READ. FOX. BOOKS.
Welcome to the Fox Library
Here are all the fox books you could ever desire—and hundreds more besides! Curl up in your earth, grab a fresh mouse, and read with the most comprehensive listing of books about all aspects of foxes, from vulpine behavior to board books.
Title links take you to books on Amazon.com
Below are four basic categories for the fox bibliography, with subcategories under each.
FICTION (below)
Novels
Fantasy and Shifters
Myth, Fairytale, and Folklore
Anthropomorphic/Furry
Shorts and Poetry
Graphic Novels
fiction
Novels
General Novels
Note: It can be hard to draw the line between adult and juvenile fiction in some animal books, particularly in older novels. You’ll find additional novels listed under middle grade/young adult.
The Ballad of the Belstone Fox AKA The Belstone Fox AKA Free Spirit by David Rook
The Biography of a Silver-Fox by Ernest Thompson Seton
The Biography of an Arctic Fox by Ernest Thompson Seton
The Black Fox of Beckham by David L. Heaney
A Black Fox Running by Brian Carter
Charlie the Fox by Major John Budden (1932)
Chill Valley Hunt (trilogy) by Christine Pullein-Thompson (not about fox)
Crazy Fox Ranch by Deborah Garner (not about fox)
Death of a Vulpicide by J.K. Stanford (1960)
English Animals by Laura Kaye (not about fox)
Every Man’s Hand by David Harcombe (1992)
The Familiars by Stacey Halls (not about fox)
The Fox and The Hound by Daniel P. Mannix (1967)
The Fox at Drummers’ Darkness by Joyce Stranger
Fox Evil by Minette Walters (not about fox)
The Fox of Richmond Park by Kate Dreyer
Fox Me: The Story of a Cub by J.K. Stanford (1958)
The Foxes by R.P. Harriss (1937)
Fur Sign by Hal G. Evarts (not about fox)
The Gone Away: A Romance of the Dales in Three Acts by Dorothy Una Ratcliffe (1930) (not about fox)
Greymuzzle by Alec Bloomfield (James Charles Reynard)
Happiness by Aminatta Forna (not about fox)
The Hill Fox by Ernest Lewis (Ernest Blakeman Vesey) (1937)
The Hill Vixen by A. Henry. Higginson (1945)
The Hounds of Heaven by R. W. F. Poole (not about fox)
Hunter’s Moon AKA The Foxes of Firstdark by Garry Kilworth (1989)
The Huntsman at the Gate by Almet Jenks (1952)
King Todd: The True Story of a Wild Badger by Norah Burke, D.J. Watkins-Pitchford (illustrator)
The Life of a Fox: Written by Himself by Thomas Smith (1843)
The Life Story of a Fox (Animal Autobiography series) by J.C. Tregarthen (1906)
Lure of the Chase (The Chase Chronicles) by Michael Sinclair-Smith (not about fox)
Master Reynard: The History of a Fox by Jane Fielding
Margery Allingham’s Mr Campion’s Fox by Mike Ripley (not about fox)
Memoirs of a Fox-Hunting Man (George Sherston trilogy) by Siegfried Sassoon (not about fox)
Midwinter by Fiona Melrose (not about fox)
Old One-Toe by Michel-Aime Baudouy
Old Red: the Story of a Devon Fox by Trevor Beer
“Sister” Jane series by Rita Mae Brown
The Plague Dogs by Richard Adams
A Portion for Foxes by Jane McIlvaine McClary (not about fox)
Red Ben: The Fox of Oak Ridge by Joseph Wharton Lippincott (1919)
Red Fox by Charles G.D. Roberts (1905)
Red Ruff: The Life Story of a Fox by H. Mortimer Batten (1937)
Red Vagabond: The Story of a Fox by G.D. Adams, D.J. Watkins-Pitchford (ill) (1951)
Rhymeside by Henry Tegner (1964)
The Running Foxes by Joyce Stranger
Russet, the Rover: The Life Story of a Fox by Anne Richardson
Scotty, the Adventures of a Highland Fox by Frances Pitt (1932)
The Secret of Hunter’s Keep by Joyce Stranger
The Snow Child by Eowyn Ivey (not about fox)
Spirit of the Fox by Ellie Willingham
String Lug the Fox by David Stephen (1950)
Vix: The Story of a Fox Cub by A. Windsor Richards, D.J. Watkins-Pitchford (ill) (1960)
Vixen by Rosie Garland (not about fox)
Vulpes: An English Fox by Harper Cory (1940)
White-Ear and Peter: the Story of a Fox and a Fox-Terrier by Neils Heiberg (1912)
