‘The Pug Heritage and Art’ is without doubt the most beautiful and special book on the breed. In a luxurious large hardcover format all the cultural aspects of the intriguing bond between the Pug and mankind will be extensively covered, from the breed’s arrival in the West until the present day in every country of importance. The scores of breathtaking illustrations alone make this book a once in a lifetime publication on the Pug.


It is difficult to find another breed which has been the subject of more artistic devotion, expressed in literally all possible art forms. The Pug even attracts the attention of art lovers and collectors worldwide who are never likely to own ‘the real thing’. Surely this provides the best possible evidence of the special role the breed has played in the life of people who have made history and movements which are still seen as essential in the cultural development of Western society.


The life of the Pug at various courts (Russian, Dutch, British, French and Swedish), the role the breed played in Freemasonry, or in the Victorian era in which the Pug proved to be a perfect model for the dramatic change in the way pet animals were perceived.

Almost all artists who are contemporary with this era have captured the breed on canvas or board, and one must not forget the sheer quality of Pug figures in porcelain from Meissen, Dresden, Nymphenburg, Chelsea, Bow, Royal Worcester and many other important British and Continental manufacturers. Further chapters look at photographs, postcards, 20th century bronzes, the black Pug and other areas special to the breed. Extra information is given in the tributes to the various unique American and European private collections.


‘The Pug Heritage and Art’ is anything but an ordinary study of the breed’s history but one which makes essential reading in order to understand the evolution of the breed. Studying the illustrations alone, which cover a period of four centuries, gives the best analysis possible of the in-depth understanding of the development of breed type.


What counts for the content of ‘The Pug Heritage and Art’, also counts for the way the book is produced. Compared alongside all the existing Pug books one will soon realise this is the most beautiful book on the breed, in every way. A large (A4) sized hardcover of 208 pages, packed with scores of the most beautiful illustrations – mostly in full-colour – many of them touching, not to say breathtaking.