Jumbo was a
superstar of the Victorian era. Every day tens of thousands of
people would visit this adored animal known as “the Children’s Pet”
or, more simply, “the Giant Elephant,” at the London Zoo. When P.T.
Barnum purchased him for his Greatest Show on Earth, Jumbo’s
transport to the U.S. made headlines for weeks, and he was an
instant sensation in America. His name entered our lexicon as an
adjective for oversized things, and half a century after his death
his still-famous and unrivalled popularity was the inspiration for
Walt Disney’s Dumbo. But fame comes at a price and, like so many
modern celebrities, Jumbo led a troubled private life that was far
from idyllic. His best friend – a zookeeper named Matthew Scott, who
remained by Jumbo’s side in Britain and the United States for twenty
years – was moody and manipulative, and Jumbo himself attracted
rumors of violent tantrums, a fondness for drink, and of a “wife” he
left behind in order to make it big in America.
From an
eyewitness account of Jumbo’s capture in Africa after ivory hunters
had killed his parents, to his early years at the Paris zoo where he
was mistreated and regarded as a disappointing runt, to his stunning
growth spurt in London where he became the largest elephant in
captivity, to the “Jumbo craze” that swept across Britain and the
United States, Paul Chambers utilizes new archival material in fully
telling Jumbo’s story for the first time.
Condition:
Fine in Fine dustjacket. Click on image above to see close-up of book condition.
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