The White Fox of Withersrush Moor by Sean Frain
The White Foxes of Gorfenletch by Henry Tegner (1954)
Wild Lone: The Story of a Pytchley Fox by B.B. (D.J. Watkins-Pitchford) (1938)
Fantastic Foxes
Fantasy Novels
Children of the Gates by Andre Norton
Court of Foxes by Christianna Brand (foxes might only be symbolic)
The Demon and the Fox (The Calatians series) by Tim Susman, Laura Garabedian
The Fox by Arlene Radasky (not about fox)
The Fox’s Tale by Amanda Gannon
Foxspell by Gillian Rubinstein (not about a fox)
Foxtails by Erica Laurie
Franky Furbo by William Wharton
The Hunt for Elsewhere by Beatrice Vine
Kitsune: A Little Mermaid Retelling (Tales of Akatsuki series) by Nicolette Andrews
Lady into Fox by David Garnett (novella)
The Magicians by Lev Grossman (not about fox)
Penric’s Fox by Lois McMaster Bujold
The Return: Nightfall (The Vampire Diaries) by L.J. Smith (possibly foxes in this series)
The Ronin and the Fox by Cornelia Grey
Scion of the Fox (The Realms of Ancient) by S.M. Beiko
Shadow of the Fox by Julie Kagawa (not about a fox)
The Singing Tree AKA The White Fox by Brian Parvin
A Taste for Rabbit by Linda Zuckerman
Through a Brazen Mirror by Delia Sherman (1986) (fox as familiar)
The Tower and the Fox (The Calatians series) by Tim Susman, Laura Garabedian
When Fox is a Thousand by Larissa Lai (2004)
A Whisper of Wings (Kashran Cycle) by Paul Kidd
The Wild’s Call (Aspect of Crow) by Jeri Smith-Ready
Shifters
Black Pearl Dreaming (Portland Hafu) by K. Bird Lincoln
Change (Kitsune) by Melissa Stevens
Den of the White Fox by Lensey Namioka
Dream Eater (Portland Hafu) by K. Bird Lincoln
The Fox Wife’s Tail by Conrad Kinch
The Fox Woman by Kij Johnson (1999)
Fur Fox’s Sake (Shifters Undercover) by Milly Taiden
Generation V by M.L. Brennan
The Girl with Ghost Eyes by M.H. Boroson
Her Secret Agent (X-Ops) by Paige Tyler
Hexmaker by Jordan L. Hawk
In the Night Garden (The Orphan’s Tales) by Catherynne M. Valente
Like a Fox by Celia Kyle
Mages in Manhattan: A Tokyo Supernatural Novel by Phil Gabriel
The Nine (Foxfire Burning) by C.M. Stunich
Nogitsune by Clovia Shaw (no longer available?)
Reckless (Mirrorworld) by Cornelia Funke
The Sacred Book of the Werewolf by Victor Pelevin
Satyrday by Steven Bauer
Spirit Fox by Mickey Zucker Reichert, Jennifer Wingert
Stone Cold Fox (Cougarville) by Evangeline Anderson
Fantasy Series
A. Dee Carey FOX FANTASY BOOKS:
The 11th Commandment, The Crimson Vixen, The Fox and the Chalice, The Fox and the Dragon, The Fox and the Swan, Fox in the Mist, The Fox of Heart Isle, Mark of the Fox, The Vixen
Additionally, this author has many shorts and anthologies.
FOX SHIFTER SERIES:
American Kitsune series by Brandon Varnell
The Chaos of Foxes series by Emma Dean (3 books)
Foxes of the Midnight Sun series by K.R. Alexander (3 books)
Kitsune Trilogy by Anna Frost (3 books) (no longer available?)
Kobolds of Tamlen series by Gen Summercolt (5 novellas) (no longer available?)
The Madison Wolves series by Robin Roseau
Other series by Karen Kincy (3 books)
Red Winter Trilogy by Annette Marie (3 books)
Mythic and Anthropomorphic
Anthropomorphic/Furry
The Cunning Little Vixen by Rudolf Těsnohlídek (1920)
Foxhunt! by Rich Hanes (2014)
Jack Fox, Licensed Detective by Ingemar Fjell (1968)
The Rise of the Red Shadow (The Book of Deacon) by Joseph R. Lallo (2013)
Shadow of the Father by Kyell Gold (2010)
Species: Foxes by Thurston Howl (editor)
Volle by Kyell Gold
Series:
The Fall of Eldvar series by Jim Galford
The Guild of the Cowry Catchers series by Abigail Hilton
Out of Position series by Kyell Gold
Polar and Vulpie Saga trilogy by Eric M Deal
The Resonance Tetralogy by Hugo Jackson
Also see Reynard the Fox stories below, anthropomorphic folktales, and middle grade novels on the Juvenile Fox Books page like the Redwall series by Brian Jacques and Wonderling by Mira Bartok.
