When I sat down to write this Newly Noted entry, the book that is the subject of it almost immediately caused me to begin thinking of a way somehow to incorporate the phrase “get your goat” in it, but the more I thought about how to do so, the more I began to become concerned that many of my readers may think that overly cheesy.
However were I to ask Tami Parr, whose previously published books include Pacific Northwest Cheese; A History and Artisan Cheese of the Pacific Northwest, about whether such an allusion to such a well-known, goat-related phase would be appropriate when used in reference to her most recently published book Goats in America; A Cultural History, I suspect she might well tell me not be be sheepish in such matters and just grab the goat by the horns and do so.
But enough of such kidding around…
For all those who would like to learn more about the history of these remarkable animals and the many roles – from sources of food, fiber, and leather to landscapers and exercise companions – they have played in America from the beginning of the colonial period right up to the present day, Ms. Parr’s new Goats in America looks to be a book well worth getting.
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