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The Tower Menagerie: The Amazing True Story of the Royal Collection of Wild Beasts
 
 
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The Tower Menagerie: The Amazing True Story of the Royal Collection of Wild Beasts (Paperback)

by Daniel Hahn (Author)
4.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (6 customer reviews)
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Price For All Three: £29.65

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Product details

  • Paperback: 288 pages
  • Publisher: Simon & Schuster Ltd; New edition edition (2 Feb 2004)
  • Language English
  • ISBN-10: 074348388X
  • ISBN-13: 978-0743483889
  • Product Dimensions: 19.6 x 13 x 2.2 cm
  • Average Customer Review: 4.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (6 customer reviews)
  • Amazon.co.uk Sales Rank: 323,032 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

    Popular in these categories:

    #4 in  Books > Society, Politics & Philosophy > Social Sciences > Social Issues > Animals & Society > Animal Rights
    #21 in  Books > Science & Nature > Nature > Zoos & Wildlife Parks

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Product Description

Guardian

'Graceful [and] witty . . . Hahn guides his ark of the animals across six centuries. It enchants' --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.


Independent

'Packed with odd little did-you-knows . . . It is a pleasure to be given this extraordinary glimpse into the history of our national identity' --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.
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Inside This Book (Learn More)
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Front Cover | Copyright | Table of Contents | Excerpt | Index | Back Cover
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The Tower Menagerie: The Amazing True Story of the Royal Collection of Wild Beasts
93% buy the item featured on this page:
The Tower Menagerie: The Amazing True Story of the Royal Collection of Wild Beasts 4.8 out of 5 stars (6)
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Zoo: A History of Zoological Gardens in the West
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Zoo: A History of Zoological Gardens in the West 4.0 out of 5 stars (1)
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Customer Reviews

6 Reviews
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Average Customer Review
4.8 out of 5 stars (6 customer reviews)
 
 
 
 
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6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars A great read!, 6 April 2003
By PK (Boston, MA) - See all my reviews
This review is from: The Tower Menagerie: The Amazing True Story of the Royal Collection of Wild Beasts (Hardcover)
This isn't really a book about a zoo. Amazingly, it's more of a trip through various years of human history with the zoo as a recurring reference. Daniel Hahn manages to weave in and out of people, ideas and events and pulls them together in a way you wish your history teacher had done back at school.

In a sprightly fashion, we get a complete picture of six centuries of human development and man's relationship with animals. This is done through various stories linking culture, science and politics.

As a quick sample: we learn how John Wesley had flute music played to the animals to determine if they had a soul; we cover the continuous links between lions and the British monarchy; there is political intrigue and concern at Darwin's theory of evolution; and we find out the origin of bull and bear stock markets.

This brings me to, what I call, the information-on-the-side in this book, which acts as a wonderful source of interest. Daniel Hahn gives Oliver Sacks a run for his money with his fascinating asides and footnotes and then wins hands-down by making them some of the funniest things ever written.

This book is a delight from start to finish. It's thoughtful, fascinating and packed with history, insight and wonderful observations. I urge you to read it - you'll love it!

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4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars Please DO Feed The Lions!, 12 April 2003
By Bruce Loveitt (Ogdensburg, NY USA) - See all my reviews
(TOP 500 REVIEWER)    (REAL NAME)   
This review is from: The Tower Menagerie: The Amazing True Story of the Royal Collection of Wild Beasts (Hardcover)
This is a very interesting and entertaining look at the Royal Menagerie, which was kept in the Tower of London from 1235 until 1835. Daniel Hahn explains how the menagerie started as just a place to keep a single gift of three leopards that had been given to King Henry III. It expanded over the years to include other gifts from visiting royalty, as well as animals brought back by various explorers. Originally, only V.I.P.'s could get in to see the collection but later on the public were also admitted....if a person could afford the price of a ticket. However, if you couldn't afford to pay your way in, you were allowed to donate the family dog or cat, to be used to feed the animals! The menagerie, unlike zoos today, originally had no true educational purpose. It did serve to satisfy curiosity about what previously unknown animals did look like, but in those violent days people mostly wanted to be entertained. So, for example, fierce dogs would be thrown in with a lion and people got to watch the resulting fracas. If no fights were scheduled, you could at least get to watch the inmates of the menagerie being fed fresh (meaning still living) meals! Mr. Hahn does a nice job of tracing the changes in how the menagerie was operated, as society changed. Originally, people didn't think that animals had any rights, so the animals were treated poorly. They lived in cramped conditions and the keepers were ignorant concerning what the animals should be fed. They were especially stumped by herbivores. They tried feeding a beaver with bread and they gave an elephant only wine to drink. Many years later, when people started to think that animals deserved decent treatment, living space was expanded and efforts were made to keep the animals clean and comfortable. The whole thing came to an end in 1835 when the Duke of Wellington had all the animals from the royal collection carted off to the newly opened zoo at Regent's Park (which he had an interest in). This is a quick but enjoyable read, enlivened with many anecdotes and by the author's considerable sense of humor.
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3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars Fascinating and funny history book, 22 Mar 2003
By A Customer
This review is from: The Tower Menagerie: The Amazing True Story of the Royal Collection of Wild Beasts (Hardcover)
I had never heard of the menagerie at the Tower of London so was amazed to find out it existed for 600 years and was effectively Britain's first zoo. This book is not just an entertaining history of the menagerie, it also looks at Britain's wider history too, and there are some beautiful colour pictures. Highly recommended.
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Most Recent Customer Reviews

5.0 out of 5 stars Magnificent menagerie
This canter through the history of the menagerie in the Tower of London kept me totally enthralled.

Hahn's writing is knowledgeable, intelligent and witty. Read more

Published on 7 Nov 2003

5.0 out of 5 stars Terrific fun and entertaining
Daniel Hahn has worked wonders to compress 600 years of history into such a perfectly formed book, and if he digresses occasionally it is always on a subject more or less relevant... Read more
Published on 20 April 2003

5.0 out of 5 stars Of zoos, zoolatrists and other misdemeanants...
Do you combine a passion for animals, royal heritage with a healthy dose of eccentricity? are you perhaps a Brit, or well on your way to becoming one? Read more
Published on 5 April 2003 by John C. Carras

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