A Guidebook Library: TLD's year-long randomised walkthrough of zoo guides

[TeaLovingDave]

The building used as housing for the African Bird Safari and tigers (so it actually even still houses storks!).

"Maguari" beat me in responding to this question.

The old Stork and Ostrich House is a very flexible building that has housed many species over the years. In addition to ostriches and other ratite birds, storks and other wading birds, I recall it housing pudu, musk deer, giant anteaters, giant armadillo, anoa....Long before my time but, going back many years, giant forest hogs too!

Interesting - thanks, both of you it's long enough ago since I last visited London Zoo (and my total visits few enough in number) that my memories of that aviary were too vague for me to put two-and-two together!

On a side-note, if this thread ends up containing more than a few guidebooks from any given collection I intend to re-post the maps from each edition within a single post to allow direct comparison - I reckon this would be particularly productive for a collection such as London, where (until relatively recently) the maps tended towards a high level of detail where the shape and size of buildings is concerned, and therefore changes in layout and structures are easily visible.

Regarding the maps, did the zoo sell these guidebooks at shops outside the zoo? I can't imagine directions to the zoo would be very helpful if you were already there and purchasing it in whatever sort of gift shop they had back then.

I believe these particular guidebooks *were* available at other locations; however I think London stopped doing so by the WWII years. You make a bloody good point, mind you as I've noted a few times now, there are several guidebooks for several collections which contain directions on how to reach them!

The advertisements are really interesting, I'm glad you've been highlighting some of them. Typical late 1800s/early 1900s "medicine", a supposed cure for "blood poison" is made up of two poisons

Given the fact the ammonia and chloroform appears to have been at only trace levels, the fact it was pretty much just sugar water is even more egregious than the fact it contained toxic substances in comparison, from memory at least one of my London guidebooks from this general timespan contains an advert for a teething solution for babies, containing heroin and cocaine!

 

[TeaLovingDave]

I visited this aquarium in 2002. I think it looked a lot like it was in the 19th century. I even suspect that amphoras in the moray tank are originally ancient, in these times it was probably cheaper than use a new copies.
My oldest guide from this place is from 1892 and it is third English edition.

Very interesting - how does it differ from this one in content, length and so forth?

Given the fact that (perhaps surprisingly given my interest in history) I have little to no interest in visiting Italy, barring Bolzano which I *do* intend to visit at some point, I suspect I shall never have the opportunity to see this collection for myself.

 

[WalkingAgnatha]

I have a set of animal encyclopedias from c.1920 which includes a photo of that bird at the zoo.

Could you post this?

 

[Dassie rat]

From a general standpoint, do you think small carnivores were more popular then or now, both in europe and the USA?

Surely there's at least one Zoochatter who considers that small carnivores are their cup of tea

 

[Dassie rat]

I visited this aquarium in 2002. I think it looked a lot like it was in the 19th century.

The aquarium you visited was built in 1921

 

[TeaLovingDave]

The aquarium you visited was built in 1921

No, the Naples Aquarium was built in 1872 and is still in the original building so you're about 50 years off the mark.

 

[TeaLovingDave]

Currently visiting Helly's family in the Northumberland countryside, and the heavy winds completely knocked out all phone and internet this morning fortunately I had most of today's post written and saved as a draft "in-thread" last night, so having come across a faltering patch of phone reception on a walk I'm getting it posted now; photos will be added ASAP.

In the meantime, post any questions or thoughts on past posts that occur to you!

 

[TeaLovingDave]

Day 26: Western Plains Zoo (c.1977) - Animals of the Western Plains Zoo

Page count: 14 (including inner covers)
Photographs: N/A
Illustrations/diagrams: 45 silhouette illustrations
Layout: Brief introduction to zoo and visitor information, followed by summary of species held across collection
Map: Located on back cover of guidebook

Another short but choice item this time round, representing the first time we have taken a look at an item from Australia - and indeed the Southern Hemisphere. To the best of my knowledge this guidebook was issued in the first year or so that Western Plains Zoo was open, and acted as a supplement to a larger and more comprehensive guidebook which could be purchased at the giftshop; although I cannot prove this, and have been unable to track down anyone else who owns a copy of this guidebook to verify my suspicions, I would not be surprised if this guidebook was given out for free alongside admission given the fact it promotes the larger guidebook within, includes a collection map and (barring the introductory pages) more or less comprises a detailed summary of the species held at the collection, with each entry illustrated by a simple drawing which corresponds with one on the map.

After the above brief introduction to the zoo, which as one can see is accompanied by various items of useful information aimed at the visitor, such as entry times, parking facilities and so forth, along with the various rules and regulations relating to entry to the zoo, the guidebook enters into the main body of the text. This comprises a walkthrough account of the species held at Western Plains Zoo at the time of publication, separated into rough geographic areas corresponding to those comprising the various zones of the collection, followed by discussion of the assorted native water birds displayed within the various lakes and wetland exhibits present within the Australian zone of the zoo. Given the fact that this item represents a fairly significant record of the species held at Western Plains Zoo at the time it first opened, something which may be of particular interest to those Australian and Kiwi members of the forum who may be reading this thread, I feel it will be worthwhile to make a note within this post of the full species list as presented within this guidebook. As such, as well as posting images taken from this section of the guidebook - and discussing the species accounts in more general terms - I shall provide a full species list as noted.

Where the geographic species accounts are concerned - split into "Africa", "Eurasia", "North America", "Australia" and "South America" sections respectively - the first key aspect that should be noted is the fact that the vast majority of the accounts were accompanied by simplified silhouettes of the species under discussion, which correspond to similar silhouettes presented within the collection map itself; as such, these accounts almost serve as the key to the map, allowing the location of various species held at the collection to be presented along with notable information about the taxa in question, whilst not overly clogging the map up with extraneous information. By and large, the information presented within is succinct but informative, giving key information on the wild range of the species, aspects of their diet, reproductive cycle and other such points of interest, and often providing specific information about the individuals held at Western Plains, or the long-term plans held by the collection regarding the taxa in question. For instance, in a section discussing the albino Red-necked Wallabies held at the collection, it is stated that "the group at Western Plains Zoo is descended from albino specimens which were collected and bred by Sir Edward Hallstrom, the former Honorary Director of Taronga Zoo".

Beyond here, the section discussing the various water birds held in the collection at the time of publication omits the silhouette illustrations, but otherwise follows much the same general format in terms of the level of detail provided - if not perhaps slightly more detailed than those sections immediately preceding them, perhaps a deliberate choice to compensate for the lack of illustration. The text divides the taxa in question into six very rough categories; "very large swimming birds", "large swimming birds", "grazing waterfowl", "medium sized swimming birds "small swimming birds" and "large wading birds"; by no means the most scientifically sound way to divide the water birds held at Western Plains, but certainly one well-suited to the overall purpose.

Species stated to be present within the collection at the time of publication are as follows, with common and scientific names replicated precisely:

Cheetah (Acinonyx jubatus)
Barbary Sheep (Ammotragus lervia)
Arabian Camel (Camelus dromedarius)
Southern Ostrich (Struthio camelus australis)
Sitatunga (Tragelaphus spekei)
Giraffe (Giraffa camelopardalis)
Eland (Taurotragus oryx)
Grants Zebra (Equus burchelli boehmi)
Southern White Rhinoceros (Ceratotherium simum simum)
Hippopotamus (Hippopotamus amphibius)
African Elephant (Loxodonta africana)
African Hunting Dog (Lycaon pictus)
Helmeted Guineafowl (Numidia mitrata)
---
Persian Onager (Equus hemionus onager)
Asiatic Water Buffalo (Bubalus bubalis)
Indian Antelope (Antilipe cervicapra)
Sambar Deer (Cervus unicolor)
Chital Deer (Axis axis)
Javan Rusa (Cervus timorensis russa)
Przewalski Horse (Equus przewalski)
Banteng (Bos javanicus)
Tiger (Pathera tigris)
Entellus Langur (Presbytis entellus)
Lar Gibbon (Hylobates lar)
Blue Peafowl (Pavo cristatus)
Red Deer (Cervus elaphus)
Fallow Deer (Dama dama)
---
Wapiti (Cervus elephus canadensis)
White-tailed Deer (Odocoileus virginianus)
American Bison (Bison bison)
North American Turkey (Meleagris galloparvo)
---
Dingo (Canis familiaris dingo)
Koala (Phascolarctos cinereus)
Red Kangaroo (Macropus rufus)
Western Grey Kangaroo (Macropus fuliginosus)
Eastern Grey Kangaroo (Macropus giganteus)
Red-necked Wallaby (Macropus rufogriseus)
Albino Bennet's Wallaby (Macropus rufogriseus fruticus)
Eastern Wallaroo (Macropus robustus)
Emu (Dromaius novaehollandia)
---
Llama (Lama glama)
Common Rhea (Rhea americana)
Central American Spider Monkey (Ateles geoffroyi)
Mara (Dolichotis patagonum)
Galapagos Tortoise (Geochelone elephantopus)
Maned Wolf (Chrysocyon brachyurus)
---
Australian Pelican (Pelecanus conspicillatus)
Black Swan (Cygnus atratus)
Large Black Cormorant (Phalacrocorax carbo)
Large Pied Cormorant (Phalacrocorax varius)
Little Black Cormorant (Phalacrocorax sulcirostris)
Little Pied Cormorant (Phalacrocorax melanoleucos)
Mountain Shelduck (Tadorna tadornoides)
Cape Barren Goose (Cereopsis novaehollandiae)
Black Duck (Anas superciliosa)
Chestnut-breasted Teal (Anas castanea)
Grey Teal (Anas gibberifrons)
Pink-eared Duck (Malacorhynchus membranaceus)
Musk Duck (Biziura lobata)
Little Grebe (Tachybaptus novaehollandiae)
Hoary-headed Grebe (Poliocephalus poliocephalus)
Dusky Moorhen (Galinula tenebrosa)
Australian Wood Duck (Chenonetta jubata)
White-necked Heron (Ardea pacifica)
White-faced Heron (Ardea novaehollandiae)
White Ibis (Threskiornis molucca)
Straw-necked Ibis (Threskiornis spinicollis)

