New Zoo Books

[snowleopard]

Zoo Liberec (Czech. Rep.) has published a hardcover history book that is over 300 pages in length and includes almost 600 photos. It's unfortunately only in Czech, but the amazing thing is that this is only Volume 1 and the text goes until 1945, with Volume 2 due out next year. I copied and pasted the image below from a Facebook group that posts information on zoo guides and books.

 

[snowleopard]

Savages and Beasts: The Birth of the Modern Zoo (Rothfels, 2002) is a book I own and it delves deep into the legacy of Carl Hagenbeck and his legendary German zoo. In 2025, a full 23 years after the initial publication, comes a Revised Edition of the book. I am curious as to what changes were made as I cannot find any information online.

Amazon link:

https://www.amazon.com/Savages-Beasts-Animals-History-Culture/dp/1421450887?ref_=ast_author_dp

 

[snowleopard]

I'm posting about a THIRD new zoo book today.

World War Zoos: Humans and Other Animals in the Deadliest Conflict of the Modern Age (Kinder, 2025) appears to be a fascinating blend of zoology and history.

Amazon link:

https://www.amazon.com/World-War-Zoos-Deadliest-Conflict/dp/0226827666/ref=sr_1_2?crid=3C8FVLWWULVJ4&dib=eyJ2IjoiMSJ9.neGXIWg72HRhJR-i7Qd-D8ziTrrWSKSX0D0kXvjy5Ohiw8k7UTldGJXA_yC_A1D8flxYZW1_gM6XDm1-KaOpgKQ7beL6c5ESBv2dVWb2kI75IRdAYG8EhfoJVLPuMVd35H0Zkzpbqcrn3rD_Wg-YpztoJom88T6gLMudpxl05SO0talUze0u82nmO0DLpEsJSbPQeZicyXj72liW9BIaOq43zAxNq5bWfs6m3CEliXY.j2-0_IcDREn0rUteqGFB1ArEu9yV0FqOpnAVpR_YyhI&dib_tag=se&keywords=zoo+history&qid=1734813069&s=books&sprefix=zoo+history,stripbooks-intl-ship,130&sr=1-2

 

[Panthera1981]

For those interested in the gorilla troop at Bristol Zoo, “Gorillas in our Midst: A Zookeeper’s tale of hand-rearing baby Gorillas” by Alan Toyne, is released in April and recalls the varied stories behind the hand rearing of two of the zoo’s gorillas

 

[snowleopard]

For those interested in the gorilla troop at Bristol Zoo, “Gorillas in our Midst: A Zookeeper’s tale of hand-rearing baby Gorillas” by Alan Toyne, is released in April and recalls the varied stories behind the hand rearing of two of the zoo’s gorillas

Thanks for the heads-up and this looks like a fascinating book. As of now, it's not available on Amazon Canada, and there's only a Kindle version on Amazon USA, but Amazon UK has a paperback edition. Here's the link:

Amazon.co.uk

 

[Grimnir]

Zoo Liberec (Czech. Rep.) has published a hardcover history book that is over 300 pages in length and includes almost 600 photos. It's unfortunately only in Czech, but the amazing thing is that this is only Volume 1 and the text goes until 1945, with Volume 2 due out next year. I copied and pasted the image below from a Facebook group that posts information on zoo guides and books.

For those interested in this fabulous book (be ready for upcoming a follow-up book that will be published at the end of this year), it is now possible to send it abroad. You need to contact the zoo by the mail (marketing@zooliberec.cz), there is no possibility of delivery abroad in the shopping cart!

 

[JamesB]

There's a new book coming out soon called Zoos of Britain and Ireland. It will include the top 50 zoos with several pages devoted to each, covering the history of each zoo along with highlights of their current collections and things like that. There's also sections on things like bird gardens, zoos & theme parks, Edinburgh Zoo's penguins, and other topics of particular interest. The authors have said it'll be shipped worldwide, with all orders coming from the UK. There's a list of the zoos on the webpage, along with a preview of the book: Zoo Book - Featured Zoos

Is there anyway of getting a copy of this? I have emailed them directly but wondered if anyone else could help me out?

Also, not sure if anyone can advise on the IZES website - when I go to payment for a book it says no payment options available. Anyone else had this issue at all?

 

[TeaLovingDave]

Is there anyway of getting a copy of this? I have emailed them directly but wondered if anyone else could help me out?

It's long-since sold out I'm afraid!

 

[Okapi_Els]

Is there anyway of getting a copy of this? I have emailed them directly but wondered if anyone else could help me out?

