Author: Carol Freeman

Publisher:

Published: 2014-08-04

Total Pages: 240

ISBN-13: 9780992279172

Paper Tiger: How Pictures Shaped the Thylacine is an exciting new history of the thylacine, or Tasmanian tiger, that draws us closer to the animals who served as models for illustrations. It takes the reader on a journey behind artists' brushstrokes and photographers' lenses into the world of science, printing processes, publishing entrepreneurs, circulating libraries and bounties and reveals how inaccurate published images were ... and how profoundly they affected attitudes toward living thylacines. Written with sensitivity and an eye for detail, Paper Tiger uncovers forgotten drawings and lost photographs from the nineteenth and early twentieth centuries, telling a story full of mystery and revelations. It demonstrates how pictures and words have a vital influence on a species' survival. As the rate of extinctions escalates, we are also reminded that sympathetic pictures have the power to provide hope for endangered animals. "This book is a remarkable achievement. Freeman tells the story of the thylacine in an original and deeply affecting way. We learn about the animals ... and the ravaging impact that human ideas had upon them. Freeman writes thoughtfully, carefully, and with force, and the book is a very good read" Nigel Rothfels, University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee "This book provides a scholarly yet very readable account of a very great loss, the extinction of the Thylacine ... and has what it takes to become a classic text. Freeman's study makes a valuable and timely contribution to the question of how we are going to come to terms with our role in the burgeoning global problem of mass species extinctions" Linda Williams, Associate Professor in Art, Environment and Cultural Studies, RMIT University, Melbourne This book is a compelling story for anyone interested in history and images or concerned about the natural environment, animal extinctions or conservation issues. It also provides a visual resource for art gallery and museum curators, print collectors and zoologists.