The guidebook concludes by providing a short list of relevant books on native Australian wildlife and wider zoological matters which may be of interest to anyone visiting Western Plains Zoo and desiring further information, along with a map of the collection located on the back cover. As can be seen above, this is fairly well-labelled both with the animal silhouettes of which I spoke earlier, and various symbols denoting the location of first aid, toilet facilities, information kiosks, picnic areas and so forth; all things considered I think this is a very good map, and indeed a very good guidebook given the fact that (as noted) it originates from the very earliest days of the collection, when it can be reasonably assumed that it was still developing and establishing itself. I would be very interested to hear whether any Antipodean Zoochatters visited the collection during the timespan in question - @Hix perhaps? - and if so whether they would be able to share their thoughts and recollections... although of course, feedback from *anyone* would be more than welcome, whether they have visited the collection during this timespan, at a later point or indeed not at all!

It is also worth once again noting here that if anyone has comments or remarks about a previously-discussed guidebook, don't be deterred by the fact the thread has progressed in the intervening time; I would be more than happy to resume discussion of any given guidebook or collection whenever required! In other words, you don't have to get your thoughts or feedback written up immediately - this is a project to prompt leisurely discussion and debate, not discussion with a deadline!

 

[Arek]

Very interesting - how does it differ from this one in content, length and so forth?

Given the fact that (perhaps surprisingly given my interest in history) I have little to no interest in visiting Italy, barring Bolzano which I *do* intend to visit at some point, I suspect I shall never have the opportunity to see this collection for myself.

Size ca A5, 96 pages, 167 pictures. First eight pages contain “List of the contents of each tank” (26 as in your edition). Then there is a more detailed description of species according to the zoological systematics from sponges to reptiles. Last two pages are the index. There is nothing about history of the aquarium, nothing about activity of the zoological station.

 

[TeaLovingDave]

Day 26: Western Plains Zoo (c.1977) - Animals of the Western Plains Zoo

Yesterday's post is now fully illustrated - seem to have internet back for now, so I'm going to see if I can get the post for today completed; failing that, as it looks like not many people have seen yesterday's post yet, giving it a little more time to breathe is no bad thing.

As a little taste of what is to come, the next three guidebooks this thread will cover will include two from countries as-yet unrepresented and one from a repeat collection.

 

[vogelcommando]

Dino (Canis familiaris dingo)

Dinos ??? Wow !!! ()

 

[TeaLovingDave]

Day 27: Tierpark Berlin (2012) – Clouded Leopard and cub

Page count: 156 (including 6 pages of advertisements)
Photographs: c.175
Illustrations/diagrams: Painting of camel exhibit in introduction, and illustrated diagram of elephant species.
Layout: Comprehensive walkthrough account of collection
Map: Fold-out map in back cover.

Having already looked at a guidebook from the years immediately following the end of the Cold War, this time we shall look at one issued two decades later; the penultimate guidebook released by Tierpark Berlin to date, in point of fact. As such, they represent a pair of interesting bookends, showing the way in which the collection had changed and developed between 1992 and 2012; over which timespan the collection had expanded and increased its overall footprint by an appreciable margin, and Bernhard Blaszkiewitz had eventually taken over the directorship of Zoo Berlin alongside the directorship of the Tierpark, uniting the two collections under a single individual. Although many things changed at the two collections in the years that followed when Blaszkiewitz was forced out, this is one aspect that did not change; the two Berlin collections are *still* united under a single director.

The general layout and format of the guidebook is very much akin to the 1992 edition we already discussed, although the overall quality of the printing and paper stock is somewhat superior here when compared to the previous volume; the guidebook starts with a very brief introduction to Tierpark Berlin, highlighting the fact that Berlin is a city with two major zoological collections, before moving into a comprehensive walkthrough account of the collection, lavishly illustrated throughout by a vast number of colour photographs showing species held within the Tierpark, before concluding with a short overview of some of the key attractions displayed across the city at Zoo Berlin. As with previous volumes discussed, some of the key aspects which make the Tierpark Berlin guidebooks so appealing to me - quite apart from my well-known strong affection for the collection - include the high level of detail present throughout, the attractive design both as an object of literature in their own right and as a guidebook, and the fact that when taken together as a whole they provide an excellent primary resource showing the development of the collection from the mid-1950s to the early 2010s, giving an insight into the varying circumstances and events which shaped the Tierpark over the years. However, as can be seen at the beginning of this post, this particular guidebook demonstrates another aspect particularly well - the gorgeous paintings which were used as the cover art for the Tierpark guidebooks more-or-less throughout the timespan they were being issued; the one exception, as we may discuss at some point, is the very first guidebook for Tierpark Berlin, the cover of which is illustrated by a photograph. I personally think that (where the editions issued after the Cold War are concerned, at least) this particularly guidebook most certainly ranks in the top two or three where the attractiveness and richness in colour of the cover art is concerned.

As was the case in the previous two guidebooks for the Tierpark which we have covered in this thread, the bulk of the text within this item comprises - as noted - a comprehensive walkthrough account of the collection; once again this makes methodical note of the vast majority of the species held at the time of publication, listing both the common name in German and the scientific name, something which makes interpreting the text somewhat easier for the reader if they are unfamiliar with the German language. It should also be noted that where the photographic illustrations are concerned, these are always labelled both in German and English; this was the case throughout many of the guidebooks issued by the collection, and as such was not an innovation which occurred during the timespan since the previous guidebook discussed - I merely failed to mention this fact previously!

It should also be noted that - as can be seen in the above screenshot - the walkthrough account makes copious references to the history, provenance and lineage of several key species held at the collection; in this particular case, a discussion of the herds of African and Asian Elephant held in the Pachyderm House. As I have mentioned in the past, one of the key things I look for in a zoo guidebook - and very much appreciate when I find it - is the recognition that the history of a collection (whether the zoo itself or the individual animals within) is just as important as discussing the collection at the time of publication.

One of the key developments at Tierpark Berlin over the course of the decades following the publication of the last guidebook we discussed from the collection was, of course, the construction of the Mountain exhibit complex; this represented a massive extension of the Tierpark into land which had previously been undeveloped for the purposes of the collection, being located on massive spoil heaps formed from the collected rubble and ruins of wartime Berlin, displaying a wide array of species from Europe and Asia native to mountainous habitats in large and attractive exhibits. At the time of publication, plans were being drawn up to extend this area further and add a zone for mountain species from North America - plans which, alas, were quietly dropped in the following years after Bernhard Blaszkiewitz was forced out of his position a year later; the Mountain complex being perhaps his biggest achievement in terms of materially adding value to the collection, in my opinion. Curiously enough, despite being the newest development at the Tierpark, this area was earmarked as a priority for being comprehensively gutted of species and re-developed along more immersive, themed lines once Blaszkiewitz was ousted.... funny, that.

But I digress; given the relatively new status of this development at the time of publication, it is perhaps unsurprising that this guidebook goes into more detail where the Mountain complex is concerned than it does with several other portions of the collection, not only including the "standard" walkthrough discussion and accompanying photographs, but also setting aside space for a double-page photographic spread depicting still further species held within this area; only the Krokodil-Haus and Alfred-Brehm Haus are afforded the same honour within this guidebook.

Given the high level of detail throughout this guidebook - and the fact that I am very much fighting the urge to turn this post into yet another general review and discussion about Tierpark Berlin - it is somewhat difficult to select any given section of the walkthrough accounts for particular discussion, other than that regarding the Mountain complex as previously noted. However, if anyone is particularly interested in seeing how a given exhibit or species is discussed within the guidebook, feel free to request further information - after all, if I am to make this thread one worth reading, feedback on what I can improve upon or information people would like to hear more about is vital!

