The Zoo: The Wild and Wonderful Tale of the Founding of London Zoo

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How a seemingly mad mission became one of the best-loved places in the world The creation of a zoo in Dickensian London - when only one other existed across the world - is a story of jaw-dropping audacity. It is the story of trailblazing scientists, rival zookeepers and aristocratic naturalists collecting amazing animals from all four corners of the globe. It is the story of a weird and wonderful oasis in the heart of a swirling city, and of incredible characters, both human and animal - from Stamford Raffles and Charles Darwin to Jenny the orang-utan and Obaysch the celebrity hippo, the first that anyone in Britain had ever seen. Against a background of global Empire, domestic reform and industrialisation, this is a new history of a new world.

Reviews

Vivid, entertaining and scrupulously researched * New York Times *
Fascinating ... nostalgia, social and natural history and the ongoing need to change -- Chris Packham
What an incredible story ... a charming and lovely read ... a striking tale of discovery for the people involved and also for us ... you can give this book to anyone -- Jonathan Ross
[A] vivid novelistic retelling . . . An impressive work of imagination and research, as well as a pleasure to read -- PD Smith * The Guardian *
A rich, imaginative and original history, written with a film-maker's eye for detail, and starring a remarkable cast of characters. Short of asking the animals themselves, it's hard to think how this might be bettered -- Dr Richard Barnett, author of 'Medical London'
Terrific. Charman flings open the doors of a cabinet stuffed with zoological and human curios, blows off the dust of a couple of centuries, and talks us expertly and entrancingly through each exhibit -- Charles Foster, author of 'Being a Beast'
Delightful . . . Charman takes the story out of the cages and onto the smoggy, sometimes riotous streets of Victorian London, up and down the country and beyond its shores * Nature *
As I always tell my students, if you wish to understand science you need to understand the people involved in its development. Whilst the animals in a zoo are rightfully the stars of the show - their supporting human cast is no less fascinating and it is this that Isobel Charman has so wonderfully captured in her book. -- Prof. Robert J. Young, Chair in Wildlife Conservation, University of Salford
She succeeds in personalising the story, bringing to life this extraordinary episode in humankind's search for a better understanding of the natural world -- Ian Critchley * Sunday Times *
The book's structure and style is that of a historical novel or Victorian melodrama...it would all make a wonderful seven-part historical costume drama -- Andrew Hartston * Daily Express *

Author Bio

Isobel Charman is an award-winning television producer. She has spent the last decade working in factual documentary production as a writer, researcher, producer and director and has worked on award-winning films for UK, European and US broadcasters. For The Zoo she has made unprecedented use of the vast archives at the Zoological Society of London. She lives in London.