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

[TeaLovingDave]

Day 67: Zoo Wroclaw (2017) - Afrykarium Souvenir Guide (English edition)

Page count: 46 pages (including interior cover pages)
Photographs: c.70 colour photographs
Illustrations/diagrams: N/A
Layout: Introduction to Afrykarium, a brief history of aquariums within zoological collections, and a variety of technical details relating to the design and construction of the building, followed by a general overview of the various geographic zones represented within the Afrykarium.
Map: plan of the Afrykarium located within interior front cover.

Today, we shall discuss another English-language guidebook published by Zoo Wroclaw and written by their resident zoo historian (and authority on zoo guidebooks) Leszek Solski; unlike the previous guidebook covered within this thread, this item pertains to a specific exhibit within the larger zoo, the Afrykarium. This large aquarium and tropical house first opened in 2014, with a specific focus on displaying the various aquatic ecosystems located throughout Africa, and at the time of construction was the largest such project in the history of the zoo.

The guidebook opens with a comprehensive and highly-detailed map of the Afrykarium located on the interior front cover, showing not only the various ecozones within the house but also the location of various visitor amenities, with each ecozone fully-labelled both with the geographic area intended to be portrayed but also several of the key species displayed within; for instance, the East Africa section of the map labels the presence of the Common Hippopotamus present within this portion of the Afrykarium. Both in terms of aesthetic appearance, the quality of the information presented and ease of reference, this is definitely a rather good map; where large and comprehensive exhibit complexes such as this are concerned, I feel that it is always helpful for a detailed map to be provided, as they can at times be somewhat overwhelming.

After a short introduction from the then-director of Zoo Wroclaw, the main body of the text starts with a brief history of zoo aquariums, and specifically those located at the collection in question. Beyond here, the following double-page spread contains a rather fascinating section discussing the construction of the Afrykarium and relaying a large number of technical statistics and specifications relating to the overall structure and the animal exhibits therein. As can be seen above, this includes information about the dimensions and volume of the various pools within the Afrykarium, information regarding the artificial and natural materials used during the construction process, and the decision process behind the selection of some of these materials. This is precisely the sort of information which I feel should be present in copious quantities within *any* guidebook which pertains to a specific exhibit or house within a wider zoological collection, given the fact that it provides a valuable insight into the planning and work which is required for the successful construction of such an exhibit; it therefore represents an excellent tool for the purposes of both educating the zoo-going public about modern zoological design standards, whilst also catering to the most specialist audience which individual such as ourselves represent.

The bulk of the guidebook comprises a general overview of the various ecozones represented within the Afrykarium's various exhibits; each segment provides brief but often quite detailed information about both the geographic location and ecosystem in question, and the exhibits which are intended to depict them, along with a vast number of richly-coloured photographic images; in fact, it would perhaps not be too much of an overstatement to suggest that in many ways this guidebook is more a photographic volume than a word of prose first and foremost. The first such ecozone, as shown in the image above, is an exhibit intended to depict the coral reefs of the Red Sea. It is followed by exhibits representing the wetlands, savannahs and lakes located throughout East Africa, most notably the various lakes of the Rift Valley such as Lake Tanganyika and Lake Malawi and the vast array of native cichlids and other fish occurring within, and the dry bushland and savannas present throughout the Horn of Africa and adjacent areas of Kenya and Tanzania.

Beyond here, the guidebook discusses the walkthrough Mozambique Channel tunnel; at the time of publication this exhibit was populated by a wide range of tropical oceanic fish native to the area, most notably a variety of sharks and rays, along with Green Turtle; as is the case throughout this guidebook, this section is copiously illustrated with numerous highly-attractive colour photographs depicting the various species held within. The next section of the guidebook discusses the pair of large outdoor exhibits for South African Fur Seals and African Penguins located to the south of the Afrykarium, and themed around the so-called "Skeleton Coast" of western Namibia.

The final major section of the Afrykarium discussed within this guidebook, and also perhaps the most speciose, is the Congo Rainforest exhibit; this comprises a series of tanks and pools for a variety of fish native to the Congo, along with Nile Crocodile and Caribbean Manatee - present here as a stand-in for the more geographically-appropriate African Manatee, which is not present within European captive collections and as such was not available - and a variety of free-flying birds located within the lushly-vegetated upper levels of the Congo Rainforest exhibit. Again, the sections of the guidebook are lushly-illustrated and also provide a wide range of information about the exhibits and animals found within this area of the Afrykarium; for instance, the source of the manatees exhibited within this area at the time of publication is discussed, as is the fact that during the Second World War the zoo (then, naturally, known as Zoo Breslau) held Amazonian Manatee. The guidebook makes the claim, in fact, that the manatee in question was the sole member of her species present within a European collection at the time, although I know of several other collections which claim to have held an Amazonian Manatee during the same timespan.