The guidebook concludes - as all of the post-Cold War guidebooks from Tierpark Berlin do, as previously discussed - with a highly-detailed fold-out map located within the interior back cover; as can be quite readily seen by comparing it to the version of the map present within the 1992 guidebook, the general format and design is more or less the same - although as with so much of this guidebook, the production quality and level of detail is most certainly at a higher level in my opinion. In my opinion, one key benefit of the fact that the two maps are (on the surface at least) so similar in appearance is that it massively increases accessibility and ease-of-reference; comparing the two, and observing the various ways in which the Tierpark had grown and developed over the intervening years, is both ridiculously simple and highly illuminating. Despite being pretty functional in appearance and lacking any real graphical "bells and whistles", unlike the highly-ornate and artistic maps issued by Tierpark Berlin during the Cold War years, I think that these maps are among the very best that a zoo guidebook can offer.

Yet again, although I think I have made little secret of how much I love this guidebook and the importance that it has within my wider collection - both of Tierpark Berlin guidebooks and of zoo guidebooks in general - I have most certainly glossed over large swathes of the actual *contents* of this guidebook, so feel free to ask any and all questions about the species held, the exhibits discussed within, and any other points you feel like raising - whether they be questions, feedback, constructive criticism, reminisces about the collection at the time of publication.

Basically, anything goes

 

[TeaLovingDave]

Day 28: Zoo Wroclaw (2019) - African Lion (English Edition)

Page count: 100 (including interior front and rear covers, and with six fold-out triple-sized pages)
Photographs: c.230 (25 black-and-white)
Illustrations/diagrams: c.40 sketches, watercolours and ink images of various species
Layout: Comprehensive walkthrough account of collection, along with historical information
Map: Fold-out map at front of guidebook.

I'll put my cards on the table straight away for this one; as was the case for the Jihlava guidebook I discussed some weeks ago, I think that this guidebook represents the gold standard of what a modern-day zoo guidebook can and should be, both in terms of the content being informative and accessible to a casual zoo-visiting audience, and being in-depth and an item of merit as a document of zoo history for a more involved and specialist audience. This is hardly a surprise, however, as this guidebook was written by an individual who has certainly forgotten more about zoo guidebooks, and the wide range of quality, content and potential they can span, than I shall ever have the faintest hope of knowing - Dr. Leszek Solski, the senior scientific researcher and zoo historian employed at Zoo Wroclaw of whom I have spoken in the past. The fact this item is ring-bound is only the slightest negative point!

The guidebook opens with an introduction to the zoo - and to the guidebook itself - written by the director of Wroclaw, Radoslaw Ratajszczak, briefly detailing some of the most recent developments at the collection and discussing the aims and limitations of the guidebook; beyond here, a highly-detailed fold-out map of the collection is presented, with silhouettes of major species illustrating each exhibit alongside numbers and (occasionally) text labels, along with symbols dotted throughout which correspond to a key alongside the map showing visitor facilities such as toilets, restaurants and cafes, playgrounds and so forth. As the reader will rapidly learn, each number on the map corresponds to a section in the guidebook that follows, discussing the exhibit or species located at that location. The map is, as can be seen below, well-formatted and easy-to-reference; stylistically it reminds me strongly of the maps located within the most recent guidebooks released by Zoo Berlin (none of which we have covered as yet) and I would not be surprised if these were indeed an inspiration for this map, given the influence that the author of this guidebook will doubtless have had on the production and design of the map, and his background as a world authority on the subject of zoo guidebooks, maps and other such printed material.

On the reverse of the map, a wide range of photographs taken at the zoo over the post-war decades is presented, showing various noteworthy individual animals held at Zoo Wroclaw over the years. This spotlight on the historical heritage of the collection is supplemented by an excellent segment over the following few pages, discussing the history of the collection from 1948 - when the collection re-opened having been near-completely destroyed in the final months of the Second World War - to the present day, with a handful of further historical photographs present here.

This focus on the heritage of the zoo - something which, as one might be able to guess from my previous posts within this thread, I think is one of the most important things which a zoo guidebook should include at least in passing - concludes with a very attractive double-page spread showing a selection of sketches, paintings and drawings of various animal species, both captive and wild, which were produced by Karol Łukaszewicz, the director of Zoo Wroclaw from its re-opening to the late 1960s and a keen amateur naturalist and artist. Beyond the dozen or so images present here, close to thirty further drawings and paintings within the main body of the guidebook were also produced by Łukaszewicz.

Beyond here, the vast majority of the guidebook represents a methodical and detailed walkthrough account of the collection, with each segment (as previously noted) labelled with a number corresponding to the map location of the exhibit in question. These are richly-illustrated both by colour photographs and the aforementioned illustrations, and include a vast amount of information not only about the species displayed within the exhibits, but also their past and present history at Zoo Wroclaw, details relating to their conservation status and captive breeding programmes, and where appropriate drawing attention to particular historical structures and features of the zoo. It is fairly difficult to pick out specific highlights of the guidebook, given how exceptionally high the standard is throughout; as such, the following scans depict just a small handful chosen for one reason or another, and which hopefully provide a fairly good picture of the quality of this guidebook, both in terms of the information provided, the aesthetic appeal of the item itself, and as a historical record of a major European collection at a single point in time.

This double-page spread opens a span of several pages discussing the Afrykarium house which represented one of the major developments at the collection at the time of publication, and demonstrates two of the key aspects of this guidebook in my opinion; firstly, it is beautifully designed on an aesthetic level; and secondly, it details a wide range of details about the Afrykarium itself, noting the size of the structure as a whole, the dimensions of various pools and exhibits within, and information about the variety of species exhibited within.

Further into the guidebook, we reach the above section discussing the exhibits for European Wisent, Great White Pelican and Northern Hawk-owl which are located in the southeast of the collection, at the entrance to the sizeable (and rather excellent) area for native European species; this segment of the guidebook is worth highlighting given the detail and level of attention which the text devotes to discussion of the conservation and captive breeding programme for the Wisent, hence illustrating rather well how the guidebook as a whole deals with such subjects. It is also worth mentioning that, given the key importance that the Wisent holds in Poland both historically and in the present day, this section also provides a good insight into the way in which this guidebook - and Zoo Wroclaw itself - focuses not merely on conservation in far-afield parts of the world, but also the importance it holds close to home.

This aspect of the guidebook is demonstrated further by a rather excellent fold-out double page segment discussing the Odrarium exhibit complex, of which a segment is visible above - the entirety being too unwieldy to scan. This complex, the other major development at Zoo Wroclaw at the time of publication, represents a series of aquarium exhibits focusing on the Odra River basin, which occupies much of western Poland and adjacent regions of eastern Germany and northeast Czechia - the course of the Odra defines much of the German-Polish border, in fact - and displays a wide range of the fish and invertebrate species occupying various stages of the river, along with extremely good exhibits for European Otter and European Pond Turtle; as such, the fact that six pages are devoted to this exhibit complex rather demonstrates the attention paid to promoting conservation at a local level within the guidebook. The format of this section deserves further elaboration - it comprises a pair of folded pages facing one another, showing photographs of various species present within the exhibit complex, and which fold out to reveal four pages discussing the Odra River, the Odrarium and various relevant conservational issues.

The above pair of images - although depicting double-page spreads which occur in quite distinct sections of the guidebook as a whole - are worth highlighting for thematic reasons which I rather suspect will be immediately-obvious to those reading this post; to wit, the fact that they once again demonstrate the repeated and detailed attention which this guidebook pays to the heritage of Zoo Wroclaw. Both of these segments highlight the present-day use and repurposing of historical exhibits and structures at the collection, taking the opportunity to discuss the history of the zoo and the changing standards of captive animal husbandry as a whole; as I have mentioned on many, many occasions - and doubtless shall do so again many more times within this thread - this is something which I actively look for when assessing the quality of a guidebook. This kind of information is not only valuable to zoo enthusiasts and the more specialist audience they represent, but also to the general zoo-visiting public - through showing where a collection has come from, it helps to illustrate where the collection aims to develop in the future, and in the best examples help to educate the public about the importance of zoological collections in general. Moreover, the accompanying portions of these segments once again provide a good insight into the way in which the guidebook approaches the discussion of species and exhibits within the collection as a whole, the copious use of photographs and drawings to illustrate the text, and the general layout choices which are present throughout.

After the walkthrough account of the collection concludes, the final section of the guidebook provides a detailed and heartfelt mission statement both for Zoo Wroclaw and for zoological collections in general; discussing the vital and continued importance of zoological collections in the present day, the way that the best modern-day collections have progressed and changed from the menageries and rows of cages which were commonplace in the past, and which the uninformed and uneducated often assume is still the case now, and the key role in education, conservation and recreation that Zoo Wroclaw and collections like it can play. Beyond here, this section makes specific mention of the conservational and ecological work of Zoo Wroclaw, and concludes by highlighting the involvement of the collection in organisations such as EAZA and WAZA.

Overall, I feel that I have made a very good argument that this guidebook represents one of the very best in my collection, both modern-day and overall; as noted, this is hardly surprising given the fact it was written by someone who quite literally has the largest collection of zoo guidebooks, maps and other such documents in the world, and who therefore has a vast amount of knowledge and experience on the subject. An updated edition of this guidebook was issued in August 2020, which I have not been able to obtain as yet; however I hope to reach Wroclaw sometime this year, pandemic allowing!

