For as long as cats have coexisted with humans, they have been feared, revered, and respected. They appear as dynamic hunters in Paleolithic carvings and cave paintings; were venerated as gods in ancient Egypt; and still have the power to fascinate and frighten us, as the popularity of Joe Exotic, the self- styled Tiger King, shows. How did we go from hunting, and being hunted by, cats to keeping them as pets in our homes?In this wide-ranging and captivating history, archaeologist Jerry Moore...

Start with grunge, hip-hop, and rave culture, the high-tech warfare of Operation Desert Storm, the creeping paranoia of Twin Peaks and The X-Files, and the rise and reign of the supermodel. Join the sweaty throngs at Berlin's dance clubs, and the outpouring of grief following the losses of Biggie and Tupac. Skip forward from the camcorder to reality TV, from riot grrrls to the Spice Girls, and from flannel shirts to black trenchcoats. Witness the slow awareness of climate change growing along...