America's Top 100 Zoos & Aquariums

As for North American sales, I do have one suggestion for @Tim Brown and @snowleopard . I would suggest you contact (email) the Association of Zoo & Aquarium Docents and ask if one of their members would be willing to post a review in their newsletter in exchange for a complimentary copy of the book. This might result in at least a few purchases from their members. (I have not been a docent myself for several years now, so I am NOT offering my services, but I did go to one of their conferences which had several hundred attendees, so I think it's worth your time). Also @snowleopard may want to contact his nearby Woodland Park Zoo (or even Point Defiance) to see if they would be interested in him doing a special talk with signed copies for purchase afterwards.
 
Hipporex said:
It's official then: @TinoPup's mother will be the official Zoochat book transporter for us American Zoochatters! Now let's discuss payment, would bartering be on the table...?
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:p Honestly she probably would, it just becomes a matter of weight in how many she could bring back, lol. I'm not sure when she's going over again next, probably not until January or Feb because she manages a retail store.
 
I haven't posted in a while, but I heard about this book through facebook and just want to say I am really curious which zoos and aquariums are included as an enthousiastic american zoo visitor from europe (just visited our 56st usa zoo last month) and ofcourse I also have my preferences;)
Can't wait to check it out!
 
snowleopard said:
Now that is interesting. I wasn't sure whether Amazon UK would ship to Canada until just last week when I placed an order for a children's zoo book. It arrived a week later and service was prompt, although the postal rate was slightly higher than normal.

If a zoo nerd lives in a nation where Amazon UK won't deliver, then the IZES website (the link is below) is the second option and that is just as easy to order books from as I've done it myself on several occasions in the past. Once the book is ready to go then the IZES website will be perfect for members (as they get a discount of 5 British pounds) and Aussies, plus anyone else who cannot order through Amazon.co.uk

http://www.izes.co.uk/

Ordering and receiving the book is going to be a piece of cake once it's ready to go, with the only annoyance the higher postage fees for mailing the book overseas. (I personally order from Amazon.ca, Amazon.com, Amazon.co.uk., Abe Books, Book Depository, etc., and online ordering is fast and efficient these days) While ordering through IZES, once the book is placed for sale on that website, I would encourage zoo nerds to also order a subscription to the Zoo Grapevine & International Zoo News magazine as it is a quarterly publication that is approximately 40 glossy, all-colour pages of zoo news, zoo reviews and fantastic articles about captive wildlife.
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That's good to know for some Canadian members (myself included)
 
Very quickly(for the moment) and to give an up-to-date.The book is in the process of being printed at the moment,i should know more by Monday. To be honest getting it finished and as perfect as it can be has been my only concern,we will worry about selling the thing when it actually exists. It is an IZES publication which we believe fills a niche in the market,but as such is a specialist publication not really intended to rival JK Rowling in Boston`s Barnes and Noblel!.You wouldnt believe how difficult it is to get product on Amazon,and ive had to get third party fulfillment on such as situation(even that will take a week or two)..but it only covers the UK.The cost of getting the book to a distributor in the States and then dealing with the logistics of such a situation is not anything we can contemplate currently,so i apologise to everyone for the cost of postage on overseas orders. I came up with the idea of this book as a counterpart to Sheridan`s book on European zoos but with the angles that i wanted to exist ,rather than his.There are a number of issues with selling/distributing the product that i couldnt possibly explain here and now. Funnily enough the ZAA will almost certainly review the book(despite having only a few members in it) whereas the AZA may well be circumspect about reviewing a book that has criticisms of some of its members...but I`ll give it a try. Add to all that I own a mail order business (vinyl records) trying to cope with pre Christmas business as it is...and,next week there will be the latest edition of Zoo Grapevine and International Zoo News to mail out(not a two-minute job). I also own part of a small chain of record shops in Toronto but it was hardly any cheaper to mail to the U.S. from Canada than from the UK.
But,genuinely,thanks to everyone for their interest. I will endeavour to keep everyone posted with developments/queries. Thanks.
 
@Tim Brown I think you are correct about AZA. I sent their headquarters a free copy of my southwest zoo book (which had only positive remarks about the zoos) and they never even acknowledged it. Not even a simple thank you note or email. Same is true for most of the zoo directors, all of whom I sent a free copy as well. And forget about the difficulty in trying to get it into the zoo gift shops.
 
