This was such a fascinating and eye-opening read. I went in expecting a book about extinct animals and while it is that, it’s also so much more. Qureshi looks at extinction through a completely different lens, connecting it to colonialism, racism, and the way we’ve shaped history to suit power and profit.
One part that really stuck with me was the idea that extinction wasn’t just seen as natural, but even inevitable - especially when it came to Indigenous peoples. The way she links the disappearance of species with the erasure of cultures was powerful and honestly, quite heartbreaking.
I also found the sections on de-extinction and the obsession with “bringing species back” really thought-provoking. It made me think about who benefits from those projects and whether it is really about conservation at all.
This book blends history, science, and politics in such a thoughtful way, and Qureshi’s writing is accessible even when she’s dealing with big, heavy ideas. It’s the kind of nonfiction that stays with you and really challenges how you think about the world.

I have loved natural history since I was a small child, and my work during my academic studies was focused within the fields of race and empire. As such, this was one of my most anticipated nonfiction reads of the year. It did not disappoint, and I found this to be a fascinating and vitally important work that I would recommend to anyone working or interested in related fields.

For me personally, this book helped me learn more in depth about some topics I had come across and read about during academic research, discussion or other reading but had always wanted to learn more about.

In particular this book’s highlighting of the dispossession of indigenous peoples in the pursuit of conservation initiatives such as national parks was something I had been wanting to read about in more depth for a long time. As someone who has previously worked in museums- I also found the exploration of where the natural history artefacts in the museums we visit come from, and why they were so sought after, to be very interesting and important. I had less knowledge of the colonial history of botanical gardens, and feel this is a less covered topic that is extensively researched and uncovered in this book.

A point the author makes in this book that also made me stop and think is that we as historians should be writing about and studying animals for who and what they are and as active agents in and of themselves, rather than simply in relation to human beings.

This book is out now, and I hope it is read widely by those working in the fields of Race, Empire and History of Science. It is for sure an academic text, but I also hope this work is read by those working in fields related to conservation and wildlife protection. There is important history here that is less well known than it should be, and should inform our current thinking and policies on conservation, national parks etc.

Thank you very much to NetGalley and Penguin Press UK for the ARC.

Vanished is an extremely interesting book that juxtaposes the human-caused extinction of animals (deliberate and accidental) with the extermination and genocide of human populations (deliberate and accidental) throughout history. Heartbreakingly, it seems that the extinction of animals was thought to be a problem worth solving long before anyone extended that same interest and care towards humans. We have lost so much.

A thought provoking read and such a damning indictment of colonialism..

I loved this, absolutely fascinating and I really feel I learnt a lot by reading this (before reading this I'd never heard of a Megatherium).

It is very through and detailed, covering the more famous extinctions eg. dinosaurs and the Dodo - but also discussing the social and political settings of the times when bones were being discovered and extinctions were becoming a topic of research. I'd never really considered how the Empire and its influences affected so much of the world and science at its height.

It is long though, and required concentration!

There are scattered photographs and illustrations throughout.

The notes and Bibliography at the end show how in depth the research into the background for this book must have been!

Vanished is a compelling exploration of the politics of extinction and conservation. Qureshi offers fascinating insights into how ideas about the natural world are deeply entangled with histories of colonialism and the treatment of Indigenous peoples. The book shines in its ability to draw thought-provoking connections between environmental loss and broader systems of power.

However, while the structure well-considered, I found the prose overly dense, academic and repetitive, which makes the narrative difficult to follow at times. A clearer, more accessible style would have helped to better refine Qureshi’s argument.

Vanished is a valuable and thought-provoking read for those interested in environmental history, colonial legacies and the politics of preservation.

I feel the title and the cover of this book, while good, don't do justice to how important the message and how deeply serious and political the content is. Professor Sadiah Qureshi doesn't "just" write about extinction (a topic I find interesting anyway!), she details the links of modern extinction events to the awful history of colonialism and capitalism and human greed, and shows it as a pattern rather than one-off events. In this book, she covers a lot of different events, from the Dodo to the Steller sea cow, to human groups thought to be extinct in the early 20th century (the Beothuk, in New Foundland, and various groups in modern-day Australia) because of the persecution they suffered but also because of the way white colonialists thought generally about race and their refusal to acknowledge and recognise mixed-race individuals. Professor Qureshi also covers in depth the intellectual journey from finding and studying the first fossils and prehistoric remains to understanding how they fit in the history of evolution.
There's a lot about how science came to think about extinction, how extinction was represented and discussed in intellectual circles, and how the imperial machine created these events and the loss that came with it. It was interesting to read about how the colonial powers felt that human groups going "extinct" was simply inevitable, and framed "interventions" like the boarding schools or reservations as humanitarian actions. It's a very dark book, and contains many examples of the horrific treatment of both humans and animals. It was still accessible, and very well-written, with illustrations and photos between paragraphs which really helped put the facts within context.

I really liked this one, and would definitely recommend it - but don't expect a leisurely book about dinosaurs (although they do make an appareance), this is a brilliant non-fiction about race and colonialism written by an accomplished historian.

I really enjoyed this
So much information and facts I learned so much and enjoyed it
Would definitely recommend

Vanished is a curious book; equal parts political history and science.
Qureshi talks about different extinct(ed) species such as the dodo, the mastodon, and the extinction of people.
It was eye-opening to learn of Bates’ work.
Overall, a well-discussed and researched book with important messages at its core.
It is accessible and yet the scientific quality is never diminished.