Faces: Profiles of Dogs - Vita Sackville-West

It must be a nuisance to go through life with a Father Christmas moustache like that, but no doubt the Schnauzer gets used to it.'

In Faces, Vita Sackville-West traces the origins and history of forty-four dog breeds, reflecting on their characteristics with frank humour, from the silky gentle-eyed Afghan, 'like somebody's elderly Aunt Lavinia, who nourishes a secret passion for the Vicar', to the Labrador Retriever, 'dear, solid, faithful lump of a dog!', and that 'docile minion' the Corgi.

First published in 1961, each profile is strikingly illustrated by Laelia Goehr's original black and white photographs. Together, profile and portrait capture these canine characters in their various moods: benevolent, haughty, amused, wistful, or simply a little bit sleepy.

Charming and fascinating in equal measure, Faces is a memorable insight into 'how very odd it must be to be a dog'.