The Tiger that Swallowed the Boy

[Paradoxurus]

"The Tiger that Swallowed the Boy - Exotic Animals in Victorian England"
by John Simons, published by Libri Publishing (Faringdon, UK, 2012).
ISBN 9781907471711

Has anyone else got this book yet and what are your thoughts?

In many ways it reminded me of a condensed version of some of Clinton Keeling's "Where the..." books in that it is a hitch potch of anecdotes and patchy facts about some long lost collections from the Victorian period. Of course Jamrach (the book is named after an incident involving Charles Jamrach) features prominently and as complete a biography so far compiled is included. It also outlines the many private menageries of the period and reels out a potted history of the travelling menageries.

It is not without its shortcomings however. There are quite a lot of typographical errors. Although I appreciate the author is a superb researcher and historian, there are also one or two factual errors that suggest he hasn't a background in zoo history. The Stubbs painting described on page 8 does not depict a leopard but a cheetah, the proprietor of the Exeter Change menagerie was Gilbert Pidcock (not George Piodcock, p.109), the white "cougar" at Rothschild's Tring Museum is actually a leopard, the "Gorillas" that escaped from Mander's Menagerie in Derbyshire in 1857 were most likely not that species (Wombell's exhibited "Jenny" in 1855 don't forget, but the author describes the "first live Gorilla in Europe" at Regent's Park in 1869) and the first zoo in Southport was not the one opened in 1952 (p.125) as there was one operating for a few years from the 1870s.

I was also surprised that although Frank Buckland crops up throughout the book, his detailed account of Jamrach's premises seems to be the only one not included.

Unfortunately there is a dearth of citations and references so the root of some of these errors cannot be traced.

Despite these minor grumbles, the book is well worth a read if you are interested in zoo history and the story of the wild animal trade in Britain. It mentions, in more or less detail, the old zoos of Cheltenham, Oldham, Hull, Preston, Manchester, Liverpool, Eastham, Rosherville, Leeds, Groudle Glen, Glasgow, Edinburgh, Surrey, the travelling menageries of Wombwell, Day, Bostock, Manders, Hilton, Whittington, Atkins, Morgan, Ballard, Batty and more...

I recomend it.

 

[Tim May]

"The Tiger that Swallowed the Boy - Exotic Animals in Victorian England"
by John Simons, published by Libri Publishing (Faringdon, UK, 2012).
ISBN 9781907471711

Has anyone else got this book yet and what are your thoughts?

Yes, I’ve purchased a copy of "The Tiger that Swallowed the Boy - Exotic Animals in Victorian England" . Perhaps not surprisingly, my opinion is much the same as yours.

In particular, I concur with you regarding Clinton Keeling’s books; in many ways this recent volume is reminiscent of Clin’s books about zoos that closed long ago and these similarities added to my enjoyment of the new book.

I agree, too, about the section on Jamrach; it is the most comprehensive that I’ve ever read. Really somebody should write a detailed history of Jamrach and his role in the animal trade.

Indeed, as you mention, there are a number of typographic errors in The Tiger that Swallowed the Boy - Exotic Animals in Victorian England; it would certainly have benefited from more thorough proof-reading. There are few factual mistakes too; for example, the orang-utan that arrived at London Zoo in 1837 was not the first in England.

Nevertheless, aside from a few quibbles, I thoroughly enjoyed this book; it contains a lot of fascinating information. I suspect it will be a book that I refer to quite often. For this reason I regret that it is only available in paperback; I would have been happy to pay a bit more for a hardback edition.

I’d certainly recommend it to anybody interested in zoo history.

 

[Paradoxurus]

In fact, I was a little surprised that none Clin's works were refered to at all. I suspect that the author must have been unaware of the publications since there are many pieces of the jigsaw that Clin sourced that seem not to have been referenced in "The Tiger...".

RE. a biography of Jamrach. I am also surprised that it has never been done before. However, I am even more surprised that Edward Cross' biographjy has never been written. Strangely, Simons seems to pay disproportionatly little attention to the activites of Cross during (and leading up to) the Victorian era covered by the book. The King's Mews and Cross's occupancy of it between 1829 and 1832 is not mentioned at all. Edward Cross' is a fascinating story and one that is not too difficult to research. Any takers?