The guidebook concludes with three very short sections discussing the school tours and other educational sessions which are available to be held within the Afrikaryium, relating an assortment of disparate facts relating to the aquarium exhibits, and advertising the fact that the Afrykarium - at the time of publication, at least - was available for use as a hub for meetings, functions and other special events.

This is, then, a highly-attractive and interesting guidebook to one of the newest and largest exhibits within Central Europe; as I remarked when reviewing the previous Zoo Wroclaw guidebook to be discussed within this thread, the quality on both aesthetic and informational grounds which is readily-visible within this guidebook is hardly surprising, given the fact that the author and designer is also the owner of the largest-known collection of zoo guidebooks and paraphernalia in the world. In other words, Leszek Solski has a vast array of experience with what works in a zoo guidebook, and what does not work, and has very much put this into practice within this volume. Perhaps the only real drawback of this item is that it is somewhat less substantial in content than the aforementioned guidebook to Zoo Wroclaw as a whole; however, this is only the most minor of drawbacks given the quality which *is* present here, and the fact that (as noted) in many ways this guidebook is intended to represent a photographic advertisement for the Afrykarium supplemented by more detailed prose information, rather than a detailed guidebook *to* the Afrykarium supplemented by attrative imagery.

 

[TeaLovingDave]

Day 68: Wellington Zoo (c.1970) - Chimpanzee

Page count: 48 pages
Photographs: 15 colour photographs and 34 black-and-white photographs
Illustrations/diagrams: N/A
Layout: Brief introduction to zoo and visitor information, followed by assorted passages relating to a wide range of subjects, including membership of Wellington Zoological Society, some of the animals held within the collection, importance of zoological collections, feeding time for the animals, and correct care of pets.
Map: Located within central pages of guidebook.

One of the more recent additions to my guidebook collection today; at the time of writing, this happens to be the only zoo guidebook from New Zealand owned by myself. The precise date of publication is not listed anywhere within the main body of the guidebook, but I am given to understand that it originates from sometime in the late 1960s or early 1970s; unfortunately, given the fact that I know relatively little about the various zoological collections located within New Zealand, I feel that (as I shall discuss anon) this guidebook is not terribly well-written or formatted, nor does it provide all that much information about the collection in question.

The guidebook opens, as can be seen above, with various items of information and rules of entry for visitors, alongside a general introduction to the zoo. The latter provides a summary of the history of Wellington Zoo, information on some of the species held within the collection, and discussion of the fact that Wellington City Council held a controlling interest in the zoo at the time of publication.

Beyond here, the main body of the text comprises a wide range of discussions on a variety of topics, with little consistency from section to section in terms of the quality, content and tone therein. The majority of these sections relate in one way or another to the various species held within the collection at the time of publication; however, whereas groups such as monkeys, birds and bears are discussed in reasonable detail and in a coherent fashion, other species and animal groups are discussed briefly and in significantly more simplistic language. Moreover, there seems to be no rhyme nor reason as to which species are discussed and in which order, and passages entirely unrelated to the surrounding sections are scattered throughout the text seemingly at random. For instance, between the section discussing the Indian Eelephant held at the collection and the brief passages discussing huskies and leopards, there are shorter segments on the optimum foods that could be given to the animals by visitors to the zoo where permitted and advertisement of pony-cart rides for children. Similarly, in some parts of the guidebook, entire passages seemed to relate only tangentially (if at all) to Wellington Zoo; for instance, towards the rear of the guidebook a sizeable section is occupied by advice on how visitors to the zoo should take care of their pet animals.

The bulk of the photographs within the guidebook comprise black-and-white images, generally depicting one or more of the species being discussed within the text at that point; however, on either side of the central pages there are colour photograph montages showing a variety of the animals displayed around the zoo, accompanied by explanatory labels relating various facts relating to these species. Given the relatively decent standard of information presented here, as well as the more consistent tone throughout, these are probably among the best quality sections of the species accounts overall.

