Jumbo: The Unauthorised Biography of a Victorian Sensation
The first
comprehensive 'biography' of one of the first celebrity animals who gave us one
of our favourite words. Jumbo, Victorian England's favourite elephant, was born
in 1861 in French Sudan, imported to a Parisian zoo and later sold on to
London, where - for seventeen years - he dutifully gave children rides and ate
buns from their hands, all the while being tortured at night to keep him
docile. Worldwide fame came when he was bought by the American showman and scam
artist P.T. Barnum in 1881, despite letters from 100,000 British schoolchildren
who wrote to Queen Victoria begging her to prevent the sale. Barnum went on to
transform Jumbo into a lucrative circus act and one of the most loved animals
of all time, establishing elephants as a regular feature of funhouses and
menageries the world over. Using the heartwrenching story of Jumbo's celebrity
life, tragic death in Canada in 1885, and his enduring cultural legacy, Jumbo
is personal and fascinating reflection on our cultural elephantiasis by one of
our most distinguished literary-critical detectives, which is guaranteed to
amuse, stimulate, provoke and delight in equal measure.
To purchase this book or learn more please go to
No comments:
Post a Comment