Any thoughts, feedback or questions?

 

[birdsandbats]

Day 28: Zoo Wroclaw (2019) - African Lion (English Edition)

Page count: 100 (including interior front and rear covers, and with six fold-out triple-sized pages)
Photographs: c.230 (25 black-and-white)
Illustrations/diagrams: c.40 sketches, watercolours and ink images of various species
Layout: Comprehensive walkthrough account of collection, along with historical information
Map: Fold-out map at front of guidebook.

I'll put my cards on the table straight away for this one; as was the case for the Jihlava guidebook I discussed some weeks ago, I think that this guidebook represents the gold standard of what a modern-day zoo guidebook can and should be, both in terms of the content being informative and accessible to a casual zoo-visiting audience, and being in-depth and an item of merit as a document of zoo history for a more involved and specialist audience. This is hardly a surprise, however, as this guidebook was written by an individual who has certainly forgotten more about zoo guidebooks, and the wide range of quality, content and potential they can span, than I shall ever have the faintest hope of knowing - Dr. Leszek Solski, the senior scientific researcher and zoo historian employed at Zoo Wroclaw of whom I have spoken in the past. The fact this item is ring-bound is only the slightest negative point!

The guidebook opens with an introduction to the zoo - and to the guidebook itself - written by the director of Wroclaw, Radoslaw Ratajszczak, briefly detailing some of the most recent developments at the collection and discussing the aims and limitations of the guidebook; beyond here, a highly-detailed fold-out map of the collection is presented, with silhouettes of major species illustrating each exhibit alongside numbers and (occasionally) text labels, along with symbols dotted throughout which correspond to a key alongside the map showing visitor facilities such as toilets, restaurants and cafes, playgrounds and so forth. As the reader will rapidly learn, each number on the map corresponds to a section in the guidebook that follows, discussing the exhibit or species located at that location. The map is, as can be seen below, well-formatted and easy-to-reference; stylistically it reminds me strongly of the maps located within the most recent guidebooks released by Zoo Berlin (none of which we have covered as yet) and I would not be surprised if these were indeed an inspiration for this map, given the influence that the author of this guidebook will doubtless have had on the production and design of the map, and his background as a world authority on the subject of zoo guidebooks, maps and other such printed material.

On the reverse of the map, a wide range of photographs taken at the zoo over the post-war decades is presented, showing various noteworthy individual animals held at Zoo Wroclaw over the years. This spotlight on the historical heritage of the collection is supplemented by an excellent segment over the following few pages, discussing the history of the collection from 1948 - when the collection re-opened having been near-completely destroyed in the final months of the Second World War - to the present day, with a handful of further historical photographs present here.

This focus on the heritage of the zoo - something which, as one might be able to guess from my previous posts within this thread, I think is one of the most important things which a zoo guidebook should include at least in passing - concludes with a very attractive double-page spread showing a selection of sketches, paintings and drawings of various animal species, both captive and wild, which were produced by Karol Łukaszewicz, the director of Zoo Wroclaw from its re-opening to the late 1960s and a keen amateur naturalist and artist. Beyond the dozen or so images present here, close to thirty further drawings and paintings within the main body of the guidebook were also produced by Łukaszewicz.

Beyond here, the vast majority of the guidebook represents a methodical and detailed walkthrough account of the collection, with each segment (as previously noted) labelled with a number corresponding to the map location of the exhibit in question. These are richly-illustrated both by colour photographs and the aforementioned illustrations, and include a vast amount of information not only about the species displayed within the exhibits, but also their past and present history at Zoo Wroclaw, details relating to their conservation status and captive breeding programmes, and where appropriate drawing attention to particular historical structures and features of the zoo. It is fairly difficult to pick out specific highlights of the guidebook, given how exceptionally high the standard is throughout; as such, the following scans depict just a small handful chosen for one reason or another, and which hopefully provide a fairly good picture of the quality of this guidebook, both in terms of the information provided, the aesthetic appeal of the item itself, and as a historical record of a major European collection at a single point in time.

This double-page spread opens a span of several pages discussing the Afrykarium house which represented one of the major developments at the collection at the time of publication, and demonstrates two of the key aspects of this guidebook in my opinion; firstly, it is beautifully designed on an aesthetic level; and secondly, it details a wide range of details about the Afrykarium itself, noting the size of the structure as a whole, the dimensions of various pools and exhibits within, and information about the variety of species exhibited within.

Further into the guidebook, we reach the above section discussing the exhibits for European Wisent, Great White Pelican and Northern Hawk-owl which are located in the southeast of the collection, at the entrance to the sizeable (and rather excellent) area for native European species; this segment of the guidebook is worth highlighting given the detail and level of attention which the text devotes to discussion of the conservation and captive breeding programme for the Wisent, hence illustrating rather well how the guidebook as a whole deals with such subjects. It is also worth mentioning that, given the key importance that the Wisent holds in Poland both historically and in the present day, this section also provides a good insight into the way in which this guidebook - and Zoo Wroclaw itself - focuses not merely on conservation in far-afield parts of the world, but also the importance it holds close to home.

This aspect of the guidebook is demonstrated further by a rather excellent fold-out double page segment discussing the Odrarium exhibit complex, of which a segment is visible above - the entirety being too unwieldy to scan. This complex, the other major development at Zoo Wroclaw at the time of publication, represents a series of aquarium exhibits focusing on the Odra River basin, which occupies much of western Poland and adjacent regions of eastern Germany and northeast Czechia - the course of the Odra defines much of the German-Polish border, in fact - and displays a wide range of the fish and invertebrate species occupying various stages of the river, along with extremely good exhibits for European Otter and European Pond Turtle; as such, the fact that six pages are devoted to this exhibit complex rather demonstrates the attention paid to promoting conservation at a local level within the guidebook. The format of this section deserves further elaboration - it comprises a pair of folded pages facing one another, showing photographs of various species present within the exhibit complex, and which fold out to reveal four pages discussing the Odra River, the Odrarium and various relevant conservational issues.

The above pair of images - although depicting double-page spreads which occur in quite distinct sections of the guidebook as a whole - are worth highlighting for thematic reasons which I rather suspect will be immediately-obvious to those reading this post; to wit, the fact that they once again demonstrate the repeated and detailed attention which this guidebook pays to the heritage of Zoo Wroclaw. Both of these segments highlight the present-day use and repurposing of historical exhibits and structures at the collection, taking the opportunity to discuss the history of the zoo and the changing standards of captive animal husbandry as a whole; as I have mentioned on many, many occasions - and doubtless shall do so again many more times within this thread - this is something which I actively look for when assessing the quality of a guidebook. This kind of information is not only valuable to zoo enthusiasts and the more specialist audience they represent, but also to the general zoo-visiting public - through showing where a collection has come from, it helps to illustrate where the collection aims to develop in the future, and in the best examples help to educate the public about the importance of zoological collections in general. Moreover, the accompanying portions of these segments once again provide a good insight into the way in which the guidebook approaches the discussion of species and exhibits within the collection as a whole, the copious use of photographs and drawings to illustrate the text, and the general layout choices which are present throughout.

After the walkthrough account of the collection concludes, the final section of the guidebook provides a detailed and heartfelt mission statement both for Zoo Wroclaw and for zoological collections in general; discussing the vital and continued importance of zoological collections in the present day, the way that the best modern-day collections have progressed and changed from the menageries and rows of cages which were commonplace in the past, and which the uninformed and uneducated often assume is still the case now, and the key role in education, conservation and recreation that Zoo Wroclaw and collections like it can play. Beyond here, this section makes specific mention of the conservational and ecological work of Zoo Wroclaw, and concludes by highlighting the involvement of the collection in organisations such as EAZA and WAZA.

Overall, I feel that I have made a very good argument that this guidebook represents one of the very best in my collection, both modern-day and overall; as noted, this is hardly surprising given the fact it was written by someone who quite literally has the largest collection of zoo guidebooks, maps and other such documents in the world, and who therefore has a vast amount of knowledge and experience on the subject. An updated edition of this guidebook was issued in August 2020, which I have not been able to obtain as yet; however I hope to reach Wroclaw sometime this year, pandemic allowing!

Any thoughts, feedback or questions?

That looks like an incredible modern guidebook, it makes me wish more zoos published things like this!

 

[aardvark250]

Day 28: Zoo Wroclaw (2019) - African Lion (English Edition)

Page count: 100 (including interior front and rear covers, and with six fold-out triple-sized pages)
Photographs: c.230 (25 black-and-white)
Illustrations/diagrams: c.40 sketches, watercolours and ink images of various species
Layout: Comprehensive walkthrough account of collection, along with historical information
Map: Fold-out map at front of guidebook.