However, this is not to say that all of the side-tangents within this guidebook are unwelcome ones; as I have remarked in the past, I feel that it is important for zoo guidebooks to provide information wherever possible on the importance of the zoological collections as educational tools, sources of entertainment and foci for conservation efforts, thereby making the case for continued existence of such collections. This guidebook contains a rather good example of this kind of passage, even extending to providing information on the historical background to zoological collections; something which renders the quality of this information all the more surprising is the fact that this guidebook is approximately 50 years old, thereby predating much of the anti-zoo backlash which has rendered such passages all the more important as a means of educating the general public about the importance of zoos. Similarly, the below section on the Wellington Zoological Society provides an interesting and informative insight into the future plans of the society, and the means by which the society intended to achieve these aims. Given how little I know of the collection in question, it is for others reading this thread to say how well these in may or may not have been achieved! Nonetheless, providing information on where a zoological collection is intended to go go is just as important as discussing from where it has come, where informational sections within zoo guidebooks are concerned.

Contrary to the rather erratic level of quality visible within the guidebook as a whole, the map of the collection located within the central pages is genuinely rather good, possibly being one of the best portions of the guidebook overall; the exhibits are well-labelled, with the size and location of various paddocks and enclosures in relation to one another readily visible. Moreover, unlike several of the zoo guidebooks published in the United Kingdom at this point in time, the use of colour and line within this map is unobtrusive and pleasing to the eye.

Overall then, this is a rather inconsistent guidebook of erratic quality, with the constant shift in style, focus and aesthetic design being rather distracting, but nonetheless one which still contains material of merit; moreover, given the distinct scarcity of zoo guidebooks from New Zealand in the Northern Hemisphere, I am rather pleased to own this item, providing as it does an insight into a collection which I may never have the occasion nor opportunity to reach in person!

As usual, I am very happy to answer any and all questions on this guidebook and the contents within which may arise; one would hope that given the rarity of the item in question, there is plenty of scope for questions and feedback of this sort.

 

[amur leopard]

Something that caught my eye was the 'In Canada and America, no distinction is made between black and brown bears' - is this true or does it only pertain to the variation in colour of black bears?

 

[Chlidonias]

The precise date of publication is not listed anywhere within the main body of the guidebook, but I am given to understand that it originates from sometime in the late 1960s or early 1970s

That would be right - the formation of the Wellington Zoological Society in 1966 is mentioned on one of the pages; and the Chimpanzee Tea Parties, which are still labelled on the depicted map, were stopped in 1970.


Also, just if it is of interest, here are other maps of the Wellington Zoo from various years: Search Results for Query: map - ZooChat

 

[Zoofan15]

Day 68: Wellington Zoo (c.1970) - Chimpanzee

Page count: 48 pages
Photographs: 15 colour photographs and 34 black-and-white photographs
Illustrations/diagrams: N/A
Layout: Brief introduction to zoo and visitor information, followed by assorted passages relating to a wide range of subjects, including membership of Wellington Zoological Society, some of the animals held within the collection, importance of zoological collections, feeding time for the animals, and correct care of pets.
Map: Located within central pages of guidebook.

One of the more recent additions to my guidebook collection today; at the time of writing, this happens to be the only zoo guidebook from New Zealand owned by myself. The precise date of publication is not listed anywhere within the main body of the guidebook, but I am given to understand that it originates from sometime in the late 1960s or early 1970s; unfortunately, given the fact that I know relatively little about the various zoological collections located within New Zealand, I feel that (as I shall discuss anon) this guidebook is not terribly well-written or formatted, nor does it provide all that much information about the collection in question.

The guidebook opens, as can be seen above, with various items of information and rules of entry for visitors, alongside a general introduction to the zoo. The latter provides a summary of the history of Wellington Zoo, information on some of the species held within the collection, and discussion of the fact that Wellington City Council held a controlling interest in the zoo at the time of publication.

Beyond here, the main body of the text comprises a wide range of discussions on a variety of topics, with little consistency from section to section in terms of the quality, content and tone therein. The majority of these sections relate in one way or another to the various species held within the collection at the time of publication; however, whereas groups such as monkeys, birds and bears are discussed in reasonable detail and in a coherent fashion, other species and animal groups are discussed briefly and in significantly more simplistic language. Moreover, there seems to be no rhyme nor reason as to which species are discussed and in which order, and passages entirely unrelated to the surrounding sections are scattered throughout the text seemingly at random. For instance, between the section discussing the Indian Eelephant held at the collection and the brief passages discussing huskies and leopards, there are shorter segments on the optimum foods that could be given to the animals by visitors to the zoo where permitted and advertisement of pony-cart rides for children. Similarly, in some parts of the guidebook, entire passages seemed to relate only tangentially (if at all) to Wellington Zoo; for instance, towards the rear of the guidebook a sizeable section is occupied by advice on how visitors to the zoo should take care of their pet animals.

