This lavishly illustrated natural history of mammals turns the world's animal life into a guided tour of wonder, science, and striking visual detail. From apes, lemurs, and chimpanzees to cats, dogs, bears, bats, rodents, elephants, horses, and the great hoofed beasts, it surveys mammals across habitats and continents with lively anecdotes and close attention to form, habits, and behavior. The opening chapters celebrate modern photography, expert observation, and the effort to show animals in their natural surroundings, while also drawing on collectors, institutions, and explorers to build an authoritative global portrait. As the book moves deeper into its subject, it blends zoology with evolutionary debate, including the famous search for a human "missing link" and the Java fossil find, alongside vivid accounts of African great apes and the African rhinoceroses. It then ranges through the horse tribe to zebras, comparing the elusive mountain zebra with the majestic Grevy's zebra, before continuing across antelopes, giraffes, deer, camels, pigs, hippos, seals, and the remarkable marsupials of Australia. The result is a richly textured celebration of mammals as familiar, strange, and endlessly fascinating. This edition has been fully restored with modern typesetting, custom cover design.