"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.
- ISBN10 1681773562
- ISBN13 9781681773568
- Publish Date 4 April 2017 (first published 3 November 2016)
- Publish Status Active
- Publish Country US
- Imprint Pegasus Books
- Format Hardcover
- Pages 368
- Language English