Mémoires de Mule, the new book by Eric Rousseaux
Launch of the Pre-publication Subscription Campaign
Éric Rousseaux is no newcomer when it comes to writing! The author or co-author of around twenty books, he is particularly well known for Mules and Donkeys: Exceptional Animals, a much-loved book that is now out of print.
Today, he is picking up his pen once again to bring us a promising new book: Memoirs of Mules.
The book has not yet gone to print… but the adventure is already underway! A pre-publication subscription campaign has been launched to help support its publication and allow you to reserve your copy at a special price of €22.50 (or €27.50 including postage), instead of €30 (or €35 including postage) once the book is published.
Who is Éric Rousseaux?
Originally from Lorraine in north-eastern France, Éric Rousseaux is an agricultural engineer specialising in animal production and a recipient of the Order of Agricultural Merit. He has lived in the Marais Poitevin, a region in western France that has become his adopted home, for nearly 50 years.
He devotes most of his spare time to preserving biodiversity: protecting and promoting rare domestic animal breeds, as well as safeguarding natural habitats and wild species.
The author or co-author of around twenty books published by La Geste, he uses his writing to share his passion with readers.
What is it about? Mules, of course… but what else?
Mules and hinnies, hybrids resulting from the mating of a donkey and a mare, are widely recognised for their endurance, sure-footedness, caution and hardiness.
Used for more than 5,000 years throughout the world for transport, agricultural work and military purposes, they were once at the heart of a lucrative mule-breeding industry in several production centres across southern France: Poitou, the Massif Central, the Alps and the Pyrenees.
Today, passionate muleteers in many parts of the world are rediscovering animal traction, using mules for vineyard work, market gardening and logging, both in mountainous regions and on the plains.
Further afield, from Morocco's High Atlas Mountains to Arizona and even the remote regions of Tibet, hikers are rediscovering the remarkable abilities of these animals as pack animals.
Meanwhile, a new generation of breeders producing mules and hinnies for leisure purposes has discovered that their Grand Gris des Collines or Pêga stallions, crossed with mares from lighter, more spirited horse breeds than those traditionally used for mule production, can also make excellent breeding sires.
Traditional breeders, however, proud of their reputation, have no intention of relinquishing their position. Every year, they continue to have large numbers of mares covered by Poitou and Catalan jacks, producing foals that find ready buyers both in France and abroad.
Finally, the perspectives of several writers on this rather extraordinary animal — Alphonse Daudet, Alexandre Dumas, Victor Hugo, La Fontaine, Léo Ferré and a few lesser-known authors — offer readers further insight into the behaviour of this remarkable creature, its character (generally endearing, occasionally stubborn and temperamental) and the place it occupies in our collective imagination.
Pour aller plus loin, le sommaire du livre
So, how can you get your hands on a copy?
You have until 20 December 2026 to take advantage of the special subscription price: €22.50 instead of €30 once the book is published.
There are three ways to reserve your copy of Memoirs of Mules:
1 – Online, via our HelloAsso shop
The easiest option: simply place your subscription online!
2 – By cheque
Payable to Mule Qui Peut.
3 – By bank transfer
To the bank account of Mule Qui Peut.
If you choose to pay by cheque or bank transfer, please remember to send us your completed subscription form, either by post or by email.
You will find our contact details and the necessary documents below.
Contact details
Mule Qui Peut
175, rue Marceau
91120 Palaiseau
Notre RIB
Le bon de souscription
We don't know about you, but we can't wait to read it!
Comments