Despite their humble appearance, beavers have a remarkable history. Ancient Greeks regarded beavers as models of chastity and prudence. Beaver fur drove the exploration of North America, and beavers are heralded as heroes, able to survive climate change by creating wetland habitats. This book explores our long infatuation with the beaver from North American mythology and Aesop's Fables to contemporary environmental politics. It also examines the facts and fictions of beaver democracies, beaver architecture and even, surprisingly, beaver-flavoured ice-cream. Beaver is a beautifully illustrated book, which will appeal to anyone interested in animal lore and in discovering extraordinary insights into animal biology.