Understanding and Caring for the Tiger Within
(hardcover, 2001)

"A cat is a lion in a jungle of small bushes."
--English proverb
                                
Why do cats always land on their feet after a fall? What allows a sleeping cat to comfortably curl into a circle? Why do cats appear to torture their prey before killing it? Why does your cat knead on your clothing? Just how much attention do cats really require?

To answer these and other questions, Wild Discovery Guide to Your Cat draws from science, history, and feline behavior in the wild to explain the inner nature and most puzzling characteristics of America's most popular pet. The result is a practical and fascinating guide to understanding and caring for these beguiling and enigmatic creatures.

This engagingly illustrated book takes the same cat's-eye view of the world that infuses the Discovery Channel television series Wild Discovery. It emphasizes the untamed roots of almost every aspect of a domesticated cat's conduct: the crouch-and-pounce string-chase games that mirror stalking prey in the wild, the furniture-scratching preoccupation that echoes the territorial scent deposits a wild cat claws onto trees. Written in an accessible, authoritative style, Wild Discovery Guide to Your Cat generously mixes the fundamentals of basic care with compelling explorations into cats' physical and psychological traits.

Included in this comprehensive primer are detailed insights into all aspects of cat design, from the intricate structure of the feline form to the cat's heightened senses and remarkable agility. The guide explores why cats do the things they do--addressing such issues as grooming, sleep patterns, marking and defending territory, cat language, and learning and intelligence.

In addition to probing the tiger within, Wild Discovery Guide to Your Cat offers a host of practical tips on choosing a cat to suit your lifestyle, providing responsible care, cat-proofing your home, and ensuring a smooth transition during the first days at home. Once the cat is a member of the family, the book explains how to bond and play with your new pet, and even how to train and travel with it.

Everything you need to know to keep your cat healthy and happy is covered, including the latest information on feeding and nutrition, litter boxes, cleaning and grooming, common health problems, fighting fleas, pregnancy and birth, caring for an aging cat, vet visits, and emergency care.

A breed breviary rounds out the book, with the spotlight on the top cat breeds as well as other common feline pedigrees. This section also presents information on body type, common colors, coat type, grooming requirements, and temperament. An informative cat owner's resource guide follows.

Accompanied by more than 225 full-color illustrations and photographs showing the similarities between domestic and wild cats, this is an entertaining and insightful approach to feline behavior, pet care, and appreciation for first-time cat owners and veteran cat lovers alike.

Lush, lovely, informative and practical, Wild Discovery Guide to Your Cat is a feast for both the eye and the mind...a good introduction to cat care and behavior for novices and also serves as an interesting read for long-time cat owners...There's something for everyone in this book...one of the most educational books to come along in a long time.
--Cats, April 2000

Wild Discovery Guide to Your Dog
Understanding and Caring for the Wolf Within
(2001)

"How much better we would be as dog
owners if we knew who dogs really are and
understood what motivates them."
--from the Foreword by Elizabeth Marshall Thomas

Why are dogs typically so devoted to their human companions? What is "pack mentality," and what does it have to do with your dog? How did breeds as different as Great Danes and dachshunds evolve? What kind of dog is best for a household with small children?

From barking to marking, wet noses to wagging tails, Wild Discovery Guide to Your Dog answers the most puzzling questions you've ever had about these most companionable animals. In the spirit of the Discovery Channel television series Wild Discovery, this book delves into the heart of dog behavior, every beat of which is, in fact, an echo of the wolf ancestors in each dog's bloodline. You'll recognize the wolf's defense of territory in your dog's wild barking at every passing postal worker, and see wolf-pack hierarchy in the domestic dog's devotion to his human master.

Written in an accessible, authoritative style,Wild Discovery Guide to Your Dog breaks through "smart dog, dumb dog" misconceptions, instead offering fascinating insights into dog learning, language, and intelligence, all factors influenced by the legacy of the wild dog within.

This book is also packed with practical tips on the fundamentals of dog care, particularly as they relate to your dog's breed, his heightened senses, and the various life stages through which he'll pass. Included is expert advice on choosing a dog to suit your lifestyle, caring responsibly for your pet, dog-proofing your home, and ensuring a smooth transition and proper bonding during the first days at home. Once the dog is a member of your family, this useful guide explains how best to play with him, keep him safe, and even train him and travel with him.