The bulk of the photographs within the guidebook comprise black-and-white images, generally depicting one or more of the species being discussed within the text at that point; however, on either side of the central pages there are colour photograph montages showing a variety of the animals displayed around the zoo, accompanied by explanatory labels relating various facts relating to these species. Given the relatively decent standard of information presented here, as well as the more consistent tone throughout, these are probably among the best quality sections of the species accounts overall.

However, this is not to say that all of the side-tangents within this guidebook are unwelcome ones; as I have remarked in the past, I feel that it is important for zoo guidebooks to provide information wherever possible on the importance of the zoological collections as educational tools, sources of entertainment and foci for conservation efforts, thereby making the case for continued existence of such collections. This guidebook contains a rather good example of this kind of passage, even extending to providing information on the historical background to zoological collections; something which renders the quality of this information all the more surprising is the fact that this guidebook is approximately 50 years old, thereby predating much of the anti-zoo backlash which has rendered such passages all the more important as a means of educating the general public about the importance of zoos. Similarly, the below section on the Wellington Zoological Society provides an interesting and informative insight into the future plans of the society, and the means by which the society intended to achieve these aims. Given how little I know of the collection in question, it is for others reading this thread to say how well these in may or may not have been achieved! Nonetheless, providing information on where a zoological collection is intended to go go is just as important as discussing from where it has come, where informational sections within zoo guidebooks are concerned.

Contrary to the rather erratic level of quality visible within the guidebook as a whole, the map of the collection located within the central pages is genuinely rather good, possibly being one of the best portions of the guidebook overall; the exhibits are well-labelled, with the size and location of various paddocks and enclosures in relation to one another readily visible. Moreover, unlike several of the zoo guidebooks published in the United Kingdom at this point in time, the use of colour and line within this map is unobtrusive and pleasing to the eye.

Overall then, this is a rather inconsistent guidebook of erratic quality, with the constant shift in style, focus and aesthetic design being rather distracting, but nonetheless one which still contains material of merit; moreover, given the distinct scarcity of zoo guidebooks from New Zealand in the Northern Hemisphere, I am rather pleased to own this item, providing as it does an insight into a collection which I may never have the occasion nor opportunity to reach in person!

As usual, I am very happy to answer any and all questions on this guidebook and the contents within which may arise; one would hope that given the rarity of the item in question, there is plenty of scope for questions and feedback of this sort.

That’s interesting to know Wellington Zoo held Cheetah prior to 1970. I’d always believed the female imported 1975 from Montpellier Zoo to be the first; but it’s clearly more accurate to say she was the zoo’s first recorded Cheetah (in the international studbook).

Like @Chlidonias said, chimpanzee tea parties were stopped in 1970, so this map was published no later than that year. It also mentioned the raising of chimpanzees to maturity (the first infants were born 1960), meaning this was published no earlier than the late 60’s.

 

[PossumRoach]

Quick question for th Kiwis: are the mountain goats mentioned on the map rocky mountain goats, ibex, or wild goats?

 

[Zoofan15]

Quick question for th Kiwis: are the mountain goats mentioned on the map rocky mountain goats, ibex, or wild goats?

Just wild goats I believe. They’re adjacent to other domestics (ponies and donkeys) and something more exotic e.g. Ibex would have been noted as such.

 

[Chlidonias]

Quick question for th Kiwis: are the mountain goats mentioned on the map rocky mountain goats, ibex, or wild goats?

I suspect that would be referring to Himalayan Tahr.

 

[Coelacanth18]

Something that caught my eye was the 'In Canada and America, no distinction is made between black and brown bears' - is this true or does it only pertain to the variation in colour of black bears?

Seems like a nonsense statement to me. We do have a lot of wild black bears that are brown in color, but in America a distinction is made between the two species all the time. Given their differences in distribution, size, behavior, and potential threat to humans, it is often vital to do so.

