A book whose outlook – arid and elliptically comic – seems at one with its subject. It’s hard not to like a profusely illustrated book that recommends Rose Macaulay’s The Towers of Trebizond, quotes the work of Al-Jahiz ("the Arab world’s greatest ever essayist"), and describes the sound that camel ticks make when tossed into the campfire.
Verlyn Klinkenborg, New York Review of Books
will appeal even to those who would never normally pick up a book on the natural world.
Mary Beard, The Guardian Books of the Year
Robert Irwins erudite, droll and utterly delightful book about the life and lore of the dromedary (one hump) and Bactrian (two) abounds with details that reflect glory on a much-misunderstood animal . . . Across art, zoology and literature, from Egypt to India, Irwin gives the perfectly-adapted desert beast a boost with wide learning, superb illustrations and deadpan wit
The Independent
this year's surprise must-read even on this unsandy island. A wry history of a mainstay of Arabic civilisation, it examines the animal's cultural, financial and linguistic contribution to the world as we know it
Independent on Sunday
In [Camel] Irwin has crammed an astonishing amount of information about dromedaries (camels with a single hump) and Bactrians (camels with two). He writes in snappy sentences, gleefully machine-gunning the reader with facts and anecdotes, delivered with an undertone of dry wit . . . Irwin writes brilliantly about camels in art and literature, unearthing them everywhere from Madame Bovary to Ishtar.
The Guardian
the marvel of this book is that it is only from such proximity is it possible to appreciate what the Bedouins and other historically camel-dependent peoples see when they look at one. For this, make no mistake, is a love story . . . This is a case of an author matched perfectly to his subject.
TLS
There are not many good books on camels, or at least books which the layman can readily understand. This, however, is a very good book and readily accessible to all . . . Through it, a great number of people will learn facts and fables about one of the most fascinating and wonderfully equipped creatures on the planet.
Asian Affairs
Its a lovably eccentric book . . . Irwin writes in an endearing, snappy and dryly witty way.
The National, United Arab Emirates
The book runs smoothly through a huge number of fascinating anecdotes, quotations, and descriptions, nearly all of the one-humped camel or dromedary . . . Although, like all the Reaktion series, Camel is small in size, it has a large number of excellent illustrations and it is so well written and so full of fascinating facts and anecdotes that it will be particularly satisfying to read and own.
Anthrozoös