The complex connection between the hunter and the hunted has defined animal life on Earth throughout its long history. Gibson gathers works of art and literature that capture the power, grace, and inventiveness of both predators and their natural prey.

Originally published: Toronto, Canada : Doubleday Canada, c2009.

Introduction -- Echoes of a working Eden : language without words -- Diet of souls : "Take, eat; this is my body" -- Beauty and the beast : folktales and parables -- Death's golden eye : the encounter -- Mighty and terrible : "I made this monstrous beast" -- Killing without eating : the tablecloth of civilization -- Ceremony of innocence : the heart's solace and delight.