HOW THE DOG BECAME THE DOG author Mark Derr in the Wall Street Journal, Interviews with Salon.com and Fresh Air

Whether they are stealing scenes on the silver screen or reppin' the 99% in Denver, CO, everyone can agree that dogs occupy a special place in the hearts and minds of humans the world over. But how much do we actually know about our four-legged friends? Dog expert Mark Derr, author of How the Dog Became the Dog (available now) has made a career out of exploring the dog/human relationship, debunking myths through scientific research and canine journalism. In recent essays and interviews with the Wall Street Journal, Salon, and NPR, Derr sheds light on the evolutionary history of man's best friend.

In the WSJ, Derr brings a fresh perspective to an ancient artifact: 26,000 year old paw prints left behind in the Chauvet Cave of southern France. "Attributing that paw print to a dog or even to a socialized wolf has been controversial since it was first proposed a decade ago. It would push back by some 12,000 years the oldest dog on record. More than that: Along with a cascade of other new scientific findings, it could totally rewrite the story of man and dog and what they mean to each other." Below, Derr discusses the latest scientific findings that challenge the consensus model of dog domestication with WSJ's Christina Tsuei.



In a recent interview with Salon.com's Emma Mustich, Derr delves into the co-evolutionary development shared between humans and dogs and reveals some unexpected similarities, from pack behavior to language. "I sometimes think dogs understand us better than we understand them. But the remarkable thing is that [dogs and humans] do understand each other to such a degree. We can understand a dog’s bark, and what his or her body language means, probably better in some cases than we can understand the behavior of other people."

Few understand how the relationship between animals and humans can have an effect on physical evolution, but on NPR's Fresh Air, Derr looks at this process through the lens of hunting game on the trail. "The wolf could say, 'These people are far more profligate hunters than we are. When they go out, they always leave a surplus. It's easier for us to take the scraps that they have than to hunt ... Hunting is a highly energetic activity. And they could learn from each other, just by observing each other." Listen to the full interview with Dave Davies below.



How the Dog Became the Dog combines the most recent genetic and archaeological research to create a unique insight into the joint history of humans and their closest animal companions. Derr sheds light on a question that may never be fully answered: Did humans shape the development of dogs, or did dogs create an environment that allowed human societies to flourish? For the latest from Mark Derr, be sure to check out his blog, Dog Bytes.

Praise for How the Dog Became the Dog

"Derr's affinity for canines comes through strongly, and the book appeals to dog lovers with a curiousity about the origins of their favorite companion." -Publisher's Weekly

"An essential read for dog lovers." -Booklist

"A transporting slice of dog/wolf thinking that will pique the interest of anyone with a dog in their orbit." -Kirkus

Did you miss Richard Billows discussing MARATHON on NPR?

Never fear! Here's a handy link to both his interview (with a transcript!) and an excerpt of the professor's wonderful book MARATHON: HOW ONE BATTLE CHANGED WESTERN CIVILIZATION.

Our favorite part of the interview with Guy Raz actually occurs right at the beginning, and is a great summary of why the Battle of Marathon is so crucially important to our civilization, besides giving us 26.2 mile runs.

RAZ: Aeschylus was a veteran of the legendary battle at Marathon. It happened exactly 2,500 years ago, and it pitted a heavily outnumbered band of mainly Athenians against the far mightier Persian army. It also lent its name to the famous race, which we'll hear about in a moment.

Historian Richard Billows writes about the battle in a new book called "Marathon." And he says that that one day in 490 BC actually changed the course of Western civilization.

Mr. BILLOWS: What we can tell from the way the Persians treated other cities -Greek cities that they attacked in this same period is that if the Athenians had lost the battle, the city of Athens would have been destroyed. The Athenian citizen population rounded up, put on ships and transported to Persia to be interviewed by the Persian king, Darius, at that time and then probably resettled somewhere near the Persian Gulf where they would've been lost to history.

And as a result, all those great Athenians of the fifth and fourth centuries -the likes of Thucydides and Socrates and Plato, one could go on - simply would never either have been born or their works would never have been written and would not have been able therefore to shape subsequent classical Greek civilization and Western culture as we know it.

RAZ: I mean, you say that had the Persians defeated the Athenians at Marathon, democracy would never have flourished.

Mr. BILLOWS: The first democracy that we know of in world history was created by the Athenians just 15 years before the battle of Marathon. It was established as a result of a kind of coup d'etat against a tyrant who had been ruling Athens. And that democracy was a very young and new experiment when the Athenians faced the Persians.

We also love how Mr. Raz chose to end the interview.

RAZ: I'm curious. You emphasize the importance of democracy in the Athenian victory. Why?

Mr. BILLOWS: The way that the Greeks fought was very egalitarian. Every individual soldier fought at his own expense. He paid for his own equipment and for his own upkeep. And essentially voluntarily, they were participating members of the social and political community. They felt that this community, because the democratic system, was theirs, they governed themselves very directly.

We tend to make a distinction between the government and the people. There was no such distinction in Athenian democracy because the people were the government. It was that sense of this is ours - this community, this political state that we've created is our thing.

So, the Greek victories over the Persians were intimately tied up with the political system of participatory democracy that the Greeks had created.

Fascinated yet? Make sure to listen to (or read!) the entire interview. And stay tuned for more reviews, events and interviews with Professor Billows as the marathon race season gears up!

Can't get enough Frank Deford? You could be in luck!

(Above: Frank Deford with Overlook editor Aaron Schlechter
and getting ready for his interview on the set of the Today Show)

Can't get enough of Frank Deford and his new book, BLISS, REMEMBERED? If you're an NPR listener, you're in luck--tune into NPR on Saturday for his interview on Weekend Edition!

If you're in Chestertown, Maryland (a name you should recognize from the novel!), you're even luckier. At 3 p.m., Frank will be reading from and discussing Bliss, Remembered at The Compleat Bookseller (310 High Street).

P.F. Kluge's GONE TOMORROW a Bookseller Pick on NPR's Morning Edition

Susan Stamberg of NPR's Morning Edition talked to independent booksellers across the country this morning about their picks for the holidays. On the list is P.F. Kluge's Gone Tomorrow: "In the tradition of Richard Russo's Straight Man, P.F. Kluge alternates between humor and poetic examinations of the academic pursuit, along the way touching on the basic elements of love, commitment to career and friendship." Click here to read an excerpt, and listen to Morning Edition's Bookseller's Picks for Holiday Lists!