A cultural and literary—as well as natural—history of fourteen animals and plants now extinct in the United Kingdom.

Discover why a beaver was said to bite off its own testicles, why the baleen of a right whale was prized by medieval knights, or why you should give your crush the gift of a great auk. Creatures of Story and Song pieces together evocative legends, poems, and historical accounts from a thousand years of history to remember fourteen of Britain’s extinct creatures. More than merely charting their demise, this book explores the rich legacy that such creatures as the eagle, boar, and wolf left on the British cultural landscape, and sheds light on what it was like to live alongside them. As some, like the beaver, look set for a comeback, Lee Raye’s book offers curious readers charming context on these animals’ ancestors.