Animals’ Rights, Considered in Relation to Social Progress

Henry S. Salt

Edition: First Edition
Publisher: George Bell & Sons Ltd., London
Published: 1892
Length: 166
Format: Hardback
Reprints: French, German, Dutch, Swedish and other translations

First American Edition
1894 MacMillan & Co., New York and London, Hardback, 176 pages

First Edition Reprint
Peter Singer (Preface)
1980 Centaur Press; Society for Animal Rights, Clarks Summit, PA, Hardback, 231 pages

Second Edition
1915 George Bell & Sons Ltd., London, Hardback, 124 pages

Third Edition
1922 George Bell & Sons Ltd., London, Hardback, 124 pages

Summary

In Animals’ Rights, Considered in Relation to Social Progress, Henry S. Salt presents a compelling case for the moral and ethical considerations surrounding the treatment of animals. He begins by tracing the historical evolution of attitudes toward animals, highlighting the growing recognition of their rights and the ethical imperative for kindness and respect. With wit and humour, Salt dismantles common arguments against animal rights, advocating for a perspective that sees all creatures as deserving of compassion.

The book addresses specific concerns, such as the injustices faced by domesticated and wild animals, and critiques practices like slaughter for food and vivisection. Salt’s examination of societal norms reveals the hypocrisy of glorifying violence against animals while professing to care for their welfare. He emphasizes that true reform requires both legal changes and a profound awakening of humanity’s compassionate instincts, underscoring the interconnectedness of all living beings.

Concluding with a call to action, Salt outlines “Lines of Reform” that stress the need for education in humaneness and legislation to protect animals. His work is not merely an appeal for sympathy; it is a clarion call for justice, asserting that the future of human rights is inexorably linked to the recognition of animal rights. Praised as a masterpiece of animal advocacy, this book remains a vital read for those concerned with ethical treatment and social progress.

The 1892 edition of Salt’s classics was republished in 1980 with a preface by Peter Singer.

Content

The Principle of Animals’ Rights
The Case of Domestic Animals
The Case of Wild Animals
The Slaughter of Animals for Food
Sport, or Amateur Butchery
Murderous Millinery
Experimental Torture
Lines of Reform
Bibliography of the Rights of Animals

What the Critics Said

“‘Animals’ Rights,’ by Mr. Henry Salt, seeks to set the principle of animals’ rights on consistent and intelligible footing. Many of Mr. Salt’s pleas for humanity will win universal assent.”—The Times.

“A well-written essay in which Mr. H. S. Salt strives to put the principle of animals’ rights upon what he calls an intelligible footing.”—The Morning Post.

“A masterpiece; it remains one of the most lucid and persuasive of all the books written in defense of animals,”—Keith Thomas, New York Review of Books

“A curious but cleverly-written little book which avowedly seeks to prove that the coming realization of human rights will inevitably bring in its train the tardier but not less certain realization of the rights of the lower races.”—The Speaker.