It is incredible how much research is going on with dogs these past 20-30 years now! From black hole to nova status.
Some recent additions, note that most of these are borrowed from the library rather than purchased to actually add to my physical library. I gave up on keeping books over a decade ago. I haven't the resources, and modern computer archiving is too powerful.
Pierotti and Fogg, Mark Derr, and the Coppingers (Ray and Lorna) you know about. BTW, my reviews of Pierotti and Fogg are going downhill - it appears their book misrepresents the findings of at least one other researcher (more than just the Coppingers): Marion Schwartz's fine volume, History of Dogs In the Early Americas. But put her book on a list of important volumes to read.
Also: Phillip Sponenberg: Managing Breeds for a Secure Future: Strategies for Breeders and Breed Associations, Second Ed.
He delves into how breeds
can be reservoirs for certain genetic combinations. And it was great to
read his thinking on the matter. What was also great was that he
recognized exactly the place I think I'm coming from on breeds of dogs,
and recognized that there is validity in the outlook that our definition of dog breeds may be overly restrictive. He mostly talks about other farm animals - sheep, goats, beef, fowl, but dogs as well. Good stuff.
Bryan Cummins: Our Debt to the Dog. Wow - so much to read! I've skimmed over a few random spots - it looks like it is
chock-full of gold. I'll have to read more, but I might have to buy my
own copy of this one. It covers a lot of territory I've been thinking
about - the origins and development of breeds and job-specific dogs.
Coming soon, to my reading library:
Dawn of the Dog, The Genesis of a Natural Species, Janice Kolner-Matznick (had to buy a copy, library could not get it!)
from the library:
The genius of dogs : how dogs are smarter than you think, Author: Hare, Brian
The dog wars : how the border collie battled the American Kennel Club, Author: McCaig, Donald.
Also, I will note, because this volume has been in many conversations regarding English Shepherds: Iris Combe's "Herding Dogs: Their Origins and Development in Britain". Mrs. Combe was "A Person of Interest" in the collie communities in the late 20th century UK. Her volume is a collation of her lifetime interest in the history of collies in the UK. It includes much that was verbal history alone, but also news clippings and antiquarian volumes. Definitely a permanent addition to the dog section of the bookshelves.