Myth, Fairytale, and Folklore
There are easily hundreds of fox myths and stories from creation legends to Reynard the vicious medieval antihero. You’ll also find dozens of foxy folktales in children’s picture books.
In Greek myth, the Teumessian fox, or Cadmean vixen, is a giant fox destined to never be caught. Many Eastern fables or myths feature characters like Kuzunoha and Tamamo-no-Mae. The fox is one of those rare creatures and symbols known across the globe—and, indeed, may be the most universal wild animal emblom of folklore, from Canada to Africa to Japan, of all time.
Scroll down for notes on Reynard, Aesop, and other fox tales.
A Book of Fairy Tale Foxes by Clifton Johnson
The Book of Yokai: Mysterious Creatures of Japanese Folklore by Michael Dylan Foster
Censored by Confucius: Ghost Stories by Yuan Mei, Kam Louie, Louise Edwards
Come and Sleep: The Folklore of the Japanese Fox by Christopher Kincaid
Crow and Fox and Other Animal Legends by Jan Thornhill (1993)
The Dancing Fox: Arctic Folktales by John Bierhorst
The Discourse on Fox and Ghosts by Leo Tak-Hung Chan (1998)
Drakestail by Jan Wahl (from a French fairytale)
A Field Guide to Demons, Vampires, Fallen Angels and Other Subversive Spirits by Carol K. Mack, Dinah Mack (2011)
Fireside Stories of Ireland by Patrick Kennedy
Folk Tales and Fables of the World by Barbara Hayes (1987)
The Fox and the Jewel: Shared and Private Meanings in Contemporary Japanese Inari Worship by Karen A. Smyers (1998)
Fox Fables by Dawn Casey (in multiple languages)
Fox Mykyta / Lys Mykyta by Bohdan Melnyk, Ivan Franko
Fox Tales by M. J. Wheeler, Dana Gustafson
The Genie and the Fisherman: And Other Tales from the Travelling People by Duncan and Linda Williamson (1991)
Ghosts and the Japanese: Cultural Experience in Japanese Death Legends by Michiko Iwasaka, Barre Toelken
Hesitant Wolf and Scrupulous Fox: Fables Selected from World Literature by Karen Kennerly
Human Animals by Frank Hamel
The Kingfisher Book of Classic Animal Stories by Sally Grindley (2008)
Miraculous Stories from the Japanese Buddhist Tradition by Kyoko Motomuchi Nakamura
Native American Short Stories by Jim Red Fox
Native American Short Stories: Book II by Jim Red Fox
Russian Fairy Tales by Aleksandr Afanas’ev
Shared Spirits: Wildlife and Native Americans by Dennis L. Olson
The Shepherd’s Nosegay: Stories from Finland and Czechoslovakia by Parker Fillmore
Someplace to Be Flying by Charles de Lint
Supernatural and Mysterious Japan: Spirits, Hauntings and Paranormal Phenomena by Catrien Ross
Tales of Times Now Past: Sixty-Two Stories from a Medieval Japanese Collection by Marian Ury
Tortoise Tales by Ruth Manning-Sanders (1974)
A Tundra Tale by Lone Alaskan Gypsy
Ukrainian Folk Tales by Irina Zheleznova
Wildlife Folklore by Laura C. Martin (1994)
Wisdom Warrior: Native American Animal Legends by Dennis L. Olson
The Yanagita Kunio Guide to the Japanese Folk Tale by Fanny Mayer
Zoo of the Gods: Animals in Myth, Legend, and Fable by Anthony S. Mercatante (1974)
Reynard and Aesop
REYNARD THE FOX
Reynard is an anthropomorphic red fox born of medieval allegorical fables. The earliest author was Pierre de St. Cloud, writing Roman de Renart in 1174. Other French writers followed with additional tales, then German Heinrich der Glïchezäre in 1180. The rest is foxy history, for no vulpes character has ever been so widely written and retold to stand such a test of time as Reynard. Also called Renard, Reinaert, Renart, Reineke, Reinicke, and Renartus.
Reynard is primarily a rather frightful antihero, if not pure villain, guilty of enumerable (very human) crimes and summoned by a court of the other animals including the king (a lion) and his oft-victimized cousin (a wolf). He nevertheless finds favor with readers through endless cunning, tricks, resourcefulness, and getting the better of also undesirable elements.
