The zoo
Subtitle: the wild and wonderful tale of the founding of the London Zoo, 1826-1851
By: Isobel Charman
Edition: First Pegasus Books hardcover edition.
Publisher: Pegasus Books
Published: 2017
Language: eng
Number of pages: 349
ISBN-13: 9781681773568
Subjects: Wildlife conservation; London Zoo (London, England); Zoos; Zoo animals; History
Description: "The founding of a zoo in London is a story of jaw-dropping audacity in the Age of Empire. It is the story of diplomats, traders, scientists, and aristocratic amateur naturalists charged by Sir Stamford Raffles with collecting amazing creatures from all four corners of the globe.  It is the story of the first 'zoo' in history, a weird and wonderful oasis in the heart of the filthy, swirling city of Dickensian London, and of the incredible characters, both human and animal, that populated it--from Charles Darwin and Queen Victoria to Obaysch the celebrity hippo, the first that anyone in Britain had ever seen. This is a tale of visionaries and adventurers, of science and empire, and of Victorian grandeur and romanticism. And it is the saga of a dizzying age of transformation and industrialization, a time of change unmatched before or since. This the extraordinary story of London Zoo."--Jacket.
Notes: Originally published: London : Viking, 2016.

Includes bibliographical references (pages 315-325) and index.
Table of contents: title: The ark in London : Sir Stamford and Lady Raffles, 1824-6; title: The gardens grow : Mr. Decimus Burton, Esq., architect, 1826-30; title: The solitary surgeon : Mr. Charles Spooner, medical attendant, 1829-33; title: The business of bird skins : Mr. John Gould, animal preserver, 1830-33; title: Gifts from afar : Devereux Fuller, Head Keeper, 1833-6; title: From mockingbirds to man : Charles Darwin Esq., corresponding member, 1836-42; title: The Earl and the hippopotamus : the 13th Earl of Derby, President, 1847-51.