Everything you need to know to keep your dog healthy and happy is covered, including feeding and nutrition, cleaning and grooming, common health problems, fighting fleas, pregnancy and birth, caring for an aging dog, vet visits, and emergency care.

A detailed breed breviary rounds out the book. The spotlight is on each of the fifty most popular dog pedigrees: its origin, life expectancy, coat type, grooming requirements, size, activity level, and temperament. An informative dog owner's resource guide follows.

Generously illustrated with more than 225 appealing, full-color photographs showing the striking similarities between domestic and wild dogs, Wild Discovery Guide to Your Dog will strike the fancy of first-time dog owners and veteran dog lovers alike.

The Social Lives of Dogs
The Grace of Canine Company
(paperback, Pocket, 2001)
(hardcover Simon & Schuster, 2000)

In her absorbing bestseller, The Hidden Life of Dogs, Elizabeth Marshall Thomas provided fascinating answers to the question, "What do dogs want?" It turns out that more than anything, they want the company of other dogs. Now, in this frank and moving sequel, she explores how, despite this desire, they have beautifully adapted to life with their human owners. If they can't belong to a group with similar dogs, they will establish or join one with other members of the household, whether those members are men, women, children, other dogs of different ages and breeds, cats, or birds. And, contrary to our assumptions that we wield the power in our relationships with our dogs, it is they who are teaching us new behaviors -- even settling disputes in ways we are unaware of.

No one writing today about dogs and people has Elizabeth Marshall Thomas's skills as a classically trained anthropologist and popularizer. What she has observed and analyzed will be illuminating to all of us who have wondered about our pets' behavior. Do dogs have different barks that mean different things? How does Snoopy recognize as family people he sees only once a year? And why does Misty bark at strangers she sees every day? What factors contribute to making a dog difficult to house-train? Why do certain dogs and cats get along so well? How do animals train each other?

Thomas explores these questions by taking us into the mixed-species groups of her own household, particularly the lives of her remarkable dogs, with their differences in breeding, early training, and personality. Misty, a purebred, had been kept in a crate, alone, for most of her first year; lonely and insecure, she was afraid of grass and stairs, which she had never seen. Ruby was abandoned, having been pronounced untrainable. Pearl had lived with Thomas's son in his large household, and on her arrival at Thomas's house, she behaved like the well-mannered, self-possessed being she was. And Sundog, the most loyal, self-confident, courageous of all, accepted the arrival of each of these new dogs, but had made a group consisting of himself and Thomas's husband, so the others sorted themselves out without him. Each of these dogs, like any other, wanted more than anything to belong to a group, and how they organized themselves into felicitous relationships without any input from their owners is the most compelling of Elizabeth Thomas's many findings.

Few dogs get to live with their chosen loved ones; they are slaves to our desires. We convince ourselves, however wrongly, that we know what's best for them. The Social Lives of Dogs presents marvelous evidence of the power of the group. And those of us fortunate enough to be given the trust of any honorable dog will have our lives enlarged.

Certain Poor Shepherds
A Christmas Tale
(Simon & Schuster, 1996)

"On the first Christmas, so say the Christians, a redeemer was born to save our kind from the consequences of our greed, waste, pride, cruelty, and arrogance. No redeemer appeared for the animals; however, none was needed. The animals were much the same then as they are now, just as God made them, perfect according to his plan..."

So begins this resonant tale by one of our most gifted story tellers and most perceptive animal watchers, Elizabeth Marshall Thomas. When an unusual star appears on the horizon one clear winter night, among those drawn to its bright promise are two shepherds -- that is, a dog named Lila and Ima, a goat. Therein lies an adventure, and Thomas's departure from the familiar story treasured by generations. With their flock, the animals journey to Bethlehem and home again, witnesses to a redemption of which they have no need.

Yet as they make their way, encountering danger and opportunity, their journey becomes an extraordinary meditation, moving but unsentimental, on the nature of freedom and the state of natural grace in a world ruled by the power-and frailty-of humankind.

The Hidden Life of Dogs
(hardcover, Houghton Mifflin, 1993
(paperback,Pocket, 1996)

The New York Times bestselling author of The Tribe of Tiger brings readers an unsentimental chronicle of the lives of a dozen dogs. This book has touched the hearts of animal lovers everywhere -- spending over nine months as a bestseller -- providing a new perspective on how dogs think and live -- and why.