As well as dozens of modern books, from full-length translations to children’s picture books of his exploits, the Reynard stories have been adapted into numiouers films. Ever wonder why Disney’s animated Robin Hood (1973) features the title character as a fox? The original design concept of the film was meant to be a Reynard adaptation. During pre-production the studio pulled the plug on the project on the grounds of the negative influence of the wicket Reynard. Instead, years later, the concept was reinvented for a Robin Hood interpretation.
Reynard stories have been so widely used throughout history you can find his exploits retold from Jan-Frans Willems, father of the Flemish movement, to Nazi propaganda by Robert van Genechten. Of all the maligned foxes of the world, Reynard also comes out on top here.
Some contemporary Reynard books:
The History of Reynard the Fox by F.S. Ellis
The Most Delectable History of Reynard the Fox by Joseph Jacobs
The Rare Romance of Reynard the Fox by Samuel Phillips Day
Renard the Fox by Patricia Terry
Renard the Fox by Rachel Anderson, David Bradby, Bob Dewar (1987) (appears to be a children’s book but is not)
Reynard the Fox by Alain Vaes (picture book)
Reynard the Fox by Anne Louise Avery (2020)
Reynard the Fox by Selina Hastings, Graham Percy (picture book)
Reynard the Fox and Other Fables by William T. Larned
Reynard the Fox: A New Translation by James Simpson (2015)
Reynard the Fox: Tales from the life of Reynard the Fox by Renate Raecke, Jonas Laustroer (2020) (picture book)
The Romance of Reynard the Fox by D.D.R. Owen
The Scandalous Adventures of Reynard the Fox by Harry J. Owens (1945)
The Story of Reynard by Maurice Genevoix (1959)
The Story of Reynard the Fox by Johann Wolfgang von Goethe
Aesop’s Fables
Aesop is thought to be a slave living in Ancient Greece around 600 BCE. These fables were passed on in the oral tradition for hundreds of years before ever being written down, so it’s impossible to say exactly how much original Aesop remains. Today, they continue to be popular in many cultures, while the fox remains one of the primary protagonists in the fables.
Aesop’s fox fables:
The Ape and the Fox
The Crab and the Fox
The Cock, the Dog and the Fox
The Deer Without a Heart
The Eagle and the Fox
The Fox and the Crane
The Fox and the Crow
The Fox and the Grapes
The Fox and the Lion
The Fox and the Mask
The Fox and the Sick Lion
The Fox and the Stork
The Fox and the Weasel
The Fox and the Woodman
The Fox in the Well
The Fox, the Flies and the Hedgehog
The Frog and the Fox
The Lion, the Bear and the Fox
The Lion, the Wolf and the Fox
Book examples:
Aesop’s Fables by Ann McGovern (1963)
Aesop’s Fables by Arthur Rackham
Aesop’s Fables by Charles Santore (Most beautifully illustrated of all the Aesop books!)
Aesop’s Fables (Oxford World’s Classics) by Laura Gibbs
Aesop’s Fox by Aki Sogabe
The Classic Treasury of Aesop’s Fables by Don Daily
The Fables of Aesop by Edward J. Detmold
Foxy Fables by Tony Ross (1986)
Illustrated Stories From Aesop by Susanna Davidson
Three Aesop Fox Fables by Paul Galdone (1971)
You’ll also find dozens of these fables told one by one as children’s picture books on the kids’ fox books page.
Other Fables
Some other fox fables in book form include works of Jean de La Fontaine, the Brothers Grimm, and Joel Chandler Harris (Uncle Remus).
The Fox and the Cat is a great example of an ancient fox fable (sometimes incorrectly attributed to Aesop) that has stood the test of time, shadows of which can be seen from Eastern European folktales to the Panchatantra (Indian) to The Adventures of Pinocchio (Italian) to modern children’s stories.
