- Hardcover: 215 pages
- Publisher: Headline Book Publishing; 1st edition (22 Oct 1998)
- Language English
- ISBN-10: 0747222991
- ISBN-13: 978-0747222996
- Product Dimensions: 21.1 x 13 x 2 cm
- Average Customer Review: 4.3 out of 5 stars See all reviews (3 customer reviews)
- Amazon Bestsellers Rank: 663,765 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
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Product Description
Amazon.co.uk Review
Michael Allin's Zarafa is a delightful piece of popular cultural history, which draws on the current fascination with exotic animals and their even more exotic owners, seen most recently in Lawrence Norfolk's novel The Pope's Rhinoceros.
Zarafa recounts the history of a Masai giraffe captured in the Sudan in 1826 and shipped to France for presentation to the French king, Charles X. The giraffe was initially intended as a diplomatic gift offered to Charles by Muhammad Ali, the despotic Viceroy of Egypt, in an attempt to curry favour with the French as Muhammad set about his invasion of Greece. But in the midst of this potentially unremarkable event, Allin uncovers a weird and wonderful story of the tangled, momentous events which surrounded the giraffe's extraordinary journey: Napoleon's invasion of Egypt and the beginnings of Egyptology; the giraffe's dramatic journey along the route of the North African slave trade; quarantine off Marseilles on the island of If, the former residence of the Count of Monte Cristo; and the giraffe's enchanting encounter with the scientific community of post-Revolutionary France. These remarkable events culminated in the giraffe's triumphant entry into Paris in 1827 in front of crowds of thousands following a walk of 550 miles from Marseilles to Paris, led by none other than Etienne Geoffrey Saint-Hilaire, the founding professor of the National Museum of Natural History.
Allin's stories are indeed remarkable, though he often seems bewitched by the richness of his own material. At times, the book seems as though it cannot make up its mind as to whether it is a travel narrative, an account of Zarafa, or the 19th century's fascination with exotic animals. This is partly due to a loss of pace in crucial moments of the book; Allin's account is so breathless by the time the giraffe reaches Paris that the final sections of the book seem rather anticlimactic. Nevertheless, this is a great story with a remarkable cast of characters--both human and animal. --Jerry Brotton
Product Description
In 1826 Zarafa, a Masai giraffe, was presented to Charles X of France by the Viceroy of Egypt. From Parisienne women with their hair coiffured so high they had to sit on the floor of their carriages to men sporting hats and ties in elongated fashion, "a la Girafe" was born.
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Customer Reviews
Most Helpful Customer Reviews
2 of 2 people found the following review helpful
Format:Hardcover
I acquired this book very much on the basis of..."That might be interesting...". This type of book (historical non-fiction) is well outside my usual reading material. I did not expect, but found quite enlightening, the extent of historical background included therein. This sought to put into context the reasons behind and significance of the gift of 'Zarafa'. The description of the journey and the places and people and animals involved was a joy and increased my intent to return to and discover more of France. If you are looking to be informed and educated as well as be entertained by this lovingly written account, you cannot go far wrong. It will certainly lead me to investigate other avenues for reading matter.
3 of 4 people found the following review helpful
Format:Hardcover
This was a great read. The 200 odd pages flew between my hands in a single session as if they were not there. Very well written, extremely well researched and delicately presented. It is fascinating how the story succeeds at taking horizontal and vertical slices across the world and through history, joining together people and places which before seemed worlds apart. At the end it leaves the reader reflecting on the role an animal can have in human history, and if only they could speak ...
1 of 2 people found the following review helpful
Format:Hardcover
This book is fabulous. The combination of historical facts with a wonderfully compelling story is a winner. I have recommended (and presented numerous times as a gift) this book to all my friends with an interest in history, in particular African history, with a little extra.
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