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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 [Paperback]

Eric Baratay , Elisabeth Hardouin-Fugier
4.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (1 customer review)
RRP: £19.95
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Customers buy this book with Zoo Animals: Behaviour, Management and Welfare £28.15

Zoo: A History of Zoological Gardens in the West + Zoo Animals: Behaviour, Management and Welfare
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Product details

  • Paperback: 400 pages
  • Publisher: Reaktion Books; illustrated edition edition (16 Dec 2003)
  • Language English
  • ISBN-10: 186189208X
  • ISBN-13: 978-1861892089
  • Product Dimensions: 25.1 x 20.9 x 2.6 cm
  • Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (1 customer review)
  • Amazon Bestsellers Rank: 45,131 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Eric Baratay
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Review

`The stark elegance of Eric Baratay and Elisabeth Hardouin-Fugier's argument pulls no punches. Illustrations punctuate the text with an appropriate, and sometimes saddening beauty. What emerges is a history of the craze for the Other.' --The Guardian

`A fascinating and wide-ranging history of zoos from the menageries attached to aristocratic palaces and villas in the 1500s to those in modern cities . . . provides the intriguing and often harrowing background to one of the most agonising dilemmas of our time: with ever more species threatened with extinction in their natural habitat, should we seek to preserve them in special sanctuaries and if so where and how?' --The Times

`. . . a richly informative book. An absolute must for those interested in zoo history - or anyone fascinated by Homo sapiens' changing relationship with our fellow creatures.' --New Scientist

'For those who wish, nostalgically, to enjoy the pleasures of antique zoo edifices, this lavishly illustrated book offers many rare and fascinating drawings and photographs, while also explaining the complex changes in social attitudes to the keeping of wild beasts in captivity. It is a scholarly and wonderfully researched study providing many insights into what has become an increasingly controversial subject.' --RIBA Journal

'Not just a compendium of pretty pictures - though you'll be stunned by the 400 images - this book traces the history of zoos throughout the world. Among similar books, it is unique in exploring the social ramifications of our relations with the peaceable kingdom.'
--Library Journal, Best Books of the Year

New Scientist

'an absolute must for those interested in zoo history - or anyone fascinated by Homo Sapiens's changing relationship with our fellow creatures' --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

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Customer Reviews

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Most Helpful Customer Reviews
16 of 17 people found the following review helpful
Format:Hardcover
I bought this book as part of research into zoos. It was the only book I could find on the history of zoos and how attitudes have changed towards them over the last 2 centuries. It covers zoos from the 1800's up to the modern day, and gives an idea of how zoos originally started out as private collections, was then linked to fashion, showing the most exotic, used for circus entertainment and finally up to the conservation of species. The text is generally good, but in places is quite long winded and jumpy, and often it is not clear what the author is trying to say! There are several places where the author is discussing zoos in the 1800's and within a few lines has moved on to the 1900's without any clear links as to why. However, it is a very useble book, and a nice size. It has some good pictures, though there is rather too much zoo art, and not enough of different cage designs and exhibits, for my liking.

Despit these few shortcoming, as the only book on the market I could find covering zoo history, it successfully acheives its aims of depicting changing zoos through the ages.

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Amazon.com:  2 reviews
2 of 2 people found the following review helpful
biased book 24 Jan 2012
By Fotofred - Published on Amazon.com
Format:Paperback
The only real value of this book are the interesting historical photos. The authors are clearly anti-zoo (while I am a zoo lover) and portray zoos in a negative light. Certainly there were many substandard enclosures in old zoos and this seems to be the focus of this book (highlighting primarily European zoos). This may be fair enough, but I get the impression the authors have not personally visited a zoo in the last two decades. Zoos today are vastly improved and do important conservation work, something these authors choose to ignore. Unless you are a zoo history buff and want to see some interesting historical photos, I would not recommend this book.
1 of 18 people found the following review helpful
No need to buy 13 May 2009
By Gatorman - Published on Amazon.com
Format:Paperback
Certainly not a good book - but it contains a few interesting drawings and photos.
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