The Fox and the Wolf and other Russian folktales and fables have also stood the test of time, with many such stories, usually about the fox tricking innocent humans and other animals into giving her food or leaving her in peace, as needs may be. (Although she often ends of vanquished, such as being eaten by a hound, by the end.) Interestingly, Russian and Ukrainian styled fables are some of the few in which the fox is frequently female. A sly, wicked female taking advantage of otherwise strong males like man, bear, and wolf who succumb to her deceptions. Check out the Fox Movies page for more on the animated films that have come out of these stories
The Brothers Grimm (Jacob Ludwig Karl Grimm and Wilhelm Carl Grimm) complied and wrote dozens of European folktales in the 1800s. Many featured foxes, including: The Golden Bird, The Sea-Hare, The Wedding of Mrs. Fox, and The Wonderful Musician. A few book examples:
The Bremen Town Musicians and Other Animal Tales from Grimm by Doris Orgel (adaptor), Bert Kitchen (illustrator)
Grimm’s Fairy Stories by Jacob Grimm, Wilhelm Grimm (first published in 1812 in English)
Mrs. Fox’s Wedding by Sara Corrin and Stephen Corrin (adapters)
Br’er Fox and Br’er Rabbit are integral characters in Joel Chandler Harris’s collections of black American folktales merged into the works of Uncle Remus. A few book examples include:
The Adventures of Brer Rabbit and Friends by Joel Chandler Harris, Eric Copeland (illustrator)
Uncle Remus, His Songs and His Sayings by Joel Chandler Harris (the original publication, 1881)
Uncle Remus: The Complete Tales by Julius Lester (adapter), Jerry Pinkney (illustrator)
Other Foxy Fiction
Shorts and Poetry
Who knows how many fox shorts, poems, or even songs and ballads, have been published? From ancients to The Fox, the Wolf and the Husbandman poem by 15th-century Scottish poet Robert Henryson, to modern times. There’s even a fox opera based on Rudolf Těsnohlídek’s Cunning Little Vixen.
A Fox’s Tale by Lauren K.
A Portion for Foxes by Brook West
The Chase by William Somervile (1735)
Collected Nature Stories by Henry Williamson (1970)
The Dingle Ridge Fox and Other Stories by Sam Savitt (1978)
The Fabulous Fox: An Anthology of Fact and Fiction by Johanna Johnston (1979)
Forest Friends by Roya Dixon (1916)
Foster Fox (A 10,000 Lakes Tale) by William D. Writer
Fox 8 by George Saunders
Fox in the Hen House by Mary E. Lowd (no longer available?)
The Fox Meditates by Rudyard Kipling
The Fox’s Prophecy by D.W. Nash, Poole, R.W.F. (poem, 1871)
The Horn: A Lay of the Grassington Fox-Hounds by Patrick R. Chalmers, Lionel Edwards (short novel in verse)
Kitsune-Mochi (Kitsune Tales) by Laura VanArendonk Baugh
Kitsune-Tsuki (Kitsune Tales) by Laura VanArendonk Baugh
Kogitsune by Xia Xia Lake
Lobo, Rag, and Vixen by Ernest Thompson Seton (1899)
People of the Wild by F. St. Mars (1911)
The Prowlers by F. St. Mars (1913)
Reynard the Fox, or, the Ghost Heath Run by John Masefield (1919, fox hunting in verse. To see it as it was meant to be visit Archive.org)
Ruby Slippers, Golden Tears by Ellen Steiber, Terri Windling (editors) (with The Fox Wife)
Sir Gawain and The Green Knight by J.R.R. Tolkien (translator) (Arthurian story involving fox hunt)
Stones by Timothy Findley (1988, with fox story?)
Stories of Breece D’J Pancake by Breece D’J Pancake (possible fox story?)
Tales of the Fox and Fae by Adele Wearing
The Thought-Fox: Collected Animal Poems Vol 4 by Ted Hughes
Wild Voices by Drew Nelson (1991, with a fox story)
A. Dee Carey shorts and anthologies:
Eye of the Dragon
The Fox and the Mermaid
Fox Tales, Anthology
Fox Tales, Anthology II
Green Cathedral
Silvermist and the Desert Fox
Graphic Novels
Some of these graphic novels are aimed at a juvenile audience.
The Fox (Love) by Frédéric Brrémaud, Federico Bertolucci
The Fox and the Little Tanuki (series) by Mi Tagawa (2020)
Fox Bunny Funny by Andy Hartzell
In Fox’s Forest by Guy Colwell
Jane, the Fox, and Me by Fanny Britt
The Little Prince (series) by Delphine Dubos, Élyum Studio
Marney the Fox by Scott Goodall, John Stokes
Mr. Badger and Mrs. Fox (kids’ series) by Brigitte Luciani, Eve Tharlet
Ozy and Millie by Dana Simpson
Petals by Gustavo Borges (2018)
Rivers of London Vol. 5: Cry Fox by Ben Aaronovitch, Andrew Cartmel (2018)
The Sandman: The Dream Hunters by Neil Gaiman, P. Craig Russell (1999)
Tricky Fox Tales (series) by Chris Schweizer, Michelle Paroline (2013)
Lists created by Jordan Taylor, updated 2021. All cover art copyright of respective publishers. Links through Amazon affiliates.
Back to: jordantaylorbooks.com