Short History of the World According to Sheep

Full of delightful facts as well as the darker parts of sheepish history. As many have pointed out, it does have a focus on the British Isles rather than being truly about sheep the world over, but I'm not going to hold the title against it. I would recommend to those with an interest in textiles, as well as the history of rural Britain.

Coulthard takes a journalistic approach in this book that puts itself forward as a history of sheep across the world. More accurately, it is a history of sheep and wool, mostly in England (and with an occasionally nationalistic tone that interrupts the flow of the writing).

The best sections are the ones where Coulthard is talking about sheep and not humans or wool. Her tone and humour at these sections are pitch-perfect, and some of the stories are fascinating. Her presentation of the non-human eye gives a nice introduction to the idea of sheep as a companion of humans on our long journey together. Unfortunately, those stronger sections are too few, and throughout the reading the book makes some broad, unsubstantiated claims and often uses language clumsily. It's a pity, because when it is good it is really enjoyable.