I'll put my cards on the table straight away for this one; as was the case for the Jihlava guidebook I discussed some weeks ago, I think that this guidebook represents the gold standard of what a modern-day zoo guidebook can and should be, both in terms of the content being informative and accessible to a casual zoo-visiting audience, and being in-depth and an item of merit as a document of zoo history for a more involved and specialist audience. This is hardly a surprise, however, as this guidebook was written by an individual who has certainly forgotten more about zoo guidebooks, and the wide range of quality, content and potential they can span, than I shall ever have the faintest hope of knowing - Dr. Leszek Solski, the senior scientific researcher and zoo historian employed at Zoo Wroclaw of whom I have spoken in the past. The fact this item is ring-bound is only the slightest negative point!

The guidebook opens with an introduction to the zoo - and to the guidebook itself - written by the director of Wroclaw, Radoslaw Ratajszczak, briefly detailing some of the most recent developments at the collection and discussing the aims and limitations of the guidebook; beyond here, a highly-detailed fold-out map of the collection is presented, with silhouettes of major species illustrating each exhibit alongside numbers and (occasionally) text labels, along with symbols dotted throughout which correspond to a key alongside the map showing visitor facilities such as toilets, restaurants and cafes, playgrounds and so forth. As the reader will rapidly learn, each number on the map corresponds to a section in the guidebook that follows, discussing the exhibit or species located at that location. The map is, as can be seen below, well-formatted and easy-to-reference; stylistically it reminds me strongly of the maps located within the most recent guidebooks released by Zoo Berlin (none of which we have covered as yet) and I would not be surprised if these were indeed an inspiration for this map, given the influence that the author of this guidebook will doubtless have had on the production and design of the map, and his background as a world authority on the subject of zoo guidebooks, maps and other such printed material.

On the reverse of the map, a wide range of photographs taken at the zoo over the post-war decades is presented, showing various noteworthy individual animals held at Zoo Wroclaw over the years. This spotlight on the historical heritage of the collection is supplemented by an excellent segment over the following few pages, discussing the history of the collection from 1948 - when the collection re-opened having been near-completely destroyed in the final months of the Second World War - to the present day, with a handful of further historical photographs present here.

This focus on the heritage of the zoo - something which, as one might be able to guess from my previous posts within this thread, I think is one of the most important things which a zoo guidebook should include at least in passing - concludes with a very attractive double-page spread showing a selection of sketches, paintings and drawings of various animal species, both captive and wild, which were produced by Karol Łukaszewicz, the director of Zoo Wroclaw from its re-opening to the late 1960s and a keen amateur naturalist and artist. Beyond the dozen or so images present here, close to thirty further drawings and paintings within the main body of the guidebook were also produced by Łukaszewicz.

Beyond here, the vast majority of the guidebook represents a methodical and detailed walkthrough account of the collection, with each segment (as previously noted) labelled with a number corresponding to the map location of the exhibit in question. These are richly-illustrated both by colour photographs and the aforementioned illustrations, and include a vast amount of information not only about the species displayed within the exhibits, but also their past and present history at Zoo Wroclaw, details relating to their conservation status and captive breeding programmes, and where appropriate drawing attention to particular historical structures and features of the zoo. It is fairly difficult to pick out specific highlights of the guidebook, given how exceptionally high the standard is throughout; as such, the following scans depict just a small handful chosen for one reason or another, and which hopefully provide a fairly good picture of the quality of this guidebook, both in terms of the information provided, the aesthetic appeal of the item itself, and as a historical record of a major European collection at a single point in time.

This double-page spread opens a span of several pages discussing the Afrykarium house which represented one of the major developments at the collection at the time of publication, and demonstrates two of the key aspects of this guidebook in my opinion; firstly, it is beautifully designed on an aesthetic level; and secondly, it details a wide range of details about the Afrykarium itself, noting the size of the structure as a whole, the dimensions of various pools and exhibits within, and information about the variety of species exhibited within.

Further into the guidebook, we reach the above section discussing the exhibits for European Wisent, Great White Pelican and Northern Hawk-owl which are located in the southeast of the collection, at the entrance to the sizeable (and rather excellent) area for native European species; this segment of the guidebook is worth highlighting given the detail and level of attention which the text devotes to discussion of the conservation and captive breeding programme for the Wisent, hence illustrating rather well how the guidebook as a whole deals with such subjects. It is also worth mentioning that, given the key importance that the Wisent holds in Poland both historically and in the present day, this section also provides a good insight into the way in which this guidebook - and Zoo Wroclaw itself - focuses not merely on conservation in far-afield parts of the world, but also the importance it holds close to home.

This aspect of the guidebook is demonstrated further by a rather excellent fold-out double page segment discussing the Odrarium exhibit complex, of which a segment is visible above - the entirety being too unwieldy to scan. This complex, the other major development at Zoo Wroclaw at the time of publication, represents a series of aquarium exhibits focusing on the Odra River basin, which occupies much of western Poland and adjacent regions of eastern Germany and northeast Czechia - the course of the Odra defines much of the German-Polish border, in fact - and displays a wide range of the fish and invertebrate species occupying various stages of the river, along with extremely good exhibits for European Otter and European Pond Turtle; as such, the fact that six pages are devoted to this exhibit complex rather demonstrates the attention paid to promoting conservation at a local level within the guidebook. The format of this section deserves further elaboration - it comprises a pair of folded pages facing one another, showing photographs of various species present within the exhibit complex, and which fold out to reveal four pages discussing the Odra River, the Odrarium and various relevant conservational issues.

The above pair of images - although depicting double-page spreads which occur in quite distinct sections of the guidebook as a whole - are worth highlighting for thematic reasons which I rather suspect will be immediately-obvious to those reading this post; to wit, the fact that they once again demonstrate the repeated and detailed attention which this guidebook pays to the heritage of Zoo Wroclaw. Both of these segments highlight the present-day use and repurposing of historical exhibits and structures at the collection, taking the opportunity to discuss the history of the zoo and the changing standards of captive animal husbandry as a whole; as I have mentioned on many, many occasions - and doubtless shall do so again many more times within this thread - this is something which I actively look for when assessing the quality of a guidebook. This kind of information is not only valuable to zoo enthusiasts and the more specialist audience they represent, but also to the general zoo-visiting public - through showing where a collection has come from, it helps to illustrate where the collection aims to develop in the future, and in the best examples help to educate the public about the importance of zoological collections in general. Moreover, the accompanying portions of these segments once again provide a good insight into the way in which the guidebook approaches the discussion of species and exhibits within the collection as a whole, the copious use of photographs and drawings to illustrate the text, and the general layout choices which are present throughout.

After the walkthrough account of the collection concludes, the final section of the guidebook provides a detailed and heartfelt mission statement both for Zoo Wroclaw and for zoological collections in general; discussing the vital and continued importance of zoological collections in the present day, the way that the best modern-day collections have progressed and changed from the menageries and rows of cages which were commonplace in the past, and which the uninformed and uneducated often assume is still the case now, and the key role in education, conservation and recreation that Zoo Wroclaw and collections like it can play. Beyond here, this section makes specific mention of the conservational and ecological work of Zoo Wroclaw, and concludes by highlighting the involvement of the collection in organisations such as EAZA and WAZA.

Overall, I feel that I have made a very good argument that this guidebook represents one of the very best in my collection, both modern-day and overall; as noted, this is hardly surprising given the fact it was written by someone who quite literally has the largest collection of zoo guidebooks, maps and other such documents in the world, and who therefore has a vast amount of knowledge and experience on the subject. An updated edition of this guidebook was issued in August 2020, which I have not been able to obtain as yet; however I hope to reach Wroclaw sometime this year, pandemic allowing!

Any thoughts, feedback or questions?

Why is this guidebook in English and not Polish? I'm just wondering because other guidebook are in their native language.

 

[twilighter]

Day 28: Zoo Wroclaw (2019) - African Lion (English Edition)

Page count: 100 (including interior front and rear covers, and with six fold-out triple-sized pages)
Photographs: c.230 (25 black-and-white)
Illustrations/diagrams: c.40 sketches, watercolours and ink images of various species
Layout: Comprehensive walkthrough account of collection, along with historical information
Map: Fold-out map at front of guidebook.

I'll put my cards on the table straight away for this one; as was the case for the Jihlava guidebook I discussed some weeks ago, I think that this guidebook represents the gold standard of what a modern-day zoo guidebook can and should be, both in terms of the content being informative and accessible to a casual zoo-visiting audience, and being in-depth and an item of merit as a document of zoo history for a more involved and specialist audience. This is hardly a surprise, however, as this guidebook was written by an individual who has certainly forgotten more about zoo guidebooks, and the wide range of quality, content and potential they can span, than I shall ever have the faintest hope of knowing - Dr. Leszek Solski, the senior scientific researcher and zoo historian employed at Zoo Wroclaw of whom I have spoken in the past. The fact this item is ring-bound is only the slightest negative point!

