This tiny illustrated encyclopedia may be small (4½"x6½"), but it's sure to inspire big love in the hearts of dog fanciers everywhere! Beginning with a brief account of the origins of the dog, The Little Book of Dogs includes page-long "entries" for eighty different breeds, paired with vintage illustrations of each pooch. It's packed with fascinating facts, such as…Central Africa's basenji doesn't bark, it "only knows how to chuckle and sing"; history's most famous French water dog was Moustache, mascot of Napoleon's Imperial Guard; long-haired dachshunds owe their distinctive coats to spaniel genes; the Aztecs believed the hairless Xoloitzcuintli of Mexico guided souls to the underworld. How illuminating!