 

[TeaLovingDave]

That would be right - the formation of the Wellington Zoological Society in 1966 is mentioned on one of the pages; and the Chimpanzee Tea Parties, which are still labelled on the depicted map, were stopped in 1970.

Like @Chlidonias said, chimpanzee tea parties were stopped in 1970, so this map was published no later than that year. It also mentioned the raising of chimpanzees to maturity (the first infants were born 1960), meaning this was published no earlier than the late 60’s.

Excellent, that narrows things down a little more thanks, both of you!

Also, just if it is of interest, here are other maps of the Wellington Zoo from various years: Search Results for Query: map - ZooChat

Definitely interesting; the wide variety in style and quality between maps (even those issued relatively close together in time) is quite striking!

 

[TeaLovingDave]

Day 69: Norfolk Wildlife Park (1965) - Roe Deer

Page count: 18 pages (including interior front and rear covers)
Photographs: 11 black-and-white photographs
Illustrations/diagrams: 1 drawing of a roe deer.
Layout: Numbered summary of species/exhibits corresponding to map, plus brief introduction to collection and assorted notes.
Map: Located within central pages of guidebook

A fairly short and simple one this time, pertaining to another of the various UK collections which have come and gone over the decades; as these things go, Norfolk Wildlife Park is one of the most significant collections of this nature, having originated as the private collection of the naturalist and conservationist Philip Wayre (the long-time director of the Ornamental Pheasant Trust, and founder of the Otter Trust) before ultimately opening to the public in 1963, only two years before the publication of this guidebook. Over the years that would follow, the Wildlife Park would grow and expand into a fairly-comprehensive collection of European native species and a variety of pheasants and waterfowl from around the world, before slowly declining in the 1980s and 1990s; ultimately, after passing into new ownership and being rebranded on a few occasions, the collection would eventually close for good in 2011. However, as a document dating from the very earliest days of the collection - long before the Wildlife Park would reach its peak - this guidebook represents a highly-significant item of zoo-historical evidence.

Due to the slightly awkward and non-standard page format, scanning images for this review has proven to be slightly difficult; as such, most of the images within this account either show partial sections of double-page spreads, or single pages only. As can be seen above, the guidebook opens with a short assortment of important visitor information, including opening times and admission prices, rules pertaining to entry, and accessibility via public and private transport. Beyond here, the first substantial segment of the guidebook comprises a general account of the events which led to the opening of the collection, followed by an overview of the collection as it stood at the time of publication and some discussion of the aims of the collection going forward, both in terms of conservation work and education of the wider public. Information is also given here about the Ornamental Pheasant Trust; as previously noted, Philip Wayre was the director of the Trust at the time of publication, and the majority of the private collection of gamebirds held by the organisation was located within and around the grounds of the Wildlife Park. This section therefore goes into some detail about the history of the trust, its aims and objectives, and the captive breeding successes which had already been experienced, before providing information on how one could join the Trust as a member.

Beyond here, the guidebook moves onto a methodical exhibit-by-exhibit and species-by-species discussion of the animal collection at the time of publication; as we have seen with several similar zoo guides already, each exhibit within these accounts is numbered in correspondence with its location on the collection map provided within the central pages of this guidebook. Each entry is relatively brief, but generally speaking still manages to provide a surprisingly high amount of information; for instance, in the images visible above and below one can see that the entries for the Waterfowl Gardens and Tropical Pheasant Pens respectively provide substantial lists of the taxa held within these areas at the time of publication. The accounts are sparsely illustrated by a small handful of black-and-white images depicting various of the species present within the collection; barring these, and a single drawing of a roe deer as visible below, the general aesthetic design of this guidebook is rather plain. Overall, I feel that these species/exhibit accounts are rather good, considering how brief and simple they are; in many ways, one could view them as effectively comprising a more detailed key to the collection map provided, with the accounts and map coming together to form a cohesive whole, and in doing so conveys plenty of information about the collection in question.

The main body of the guide closes with a short paragraph on the future plans of the wildlife park, discussing intentions to build further on-show aviaries for stock held by the Ornamental Pheasant Trust and to obtain a wide variety of native European fauna, both with the intention of enhancing existing conservation and education work; giving all I know of the collection in the years that followed, it is probably safe to say that these aims were largely successful. These concluding passages also include a short segment discussing the diet of the various species held within Norfolk Wildlife Park, and a list of the various gamebirds and waterfowl on-display at the Wildlife Park at the time of publication. Given how interesting this latter information is in terms of zoo history - even if, as the text makes clear, this represents only a fraction of the total species collection held by the Ornamental Pheasant Trust - I have elected to provide a scan of this passage below. Perhaps the most unusual taxon mentioned here is the Bornean Great Argus; to the best of my knowledge, the pair which was held at Norfolk Wildlife Park represent some of the few ever to be displayed in a European collection.