The guidebook opens with an introduction to the zoo - and to the guidebook itself - written by the director of Wroclaw, Radoslaw Ratajszczak, briefly detailing some of the most recent developments at the collection and discussing the aims and limitations of the guidebook; beyond here, a highly-detailed fold-out map of the collection is presented, with silhouettes of major species illustrating each exhibit alongside numbers and (occasionally) text labels, along with symbols dotted throughout which correspond to a key alongside the map showing visitor facilities such as toilets, restaurants and cafes, playgrounds and so forth. As the reader will rapidly learn, each number on the map corresponds to a section in the guidebook that follows, discussing the exhibit or species located at that location. The map is, as can be seen below, well-formatted and easy-to-reference; stylistically it reminds me strongly of the maps located within the most recent guidebooks released by Zoo Berlin (none of which we have covered as yet) and I would not be surprised if these were indeed an inspiration for this map, given the influence that the author of this guidebook will doubtless have had on the production and design of the map, and his background as a world authority on the subject of zoo guidebooks, maps and other such printed material.

On the reverse of the map, a wide range of photographs taken at the zoo over the post-war decades is presented, showing various noteworthy individual animals held at Zoo Wroclaw over the years. This spotlight on the historical heritage of the collection is supplemented by an excellent segment over the following few pages, discussing the history of the collection from 1948 - when the collection re-opened having been near-completely destroyed in the final months of the Second World War - to the present day, with a handful of further historical photographs present here.

This focus on the heritage of the zoo - something which, as one might be able to guess from my previous posts within this thread, I think is one of the most important things which a zoo guidebook should include at least in passing - concludes with a very attractive double-page spread showing a selection of sketches, paintings and drawings of various animal species, both captive and wild, which were produced by Karol Łukaszewicz, the director of Zoo Wroclaw from its re-opening to the late 1960s and a keen amateur naturalist and artist. Beyond the dozen or so images present here, close to thirty further drawings and paintings within the main body of the guidebook were also produced by Łukaszewicz.

Beyond here, the vast majority of the guidebook represents a methodical and detailed walkthrough account of the collection, with each segment (as previously noted) labelled with a number corresponding to the map location of the exhibit in question. These are richly-illustrated both by colour photographs and the aforementioned illustrations, and include a vast amount of information not only about the species displayed within the exhibits, but also their past and present history at Zoo Wroclaw, details relating to their conservation status and captive breeding programmes, and where appropriate drawing attention to particular historical structures and features of the zoo. It is fairly difficult to pick out specific highlights of the guidebook, given how exceptionally high the standard is throughout; as such, the following scans depict just a small handful chosen for one reason or another, and which hopefully provide a fairly good picture of the quality of this guidebook, both in terms of the information provided, the aesthetic appeal of the item itself, and as a historical record of a major European collection at a single point in time.

This double-page spread opens a span of several pages discussing the Afrykarium house which represented one of the major developments at the collection at the time of publication, and demonstrates two of the key aspects of this guidebook in my opinion; firstly, it is beautifully designed on an aesthetic level; and secondly, it details a wide range of details about the Afrykarium itself, noting the size of the structure as a whole, the dimensions of various pools and exhibits within, and information about the variety of species exhibited within.

Further into the guidebook, we reach the above section discussing the exhibits for European Wisent, Great White Pelican and Northern Hawk-owl which are located in the southeast of the collection, at the entrance to the sizeable (and rather excellent) area for native European species; this segment of the guidebook is worth highlighting given the detail and level of attention which the text devotes to discussion of the conservation and captive breeding programme for the Wisent, hence illustrating rather well how the guidebook as a whole deals with such subjects. It is also worth mentioning that, given the key importance that the Wisent holds in Poland both historically and in the present day, this section also provides a good insight into the way in which this guidebook - and Zoo Wroclaw itself - focuses not merely on conservation in far-afield parts of the world, but also the importance it holds close to home.

This aspect of the guidebook is demonstrated further by a rather excellent fold-out double page segment discussing the Odrarium exhibit complex, of which a segment is visible above - the entirety being too unwieldy to scan. This complex, the other major development at Zoo Wroclaw at the time of publication, represents a series of aquarium exhibits focusing on the Odra River basin, which occupies much of western Poland and adjacent regions of eastern Germany and northeast Czechia - the course of the Odra defines much of the German-Polish border, in fact - and displays a wide range of the fish and invertebrate species occupying various stages of the river, along with extremely good exhibits for European Otter and European Pond Turtle; as such, the fact that six pages are devoted to this exhibit complex rather demonstrates the attention paid to promoting conservation at a local level within the guidebook. The format of this section deserves further elaboration - it comprises a pair of folded pages facing one another, showing photographs of various species present within the exhibit complex, and which fold out to reveal four pages discussing the Odra River, the Odrarium and various relevant conservational issues.

The above pair of images - although depicting double-page spreads which occur in quite distinct sections of the guidebook as a whole - are worth highlighting for thematic reasons which I rather suspect will be immediately-obvious to those reading this post; to wit, the fact that they once again demonstrate the repeated and detailed attention which this guidebook pays to the heritage of Zoo Wroclaw. Both of these segments highlight the present-day use and repurposing of historical exhibits and structures at the collection, taking the opportunity to discuss the history of the zoo and the changing standards of captive animal husbandry as a whole; as I have mentioned on many, many occasions - and doubtless shall do so again many more times within this thread - this is something which I actively look for when assessing the quality of a guidebook. This kind of information is not only valuable to zoo enthusiasts and the more specialist audience they represent, but also to the general zoo-visiting public - through showing where a collection has come from, it helps to illustrate where the collection aims to develop in the future, and in the best examples help to educate the public about the importance of zoological collections in general. Moreover, the accompanying portions of these segments once again provide a good insight into the way in which the guidebook approaches the discussion of species and exhibits within the collection as a whole, the copious use of photographs and drawings to illustrate the text, and the general layout choices which are present throughout.

After the walkthrough account of the collection concludes, the final section of the guidebook provides a detailed and heartfelt mission statement both for Zoo Wroclaw and for zoological collections in general; discussing the vital and continued importance of zoological collections in the present day, the way that the best modern-day collections have progressed and changed from the menageries and rows of cages which were commonplace in the past, and which the uninformed and uneducated often assume is still the case now, and the key role in education, conservation and recreation that Zoo Wroclaw and collections like it can play. Beyond here, this section makes specific mention of the conservational and ecological work of Zoo Wroclaw, and concludes by highlighting the involvement of the collection in organisations such as EAZA and WAZA.

Overall, I feel that I have made a very good argument that this guidebook represents one of the very best in my collection, both modern-day and overall; as noted, this is hardly surprising given the fact it was written by someone who quite literally has the largest collection of zoo guidebooks, maps and other such documents in the world, and who therefore has a vast amount of knowledge and experience on the subject. An updated edition of this guidebook was issued in August 2020, which I have not been able to obtain as yet; however I hope to reach Wroclaw sometime this year, pandemic allowing!

Any thoughts, feedback or questions?

Thank you for sharing @TeaLovingDave! Beautifully designed and illustrated guide, which I am happy to have and highly recommend. I have the last edition as well. It's only in Polish, but is especially valuable to me, because it's a present from the author Leszek Solski.

 

[TeaLovingDave]

Why is this guidebook in English and not Polish? I'm just wondering because other guidebook are in their native language.

Some zoological collections in Europe print multiple editions of their guidebooks at the same time, in the "original" language and various foreign languages - in this case, Zoo Wroclaw usually produces Polish, German and English guidebooks, and this particular item is the English translation of the 2019 guidebook.

Whenever possible, I purchase all possible editions of a guidebook when visiting a zoo. In this case, as it happens, I was only able to obtain the English edition; when I visited in September 2019 the self-service machines selling guidebooks needed re-stocking, and the Polish and German editions had sold out temporarily.

 

[CheeseChameleon1945]

Day 28: Zoo Wroclaw (2019) - African Lion (English Edition)

Page count: 100 (including interior front and rear covers, and with six fold-out triple-sized pages)
Photographs: c.230 (25 black-and-white)
Illustrations/diagrams: c.40 sketches, watercolours and ink images of various species
Layout: Comprehensive walkthrough account of collection, along with historical information
Map: Fold-out map at front of guidebook.

I'll put my cards on the table straight away for this one; as was the case for the Jihlava guidebook I discussed some weeks ago, I think that this guidebook represents the gold standard of what a modern-day zoo guidebook can and should be, both in terms of the content being informative and accessible to a casual zoo-visiting audience, and being in-depth and an item of merit as a document of zoo history for a more involved and specialist audience. This is hardly a surprise, however, as this guidebook was written by an individual who has certainly forgotten more about zoo guidebooks, and the wide range of quality, content and potential they can span, than I shall ever have the faintest hope of knowing - Dr. Leszek Solski, the senior scientific researcher and zoo historian employed at Zoo Wroclaw of whom I have spoken in the past. The fact this item is ring-bound is only the slightest negative point!