Re.Arizona Docent`s comments about zoo directors..it will be interesting to see how many zoos included in the book actually buy it. Obviously all will be approached,and i know some of these people anyway. I long since ,on other projects,gave up on zoo shops - increasingly many have few,or indeed no,books in them these days and zoos in general dont seem very keen on books that include other zoos ....why would Fort Worth want to blow Dallas` trumpet for instance?
At the moment it is a 1000 copies, after IZES members,two wholesale enquiries and the positive noises from various zoochatters we might just do another print run....or perhaps just leave it at that,with the implications of it being rather a nice investment.
 
Please put a copy to one side for me, Tim.
With reference to book sales in zoo shops... Our shops inevitably have finite shelf space and all products have to earn their place. We stock what sells, both with gifts and catering. Books have generally poor margins compared to competing gift lines, and demand is not there. We sell a few children's lines, usually to grand-parents as gifts for children who don't really want them as they don't read any more. Our own guide-book sells very well, thanks to a low price and a nice quality (as a result of kind help from several parties), and because we do not offer a free map, which would dilute sales. As 2020 is our 30th birthday, we do plan a photographic coffee-table book to illustrate some of the animals kept here over the years, but this will be a very limited run.
 
30 years of Hamerton eh? My first job interview at Belle Vue Zoo in 1974 seems like a another world, but Hamerton opening up seems like yesterday. Latest on the top 100 book is that it should be ready at the end of next week. Then we have to get it on the website and Amazon will be a couple of weeks later(UK only please remember)..but we`re getting there!
 
Tim and I have decided to launch a competition in support of promoting our upcoming book. At this point in time we have no immediate plans to announce the list of 100 major zoos, with their multi-page essays and many full-colour photos. However, at the back of the book we have a section of Top 20 Specialist Collections and Smaller Zoos that are summarized with exactly one paragraph each. All of these 'zoos' are a half-day at best, with some of them easily toured in an hour or two. None of them are arguably substantial enough to have qualified for a full essay in the group of 100, but many fill a niche market and are specialized in terms of representing a certain type of animal, or showcase a particular geographical area, or are simply good enough to have a spotlight shined down upon them via a couple of seasoned zoo enthusiasts.

It would be much too difficult to look at the 800 or so zoos in the USA and attempt to guess what 20 we chose and so we've provided 20 clues below (one for each facility) to help you on your quest. The first person to guess all 20 correctly will receive a free copy of our book. If no one gets them all correct then the closest answer will be the winner.

Good luck and post your answers on this thread!

1- Nearby is the location of one of the world's great tennis tournaments.

2- This establishment has an aviary for White-tailed Sea Eagles.

3- This is a visible figurehead of a noted marine scientific organization on the West Coast.

4- For those with a sweet tooth.

5- This small, specialist facility is located in a park that once was home to a zoo with elephants, but the zoo ended up moving to a less central location.

6- Currently closed to the public as a major renovation is taking place.

7- Located in a town with an unusual two-word name that sounds rather British.

8- Spadefish!

9- The largest zoo in North America.

10- This facility has a cafe that serves up rather unusual fare in addition to burgers and sandwiches.

11- Banana Slugs and Rubber Boas are on display in one building here.

12- This facility is also known for its high-quality traveling exhibitions.

13- Sky Dome.

14- This facility is located in a city of less than 3,000 people.

15- Once the home of a legendary rattlesnake expert (not Laurence Klauber).

16- Once it had them all...but due to taxonomic changes now it doesn't.

17- This facility is just shy of 3 acres in size and almost entirely indoors.

18- Next year will be the 20th anniversary celebration.

19- This establishment was the first zoo in the USA to charge a conservation entrance fee.

20- This place has released more than 1,000 peer-reviewed publications and is open by appointment only.
 
I propose that European zoochatters should hold off on attempting this until any American members who so desire have had a crack at it, given its going to be easier for us to get the book anyhow :)
 
TeaLovingDave said:
I propose that European zoochatters should hold off on attempting this until any American members who so desire have had a crack at it, given its going to be easier for us to get the book anyhow :)
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I've already tried, but I sent it in a PM to avoid any of my answers from being stolen. :);)
 
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I announced the 20-question quiz on Friday morning (according to the time in British Columbia, Canada) and since I'm typing this late on Sunday night, there has essentially been 3 full days and I think it's time for the European zoo enthusiasts to tackle the quiz. It's the Euro zoo nerds who buy 98% of all zoo-related books anyway and it would be terrific to see an individual on this site receive a free copy. Even if one has already ordered the Brown/Richardson book (super easy to do via the IZES link below), then I still urge people to try the quiz anyway.

http://www.izes.co.uk/default.asp

Post your answers on this thread OR reply to me via a private message and I'll let you know your score.
 
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