The turtle is an ancient creature, once sharing the Earth with dinosaurs; for more than 100 million years, turtles have played a crucial role in maintaining healthy terrestrial and marine ecosystems. While it may not set records for speed on land, the turtle is exceptional at distance swimming and deep diving, and some are gifted with astounding longevity. In human thought, the animalâ€s ties to creativity, wisdom and warfare stretch back to the worldâ€s earliest written records. In Turtle, Louise M. Pryke celebrates the slow and unassuming manner of this doughty creature, which provides a living model of endurance and efficiency. In the increasingly fast-paced world of the twenty-first century, it has never been more important to consider the natural and cultural history of this remarkable animal.