A celebration of the role dogs have played in literature across centuries and genres.

Dogs have bounded into stories told by humans for thousands of years and these days can often be found scampering across the covers and within the pages of some of the bestselling books in the world. Literary Dogs explores why these animals have been such a rich source of inspiration for writers and how they have become unforgettable characters in literature across the centuries and across many genres. Taking the reader on a tour through pooches and pedigrees in classic literature, children’s books, poetry, horror, crime, romcoms, myths, legends, and even memoirs, this book features many of our best-loved fictional hounds. Within these pages, you will find Pongo and Missis, Buck, White Fang, Snowy, Montmorency, Six-Thirty, Hairy Maclary and Laska, to name just a handful, as well as real-life dogs such as Greyfriars Bobby, Elizabeth Barrett Browning’s spaniel Flush, Sophie the rescue dog—and not forgetting the terrifying Hound of the Baskervilles. A must for all dog lovers, this book celebrates the inspirational connections between our favorite canine friends and the literary imagination.