The map of the collection, as noted previously, is located within the central pages of the guidebook; perhaps unsurprisingly, giving how early in the development of Norfolk Wildlife Park this guide book was published, the layout of the collection seems rather makeshift and haphazard. This, as one can imagine, somewhat stymies ease of reference; matters in this regard are unfortunately not helped by the curious aesthetic choice to depict the various enclosures and pens on the map as blank white spaces on an entirely black background, something which I feel makes the map somewhat awkward to look at. However, on the positive side, as previously noted every exhibit is labelled numerically in correspondence with the species accounts located within the main body of the text; as such, once one has located a given exhibit or enclosure on the map, it is very easy to locate the corresponding passage within the guidebook itself.

To summarise, this guidebook represents a valuable glimpse at the very earliest days of Norfolk Wildlife Park, and as such represents a useful reference document for anyone with an interest in zoo history - especially the history of zoological collections which has subsequently closed. Moreover, even at the time of publication I feel that this guidebook was at the better end of the scale as such things go. providing a wide range of information in simple and brief terms, and moreover serving both as a guidebook and a fully-annotated map to the collection.

As usual, I would be very happy to answer any-and-all questions which people may have about this guidebook and its contents, and moreover would welcome any further feedback and observations which those reading this post may have.

 

[TeaLovingDave]

Day 70: London Zoo (1953) - Giraffe and King Penguins

Page count: 10 pages (including interior front and rear covers)
Photographs: 6 colour photographs
Illustrations/diagrams: Drawings of zebra and elephants
Layout: General information for visitors to the zoo, followed by information on various activities, exhibits and events to mark the 125th anniversary of the Zoological Society of London, and the coronation of Queen Elizabeth II.
Map: Located within central pages of guidebook

An interesting oddity this time; rather than a full guidebook to London Zoo, this short pamphlet was published to mark the 125th anniversary of the zoo along with the coronation of Queen Elizabeth II, both of which took place in 1953. Although I have been aware for some time that this item existed, I suspect that it is rather scarce given the fact that I have yet to see it listed for sale on any of the various websites where the secondary market in guidebooks and other zoological paraphernalia takes place. However, in a stroke of luck a few years ago when I visited Oxford for the first time, I stumbled across this copy in a second-hand bookshop. Naturally I snapped it up!

The opening pages, as can be seen above, provide a wide range of useful visitor information - including the opening hours for the zoo, admission prices and details of the various amenities and services available - along with a general introduction detailing the two significant occasions which were being celebrated at the time of publication. It must be noted again that this is not so much a guidebook to the zoo as a whole, and more a visitor guide to the variety of special events, exhibits and other activities which had been arranged to mark the anniversary of the zoo and the coinciding Coronation Year.

As such, this is the subject which the bulk of the text relates to, discussing special animal exhibits (such as a display of species collected from throughout the Commonwealth and other regions of the world falling under the general umbrella at the time of the "British Empire", and imports of hummingbirds, silk moths and an infant elephant) along with historical exhibits and events, botanical displays, and the extension of zoo opening hours into the late evening for the first time since prior to the outbreak of WWII.

Along with this information, the central pages of this guidebook contain a map of the zoo, more or less identical to the one which was sold separately at the time of publication, but somewhat simplified from the more comprehensive map located within the "true" guidebook to the zoo available in 1953. Nonetheless, it is rather interesting to look at this map and reflect on how much of the overall layout of the zoo has started to become recognisable to modern eyes, with several structures which (whether in-use or not) are still standing to this day - especially when compared to the last London Zoo map we discussed within this thread.

This miniature guidebook concludes with a short advertisement for Whipsnade Zoo on the rear cover, providing key visitor details relating to admission prices, opening hours and accessibility from London itself.

Overall, then, a fairly simple item and one which (I must admit) I was rather tempted to scan and upload in its entirety given how scarce it is, and the fact that it represents a valuable and interesting document of zoological and social history; I may well still do so, as a matter of fact, in which case I will edit the images in question into this post. Despite its brevity, and the fact that it is nowhere as "in-depth" as other guidebooks published by London Zoo during the 1950s, this is nonetheless an item which I am *very* glad I was able to add to my collection.

