Tortoises look and are old. They are the oldest of the living land reptiles, the surviving link between animal life in water and on land. Tortoise is the first cultural history of this intriguing creature, which has existed for more than 200 million years. It covers examples of species worldwide, in evolution, myth and reality, ranging across paleontology, natural history, folklore, art forms (including the use of tortoise shell in furniture-making), literature, veterinary medicine, space research and trade regulations. We learn of its exploitation, past and present, as foodstuff; of the illegal international trade in certain species; and of the fight for its conservation.
Peter Young read history and arche-ology at Gonville and Caius College, Cambridge, England. He lives in Crawley, West Sussex, U.K.