The guidebook opens with an introduction to the zoo - and to the guidebook itself - written by the director of Wroclaw, Radoslaw Ratajszczak, briefly detailing some of the most recent developments at the collection and discussing the aims and limitations of the guidebook; beyond here, a highly-detailed fold-out map of the collection is presented, with silhouettes of major species illustrating each exhibit alongside numbers and (occasionally) text labels, along with symbols dotted throughout which correspond to a key alongside the map showing visitor facilities such as toilets, restaurants and cafes, playgrounds and so forth. As the reader will rapidly learn, each number on the map corresponds to a section in the guidebook that follows, discussing the exhibit or species located at that location. The map is, as can be seen below, well-formatted and easy-to-reference; stylistically it reminds me strongly of the maps located within the most recent guidebooks released by Zoo Berlin (none of which we have covered as yet) and I would not be surprised if these were indeed an inspiration for this map, given the influence that the author of this guidebook will doubtless have had on the production and design of the map, and his background as a world authority on the subject of zoo guidebooks, maps and other such printed material.

On the reverse of the map, a wide range of photographs taken at the zoo over the post-war decades is presented, showing various noteworthy individual animals held at Zoo Wroclaw over the years. This spotlight on the historical heritage of the collection is supplemented by an excellent segment over the following few pages, discussing the history of the collection from 1948 - when the collection re-opened having been near-completely destroyed in the final months of the Second World War - to the present day, with a handful of further historical photographs present here.

This focus on the heritage of the zoo - something which, as one might be able to guess from my previous posts within this thread, I think is one of the most important things which a zoo guidebook should include at least in passing - concludes with a very attractive double-page spread showing a selection of sketches, paintings and drawings of various animal species, both captive and wild, which were produced by Karol Łukaszewicz, the director of Zoo Wroclaw from its re-opening to the late 1960s and a keen amateur naturalist and artist. Beyond the dozen or so images present here, close to thirty further drawings and paintings within the main body of the guidebook were also produced by Łukaszewicz.

Beyond here, the vast majority of the guidebook represents a methodical and detailed walkthrough account of the collection, with each segment (as previously noted) labelled with a number corresponding to the map location of the exhibit in question. These are richly-illustrated both by colour photographs and the aforementioned illustrations, and include a vast amount of information not only about the species displayed within the exhibits, but also their past and present history at Zoo Wroclaw, details relating to their conservation status and captive breeding programmes, and where appropriate drawing attention to particular historical structures and features of the zoo. It is fairly difficult to pick out specific highlights of the guidebook, given how exceptionally high the standard is throughout; as such, the following scans depict just a small handful chosen for one reason or another, and which hopefully provide a fairly good picture of the quality of this guidebook, both in terms of the information provided, the aesthetic appeal of the item itself, and as a historical record of a major European collection at a single point in time.

This double-page spread opens a span of several pages discussing the Afrykarium house which represented one of the major developments at the collection at the time of publication, and demonstrates two of the key aspects of this guidebook in my opinion; firstly, it is beautifully designed on an aesthetic level; and secondly, it details a wide range of details about the Afrykarium itself, noting the size of the structure as a whole, the dimensions of various pools and exhibits within, and information about the variety of species exhibited within.

Further into the guidebook, we reach the above section discussing the exhibits for European Wisent, Great White Pelican and Northern Hawk-owl which are located in the southeast of the collection, at the entrance to the sizeable (and rather excellent) area for native European species; this segment of the guidebook is worth highlighting given the detail and level of attention which the text devotes to discussion of the conservation and captive breeding programme for the Wisent, hence illustrating rather well how the guidebook as a whole deals with such subjects. It is also worth mentioning that, given the key importance that the Wisent holds in Poland both historically and in the present day, this section also provides a good insight into the way in which this guidebook - and Zoo Wroclaw itself - focuses not merely on conservation in far-afield parts of the world, but also the importance it holds close to home.

This aspect of the guidebook is demonstrated further by a rather excellent fold-out double page segment discussing the Odrarium exhibit complex, of which a segment is visible above - the entirety being too unwieldy to scan. This complex, the other major development at Zoo Wroclaw at the time of publication, represents a series of aquarium exhibits focusing on the Odra River basin, which occupies much of western Poland and adjacent regions of eastern Germany and northeast Czechia - the course of the Odra defines much of the German-Polish border, in fact - and displays a wide range of the fish and invertebrate species occupying various stages of the river, along with extremely good exhibits for European Otter and European Pond Turtle; as such, the fact that six pages are devoted to this exhibit complex rather demonstrates the attention paid to promoting conservation at a local level within the guidebook. The format of this section deserves further elaboration - it comprises a pair of folded pages facing one another, showing photographs of various species present within the exhibit complex, and which fold out to reveal four pages discussing the Odra River, the Odrarium and various relevant conservational issues.

The above pair of images - although depicting double-page spreads which occur in quite distinct sections of the guidebook as a whole - are worth highlighting for thematic reasons which I rather suspect will be immediately-obvious to those reading this post; to wit, the fact that they once again demonstrate the repeated and detailed attention which this guidebook pays to the heritage of Zoo Wroclaw. Both of these segments highlight the present-day use and repurposing of historical exhibits and structures at the collection, taking the opportunity to discuss the history of the zoo and the changing standards of captive animal husbandry as a whole; as I have mentioned on many, many occasions - and doubtless shall do so again many more times within this thread - this is something which I actively look for when assessing the quality of a guidebook. This kind of information is not only valuable to zoo enthusiasts and the more specialist audience they represent, but also to the general zoo-visiting public - through showing where a collection has come from, it helps to illustrate where the collection aims to develop in the future, and in the best examples help to educate the public about the importance of zoological collections in general. Moreover, the accompanying portions of these segments once again provide a good insight into the way in which the guidebook approaches the discussion of species and exhibits within the collection as a whole, the copious use of photographs and drawings to illustrate the text, and the general layout choices which are present throughout.

After the walkthrough account of the collection concludes, the final section of the guidebook provides a detailed and heartfelt mission statement both for Zoo Wroclaw and for zoological collections in general; discussing the vital and continued importance of zoological collections in the present day, the way that the best modern-day collections have progressed and changed from the menageries and rows of cages which were commonplace in the past, and which the uninformed and uneducated often assume is still the case now, and the key role in education, conservation and recreation that Zoo Wroclaw and collections like it can play. Beyond here, this section makes specific mention of the conservational and ecological work of Zoo Wroclaw, and concludes by highlighting the involvement of the collection in organisations such as EAZA and WAZA.

Overall, I feel that I have made a very good argument that this guidebook represents one of the very best in my collection, both modern-day and overall; as noted, this is hardly surprising given the fact it was written by someone who quite literally has the largest collection of zoo guidebooks, maps and other such documents in the world, and who therefore has a vast amount of knowledge and experience on the subject. An updated edition of this guidebook was issued in August 2020, which I have not been able to obtain as yet; however I hope to reach Wroclaw sometime this year, pandemic allowing!

Any thoughts, feedback or questions?

Very modern looking. Wroclaw is a very intriguing zoo for me, would really like to visit someday.

 

[TeaLovingDave]

Day 29: Beogradski Zoološki Vrt (2011) - Assorted Animals (Russian Edition)

Page count: 160
Photographs: 228 colour photographs (including 5 full-page images)
Illustrations/diagrams: N/A
Layout: Short introduction and zoo history, followed by comprehensive account of species held in collection, and montages of photographs taken in and around the zoo.
Map: N/A

Quite a big oddity today, and one which I hope is of significant interest to those reading this thread; for anyone having trouble interpreting the title of this post, this is a guidebook for Belgrade Zoo in Serbia, a collection which is seldom discussed on the forum, and (I suspect) even more rarely visited. From memory, the only regular member of the forum who has visited is @Grant Rhino ; given the fact that this guidebook is in Russian - not only a language I do not understand but one in Cyrillic, an alphabet I cannot read - the contents of this post will be fairly scanty when compared to prior posts, and I therefore hope Grant has an opportunity to pop into this thread to add any thoughts, recollections and so forth, to supplement what I have written!

Fortunately, despite the fact that I cannot read the vast majority of this guidebook there is still a reasonable amount that can be said; not only is it very attractive on an aesthetic level, due to the vast number of large colour photographs illustrating the text throughout, but it is also rather well-designed in terms of the way it presents the information within in a clear and methodical fashion. The only major intrinsic problem with this item- as far as my personal preferences are concerned, in any case - is the fact that this represents yet another example of a ring-bound guidebook, something which as I have noted in the past is difficult to store or shelve satisfactorily, is unattractive to the eye and unpleasant on a tactile level, and is prone to increasing wear-and-tear. Fortunately, as with the majority of previous examples of ring-bound items within this thread, the guidebook is otherwise high-quality and attractive enough to ameliorate this issue.

Before I start to discuss the main body of the text, it is worth noting here that although there is no map included within this guidebook, the interior front and back covers *do* include a very attractive feature which in some regards compensates for this omission; to wit, they are illustrated by a total of 36 photographs showing animal mosaics which (per the photographic translation tool on my phone) adorn the entrance to Belgrade Zoo. These are truly beautiful and are something one would expect to find at a zoological collection in a major city such as Berlin, Vienna or Prague, rather than a seldom-discussed collection in the Balkans; this really does illustrate the importance of not overlooking "obscure" collections and presuming that they have no surprises in store for the enthusiast, I reckon! As such, I present these images below in full:

Beyond here, the guidebook is divided roughly into six overall segments; firstly, after a general introduction to Belgrade and the zoo written by the city mayor, and a more in-depth introduction to the zoo itself from Vuk Bojović, the director of the zoo at the time of publication - and who passed away not long afterwards, I believe - the main body of the text starts by presenting a short history of Belgrade Zoo, discussing the opening of the zoo in 1936, its near-total destruction less than a decade later during the Second World War, and the slow process of rebuilding which - after stagnating for many years - had recently resumed in the decade following the end of the Yugoslav Wars. This is accompanied by a discussion of the various captive breeding and conservation programmes with which the zoo is involved, and an overview of the CITES treaty.