 

[TeaLovingDave]

Day 71: Tallinna Loomaaed (1989) - Lynx

Page count: 72 pages
Photographs: c.58 colour photographs
Illustrations/diagrams: 58 colour illustrations
Layout: Introduction to the zoo and its history in four languages (Estonian, Russian, English, German), followed by general discussion of the species held within the collection divided into fish, reptiles and amphibians, birds and mammals, with a range of illustration plates and a full index concluding the guidebook.
Map: Located on interior front cover.

Quite an interesting item this time; although we have previously discussed a handful of guidebooks published during the Cold War behind the Iron Curtain, this is the first time that an item nominally produced within the former USSR itself has been randomly selected for discussion. This particular guidebook, the only one in my collection from Estonia at the time of writing, was published at the height of the Singing Revolution which would ultimately culminate in the independence of all three Baltic States in the years which would ultimately follow; as such, it comes from a highly-significant time, both in terms of the history of the zoological collection in question and the country within which it is located. The copy located within my collection was purchased several years ago on eBay, having been listed by an Estonian seller from whom I occasionally purchase zoo-related material originating from the Eastern Bloc and adjacent regions of Scandinavia.

The main body of the text opens with a lengthy, detailed and highly-interesting introductory passage relating the history of the zoo and providing a general introduction to the collection as it stood in 1989; this section provides a large amount of information about the 1939 founding of the zoo at its original site in Kadriorg Park, the damage and neglect it suffered during WWII and the early years of the Cold War, the slow development and growth of the collection from the 1960s onwards, and ultimately the relocation to a new site in the Veskimetsa subdistrict of the city. It also goes into some detail about the climate, temperature and geographic situation of the zoo, and presents a general summary of some of the key species held at the collection at the time of publication. Perhaps the most interesting information provided within this introductory passage is a list of key figures relating to the animal inventory as of January 1st 1989, which I shall reproduce here:

Mammals - 103 species (1125 specimens)
Birds - 132 species (516 specimens)
Reptiles - 55 species (132 specimens)
Amphibians - 25 species (250 specimens)
Fish - 123 species (2643 specimens)
Total - 433 species (4668 specimens)

It is also worth noting that this introductory segment is presented a total of four times in various languages; judging from variation in length, I suspect that the first two sections (in Estonian and Russian respectively) provide rather more detail than do the following English and German translations, but naturally without manually translating the text I cannot be certain of this point.

Beyond here, the remainder of the guidebook is purely Estonian-language only, and largely comprises four lengthy passages providing a general overview of the fish, reptiles and amphibians, birds. and mammals held within the collection at the time of publication. Each section is well-illustrated with numerous colour photographs depicting the various species mentioned within the text, along with a handful of drawings and diagrams in the segment pertaining to the fish held at the collection. One aspect of these sections which I find particularly satisfying is the fact that each and every species mentioned is listed both with their common name in Estonian and their full taxonomic name; this means that an Anglophone reader (or indeed anyone else reading this guidebook) is able to understand which species are being discussed within the text, even if they are unable to read Estonian with any fluency and therefore cannot read the vast majority of the text. It appears that each species is discussed in a reasonable amount of detail, judging from the overall length of the sections, the presence of numerical figures and statistics which appear to pertain to weight, height, length and so forth, and the amount of text often found between the mention of each taxonomic name; furthermore, there appear to be tables of comparative statistics located in one or two points in the overall text.

However, beyond here, the final major section of the guidebook contains content which is far easier for the Anglophone reader to interpret, and just as interesting as the historical discussions which opened the guidebook; firstly, a double-page spread contains a dozen colour photographs which are clearly intended to depict species bred at the collection around the time of publication, given the youth of all of the animals concerned, and includes species such as Maned Wolf, European Black Vulture, Bornean Orangutan and Eurasian Lynx. Secondly, several pages contain attractive and aesthetically-pleasing colour illustrations of a wide variety of birds and mammals held at the collection, primarily waterfowl, owls, pheasants, storks and cranes in the case of the former, and mustelid carnivores, caprines and deer in the case of the latter. My appreciation for interpretive and illustrative material of this nature is almost as strong as my appreciation of in-depth discussion of the historical and sociological background to a zoological collection, as my previous reviews of guidebooks have probably made very clear; as such, I feel this section helps to elevate the guidebook from being "merely" very good to being excellent.

