The History of the Greyhound

Chasing the tale of one of the world's most iconic dog breeds, this book celebrates the enduring appeal of the greyhound. From the earliest evidence of sighthounds to the modern day, greyhounds have been renowned for their extraordinary speed and powerful prey drive. Used for hunting, coursing and racing, they have also been aristocratic status symbols, treasured pets and commercial investments through the centuries. The first three chapters of the book are arranged broadly chronologically with the first charting the development of the greyhound from pre-history through to the eleventh century. Chapter two investigates the impact of the Norman Conquest and the imposition of forest laws, tracing how power, land and privilege shaped who kept greyhounds and why. It continues the story through the medieval and Early Modern periods in which these factors continued to play a significant role. Chapter three explores the profound social and economic changes of the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries, focusing on the rise of organised sport through coursing, racing and showing, before bringing the narrative up to date. Chapter four examines the practical realities of greyhound keeping including naming, training, housing, feeding and clothing, as well as how these practices evolved over time. The final chapter moves away from the breed history to explore greyhounds in fiction, fashion, marketing and as a known symbol of speed, considering how their image and name have been used in popular culture and how this reflected wider perceptions of the breed.