Every Dog Has Its Day: An illustrated compendium of dog phrases

52 beautiful and quirky watercolour drawings of pooches and a canine colloquialism for every week of the year

From ‘let sleeping dogs lie’ to ‘hair of the dog’ our language is utterly overrun with our four-legged friends. But have you ever stopped to wonder where these beloved expressions actually came from?

In this charming and beautifully illustrated compendium, celebrated artist and nature writer Matt Sewell turns his distinctive, much-loved painterly eye to the weird, wonderful and occasionally baffling world of dog phrases. With wit, warmth and characteristic curiosity, Sewell doggedly unpacks the surprising stories and forgotten histories behind dozens of our most familiar canine expressions, revealing the remarkable dogs, people and moments that gave birth to the words we use every day without a second thought.

Packed with Sewell’s gorgeous, characterful illustrations — bringing to life everything from determined underdogs to wayward strays — this is a book to treasure, to dip into and to share. Whether you’re a devoted dog lover, a hopeless phrase fanatic or simply someone who has always wondered why we call a rambling tale a ‘shaggy dog story’ this delightful compendium will have you yelping with delight.

Guaranteed to be dog-eared.