"Prepare to be outfoxed, as an expert tracker follows the fox in the circuitous twists of his medieval development. On this fascinating hunt, Paul Wackers finds all the lairs of this creature in learned lore and literature, especially romance, where the fox became Reynard."

Jan Ziolkowski, Arthur Kingsley Porter Professor of Medieval Latin, Harvard University

"The ambivalence of the naturally astute fox, at times evoking some rather unorthodox moral and political ideas, is at the core of the premodern imaginary of animals – and still prolific in today’s popular culture. Wackers’s concise introduction on relevant medieval knowledge, pictures and literary texts is an excellent starting point for those who want to get on the historical trails of this fascinating – although elusive – animal."

Michael Waltenberger, Chair of German Medieval Literature, Ludwig Maximilian University of Munich