Also, not sure if anyone can advise on the IZES website - when I go to payment for a book it says no payment options available. Anyone else had this issue at all?

Copies are still available through this German (zoo) bookseller;
The Zoos of Great Britain and Ireland

 

[Sacchi]

I picked up a copy off Ebay a few weeks ago. Had notifications turned on for when a copy was listed, and had to wait 3 or 4 months, but a copy did come up. Id suggest doing the same thing.

Or, if you are looking for specific information, let me know and I can check my copy for you.

 

[GaryA]

Copies are still available through this German (zoo) bookseller;
The Zoos of Great Britain and Ireland

I emailed John directly and bought a copy of the 2nd edition only recently. Try that.

 

[Fallax]

I emailed John directly and bought a copy of the 2nd edition only recently. Try that.

I was not aware of a 2nd edition. Does anyone know what changes it makes?

 

[GaryA]

It may be a 2nd printing. With only the one I couldn't give you a side by side comparison.

 

[snowleopard]

Keeping the Zoo: Memories of a Forty-Four-Year Zoo and Aquarium Career (Houck, 2025) was written by John Horton Houck, who spent 12 years at Oregon Zoo and then 32 years at Point Defiance Zoo, rising to the position of Deputy Director.

Amazon link:

Amazon.com

Front cover:

 

[Strathmorezoo]

A new book called Wildly Different by Sarah Lonsdale, about Evelyn Cheesman. Evelyn Cheesman was London Zoo first insect keeper in 1917. She went on many insect collections,throughout the world, amassing 42000 insects, of which 200 were named after her

 

[Tim May]

A new book called Wildly Different by Sarah Lonsdale, about Evelyn Cheesman. Evelyn Cheesman was London Zoo first insect keeper in 1917. She went on many insect collections,throughout the world, amassing 42000 insects, of which 200 were named after her

Evelyn Cheesman was appointed Assistant Curator of Insects in 1916; she was the first woman to have a curatorial position at London Zoo.

However London Zoo's first Insect House opened in 1881 so the zoo must have had insect keepers before Cheesman.

 

[Crowthorne]

Looking at the book's synopsis, it is about more than just Evelyn Cheesman

https://www.waterstones.com/book/wildly-different/sarah-lonsdale/9781526168696

"For millennia the ‘wild’ was a place heroic men went on epic quests. Women were prevented from joining them, either through physical control or powerful myths about what would happen if they ventured beyond the city wall or village boundary. So how did women claim their place in the remote and lovely parts of our planet?

In Wildly different, historian Sarah Lonsdale traces the lives of five women who fought for the right to work in, enjoy and help to save the earth’s wild places. We’ll meet Mina Hubbard, who outraged the exploration community when she stepped into a canoe in northern Labrador. Evelyn Cheesman, who became the first female keeper of insects at London Zoo. Dorothy Pilley, who shocked polite society by donning men’s climbing breeches. Ethel Haythornthwaite, who helped make the Peak District Britain’s first National Park. And Wangari Maathai, who started a movement to plant millions of trees across sub-Saharan Africa."

 

[Strathmorezoo]

Evelyn Cheesman was appointed Assistant Curator of Insects in 1916; she was the first woman to have a curatorial position at London Zoo.

However London Zoo's first Insect House opened in 1881 so the zoo must have had insect keepers before Cheesman.

Hi Tim
The information I found about Evelyn Cheesman was from The Natural History Museum and Manchester University Press, both said that she was employed by Professor Harold Maxwell Lefroy in1917 and Manchester even gave a date of 4th May. Could I be cheeky and ask where your information came from.

 

[Tim May]

Hi Tim
Could I be cheeky and ask where your information came from.

I double-checked against the ZSL website before posting.

The History of ZSL | ZSL

 

[Tim May]

.... Evelyn Cheesman was London Zoo first insect keeper in 1917......

.....However London Zoo's first Insect House opened in 1881 so the zoo must have had insect keepers before Cheesman.

.... Could I be cheeky and ask where your information came from.

I double-checked against the ZSL website before posting.

The History of ZSL | ZSL

As mentioned above, I double-checked my remarks against the ZSL website before posting. A more complete answer follows.

London Zoo’s first Insect House of 1881 has been well-documented in various publications, including the ZSL Annual Report of 1881. According to this report, the house was placed under the sole charge of Mr. William Watkins "an experienced entomologist". Surely, therefore, Watkins not Cheesman was the zoo's first insect keeper.