About this Event
Yap! A Short History of Small Dogs
By Stephanie Howard-Smith
The first dedicated history of little dogs and their humans from ancient times to the present day - from a rising star of British history writing.
Almost from humanity's very beginning, beloved small dogs have been trotting devotedly by our sides. Yap! follows in the pawprints of the breeds we have grown to love and cherish, from the small dogs touchingly memorialised in Ancient Rome through to Paris Hilton's chihuahua and the pet influencers of 21st-century, via the pug who colonised Napoleon's marital bed, King Charles II's spaniels and celebrity terriers in Victorian pubs.
Drawing on her own experience as a pug-owner, pet historian Stephanie Howard-Smith reveals how small dogs have shaped our lives as much as we have theirs by challenging social dynamics, changing the way we spend our leisure time, contributing to a global industry now worth over £250 billion, and offering valuable companionship and a chance for self-expression.
A treat of an evening for all dog lovers!
Copies of Yap! will be available in the museum Gift Shop.
Praise for Yap!
‘Charming, smart, and delightful… What a respite from the woes of the world... I loved it’ ELIZABETH GILBERT
‘A brilliant, juicy bone of a book, with lashings of history, culture and canine chronicles’ CHRIS PACKHAM
‘If this witty chronicle doesn't end up in every dog lover's Christmas stocking, I'm a chihuahua’ AMANDA VICKERY
‘A must-read for those of us who adore our littler pets’ RACHEL JOYCE
Your ticket includes an Exclusive Evening Viewing of Dr Johnson's House Museum along with a welcome drink.
Stephanie Howard-Smith will be signing copies of Yap! A Short History of Small Dogs
Doors open, museum viewing & welcome drinks: 6pm
Talk starts 6.30pm.
Event ends 8pm.
Stephanie Howard-Smith
Stephanie Howard-Smith holds a PhD in the cultural history of lapdogs from Queen Mary University of London and has taught animal history widely. A lover of small dogs, Stephanie has written for, amongst others, Slate Magazine and History Today, and has been interviewed on BBC Radio 4, in the Guardian, New York Post, The Atlantic, and the Sky History series, Britain's Greatest Obsessions.
Please note, we have limited capacity and early booking is recommended.
Accessibility: There is regrettably no step-free access to Dr Johnson's House. There are 7 steps to access the entrance (with a handrail). The building is a 4-storey townhouse with a staircase between each floor. There are handrails on each side of the staircase. The event takes place on the top floor. Toilets are located down a steep set of stairs.
Event venue & nearby stays
Dr Johnson's House, 17 Gough Square, London, United Kingdom
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