The next three segments of the guidebook - comprising the bulk of the overall text - present a complete account of the species present within the collection at the time of publication, divided into sections for mammals, birds and reptiles. Each section is preceded by a full-page colour montage of photographs depicting various of the species discussed within; for instance, the following comprises the introduction to the mammal species accounts.

Each of the individual species accounts follows the same general format; the common name of the species is given alongside the scientific name (with the latter being in the Latin alphabet, something which significantly assists with the overall interpretation of the text in the cases where a more unusual species is listed), followed by a large colour photograph and one or two paragraphs giving a short summary about the species in question. Furthermore, a small text box is provided, presenting the following key facts; the family within which the species is classified; the wild distribution; the general habitat of the species; lifespan; and where appropriate, the CITES classification of the species. As such, the quantity and quality of information presented appears to reach a relatively high level, especially when one considers that this is maintained throughout the entirety of the species accounts, with each and every taxon discussed given this treatment. In order to give a general impression of this section of the guidebook, the following three scans show double-page spreads from the mammal, bird and reptile sections respectively.

Beyond the species accounts, a pair of shorter segments conclude the main body of the guidebook; firstly, a section comprising a variety of colour photographs depicting the volunteers and staff who worked at the collection at the time of publication, posing with assorted animals. This is followed by a gallery of photographs taken throughout the zoo itself, showing various enclosures, statues, and other images intended to give a general impression of the collection. I suspect that the second of these segments will be of significantly more interest to those reading this thread, and to the wider forum populace given how seldom Belgrade Zoo has been discussed or depicted on Zoochat - as such, I have reproduced this section in full:

However, possibly one of the most interesting aspects of this guidebook - as far as providing a useful resource for the wider forum is concerned - is the index which is located across the final pages; given the general format of the species accounts which occur throughout the main body of the text, for all intents and purposes this comprises a complete stocklist for Belgrade Zoo at the time of publication. Given the fact that this saves me the effort of transcribing the scientific names of each and every species mentioned within the guidebook, in order to produce such a resource myself, I have elected to also reproduce this section of the guidebook in full.

Overall, then, this guidebook is something of a hidden treasure - although the language barrier prevents me assessing the quality of the information provided within to my full satisfaction, it appears to be fairly comprehensive, and alongside the lavish photographic illustration both of the species held within the collection and the zoo itself, and the sections on zoo history and conservation which open the guidebook, I feel fairly confident in stating that this is an item of high value both to the casual visitor to the zoo, and the dedicated zoo enthusiast and guidebook collector.

As usual, I would value your thoughts and feedback - as noted, I particularly hope that @Grant Rhino may have something to contribute here, but naturally the floor is open to anyone and everyone, no matter how familiar they are with this collection!

 

[Fallax]

Day 29: Beogradski Zoološki Vrt (2011) - Assorted Animals (Russian Edition)

Page count: 160
Photographs: 228 colour photographs (including 5 full-page images)
Illustrations/diagrams: N/A
Layout: Short introduction and zoo history, followed by comprehensive account of species held in collection, and montages of photographs taken in and around the zoo.
Map: N/A

Quite a big oddity today, and one which I hope is of significant interest to those reading this thread; for anyone having trouble interpreting the title of this post, this is a guidebook for Belgrade Zoo in Serbia, a collection which is seldom discussed on the forum, and (I suspect) even more rarely visited. From memory, the only regular member of the forum who has visited is @Grant Rhino ; given the fact that this guidebook is in Russian - not only a language I do not understand but one in Cyrillic, an alphabet I cannot read - the contents of this post will be fairly scanty when compared to prior posts, and I therefore hope Grant has an opportunity to pop into this thread to add any thoughts, recollections and so forth, to supplement what I have written!

Fortunately, despite the fact that I cannot read the vast majority of this guidebook there is still a reasonable amount that can be said; not only is it very attractive on an aesthetic level, due to the vast number of large colour photographs illustrating the text throughout, but it is also rather well-designed in terms of the way it presents the information within in a clear and methodical fashion. The only major intrinsic problem with this item- as far as my personal preferences are concerned, in any case - is the fact that this represents yet another example of a ring-bound guidebook, something which as I have noted in the past is difficult to store or shelve satisfactorily, is unattractive to the eye and unpleasant on a tactile level, and is prone to increasing wear-and-tear. Fortunately, as with the majority of previous examples of ring-bound items within this thread, the guidebook is otherwise high-quality and attractive enough to ameliorate this issue.

Before I start to discuss the main body of the text, it is worth noting here that although there is no map included within this guidebook, the interior front and back covers *do* include a very attractive feature which in some regards compensates for this omission; to wit, they are illustrated by a total of 36 photographs showing animal mosaics which (per the photographic translation tool on my phone) adorn the entrance to Belgrade Zoo. These are truly beautiful and are something one would expect to find at a zoological collection in a major city such as Berlin, Vienna or Prague, rather than a seldom-discussed collection in the Balkans; this really does illustrate the importance of not overlooking "obscure" collections and presuming that they have no surprises in store for the enthusiast, I reckon! As such, I present these images below in full:

Beyond here, the guidebook is divided roughly into six overall segments; firstly, after a general introduction to Belgrade and the zoo written by the city mayor, and a more in-depth introduction to the zoo itself from Vuk Bojović, the director of the zoo at the time of publication - and who passed away not long afterwards, I believe - the main body of the text starts by presenting a short history of Belgrade Zoo, discussing the opening of the zoo in 1936, its near-total destruction less than a decade later during the Second World War, and the slow process of rebuilding which - after stagnating for many years - had recently resumed in the decade following the end of the Yugoslav Wars. This is accompanied by a discussion of the various captive breeding and conservation programmes with which the zoo is involved, and an overview of the CITES treaty.

The next three segments of the guidebook - comprising the bulk of the overall text - present a complete account of the species present within the collection at the time of publication, divided into sections for mammals, birds and reptiles. Each section is preceded by a full-page colour montage of photographs depicting various of the species discussed within; for instance, the following comprises the introduction to the mammal species accounts.

Each of the individual species accounts follows the same general format; the common name of the species is given alongside the scientific name (with the latter being in the Latin alphabet, something which significantly assists with the overall interpretation of the text in the cases where a more unusual species is listed), followed by a large colour photograph and one or two paragraphs giving a short summary about the species in question. Furthermore, a small text box is provided, presenting the following key facts; the family within which the species is classified; the wild distribution; the general habitat of the species; lifespan; and where appropriate, the CITES classification of the species. As such, the quantity and quality of information presented appears to reach a relatively high level, especially when one considers that this is maintained throughout the entirety of the species accounts, with each and every taxon discussed given this treatment. In order to give a general impression of this section of the guidebook, the following three scans show double-page spreads from the mammal, bird and reptile sections respectively.

Beyond the species accounts, a pair of shorter segments conclude the main body of the guidebook; firstly, a section comprising a variety of colour photographs depicting the volunteers and staff who worked at the collection at the time of publication, posing with assorted animals. This is followed by a gallery of photographs taken throughout the zoo itself, showing various enclosures, statues, and other images intended to give a general impression of the collection. I suspect that the second of these segments will be of significantly more interest to those reading this thread, and to the wider forum populace given how seldom Belgrade Zoo has been discussed or depicted on Zoochat - as such, I have reproduced this section in full:

However, possibly one of the most interesting aspects of this guidebook - as far as providing a useful resource for the wider forum is concerned - is the index which is located across the final pages; given the general format of the species accounts which occur throughout the main body of the text, for all intents and purposes this comprises a complete stocklist for Belgrade Zoo at the time of publication. Given the fact that this saves me the effort of transcribing the scientific names of each and every species mentioned within the guidebook, in order to produce such a resource myself, I have elected to also reproduce this section of the guidebook in full.

Overall, then, this guidebook is something of a hidden treasure - although the language barrier prevents me assessing the quality of the information provided within to my full satisfaction, it appears to be fairly comprehensive, and alongside the lavish photographic illustration both of the species held within the collection and the zoo itself, and the sections on zoo history and conservation which open the guidebook, I feel fairly confident in stating that this is an item of high value both to the casual visitor to the zoo, and the dedicated zoo enthusiast and guidebook collector.

As usual, I would value your thoughts and feedback - as noted, I particularly hope that @Grant Rhino may have something to contribute here, but naturally the floor is open to anyone and everyone, no matter how familiar they are with this collection!

This is a very interesting entry, nice to see a zoo that is almost never mentioned on ZooChat!