Lion, By Deirdre Jackson

Considering that 30-odd titles have appeared in Reaktion's superbly realised Animals series, it has taken a surprising time to reach the king of beasts. Still, it was worth the wait. Jackson has produced a fascinating volume of leonine revelations.

We are informed about lions in the wild (at least 50 per cent of cubs die before maturity, often as a result of male infanticide), in cages (Queen Victoria went six times to see the lion-tamer Isaac Van Amburgh), in culture (oddly, "lions are scarce in African art"), and as an object of pursuit.

Sadly, Jackson's survey does not include such commercial lions as MGM's roaring trademark and the rotting feline on Tate & Lyle's Golden Syrup tin but she provides plenty for big cat lovers to purr about.