The guidebook concludes with a full index of all species mentioned within the main body of the text; to be more accurate, two indexes are present, one pertaining to taxonomic names and another two common names. Again, this is the sort of material which I feel tends to elevate the quality of a zoo guidebook. I should here discuss the presence of a very simplified map to the collection within the interior front cover of the guidebook; as can be seen above, it more-or-less restrict itself to showing the major footpaths around the zoo, with the location of key species depicted with symbols. Somewhat incongruously, given the more sensible and serious tone of the guidebook itself, the map also contains a pair of cartoon birds for some reason; this is something of a pity in my opinion, as despite the brevity and simplicity of the map - and the complete lack of any text or key to the symbols used - it is nonetheless rather attractive and aesthetically-appealing. As such, these cartoon birds somewhat spoil the overall impression!

Overall, as one can probably already gather, I am extremely impressed and pleased with the overall quality and content of this guidebook; it provides a large amount of information relating to the collection, its history, and the species held within, alongside a large amount of aesthetically-pleasing illustrations and photographs, and as such provides all of the aspects which I tend to look for in a zoo guidebook whilst remaining accessible and interesting to a less "specialist" audience. This particular edition of the Tallinn Zoo guidebook tends to crop up on the secondary market fairly often, and therefore it is reasonable to assume it sold rather well at the time it was originally published; as such, anyone reading this thread who may be interested in obtaining a copy should not find this too difficult to achieve.

 

[TeaLovingDave]

Another "breather" post, to mark the fact that as of today I now have a full set of Zoo Berlin guidebooks from 1901 onwards; as such, I can now provide a montage photograph of the various shorter-format guidebooks published by the collection during the Weimar Republic era immediately following the end of WWI and the forcible abdication of Kaiser Wilhelm II.

Due to the extreme financial conditions of the time in Germany, this being the era of rampant hyperinflation, over a decade passed between the publication of the final guidebook prior to the war (in 1914) and the first post-war guidebook in 1925. Even then, the guidebooks published during the Weimar era are much shorter, more succinct and less lavishly presented than those which preceded and succeeded them; the ornate typeface found throughout the Zoo Berlin guidebooks of the early 20th century continued throughout the first handful of these guidebooks, with the switch to a more modern and legible typeface occurring with the 1929 edition (the first on the second row in the above photograph).

Any questions, comments and feedback would be very welcome!

 

[TeaLovingDave]

As a supplement of sorts to the previous post, here are all the guidebooks from 1901 to 2013 in order:

I think this goes some way to showing just how attractive these guidebooks are - the run of artwork throughout the Cold War years is particularly appealing to the eye, but I also have a strong soft spot for the cover artwork on the various guidebooks published prior to the Great War too!

 

[Newzooboy]

I think the 50th anniversary guide had a series of different covers - do you have all of those too?

 

[TeaLovingDave]

I think the 50th anniversary guide had a series of different covers - do you have all of those too?

If you mean the 150th anniversary one showing the Elephantentor, I've always suspected this is the case but have never come across any confirmation, whether this entails copies of this edition lacking the Elefantentor cover (and presumably showing some other structure) for sale on the secondary market, or even just photos/mention of guidebooks matching this description in other people's collection.

 

[Newzooboy]

If you mean the 150th anniversary one showing the Elephantentor, I've always suspected this is the case but have never come across any confirmation, whether this entails copies of this edition lacking the Elefantentor cover (and presumably showing some other structure) for sale on the secondary market, or even just photos/mention of guidebooks matching this description in other people's collection.

Sorry TLD, I was very unclear above. I meant the '50th edition' guide - bottom left in your pic above with hippos on cover. I have a '50th edition' with a polar bear cub on the cover (probably Knut).

 

[Newzooboy]

Actually, I think it's the English version of the same guide?

 

[TeaLovingDave]

Sorry TLD, I was very unclear above. I meant the '50th edition' guide - bottom left in your pic above with hippos on cover. I have a '50th edition' with a polar bear cub on the cover (probably Knut).

Actually, I think it's the English version of the same guide?

Ah, I understand what you mean now - yes, the German-language one has a hippo cover whilst the English translation has a polar bear cover (showing Knut as you suspected). I have both, to answer your initial question. The below image shows my complete collection of English-language guidebooks for Zoo Berlin: