Kirjahaku

Furry fandom--an adult social group interested in anthropomorphic animals in art, literature and culture--has grown since the 1980s to include an estimated 50,000 "furries." Their largest annual convention drew more than 6,000 attendees in 2015, including 1,000 dressed in "fur suits" or mascot-type animal costumes. Conventions typically include awards, organizations, art, literature and movies, encompassing a wide range of creative pursuits beyond animal costuming. This study of the furry subculture presents a history of the oft-misunderstood group and lists all conventions around the world from 1989 through 2015, including organizers, guests of honor and donations to charity.

Tales featuring anthropomorphic animals have been around as long as there have been storytellers to spin them, from Aesop's Fables to Reynard the Fox to Alice in Wonderland. The genre really took off following the explosion of furry fandom in the 21st century, with talking animals featuring in everything from science fiction to fantasy to LGBTQ coming-out stories. In his lifetime, Fred Patten (1940-2018)--one of the founders of furry fandom and a scholar of anthropomorphic animal literature--authored hundreds of book reviews that comprise a comprehensive critical survey of the genre. This selected compilation provides an overview from 1784 through the 2010s, covering such popular novels as Watership Down and Redwall, along with forgotten gems like The Stray Lamb and Where the Blue Begins, and science fiction works like Sundiver and Decision at Doona.

Bringing together twenty-one original short stories and two reprints, this 291-page collection is about anthropomorphic animals in funny situations. It's designed to appeal to both science-fiction and fantasy fans, as well as fans of humor in fantasy. Everything from a llama barbershop quartet to a lupine generation gap, a rabbit king battling a dinosaur (or is it a dragon?), a human with a spider fianc e, a dog-hating postal worker turned into a were-chihuahua, inept wolf Vikings, to a dog movie screenwriter - and much more All these stories are for your imagination and enjoyment. Plus you get each author's favorite animal joke, and a recommended-reading list.