The first comprehensive biography of one of the first celebrity animals who gave us one of our favourite words. Jumbo; Victorian Englands favourite elephant; was born in 1861 in French Sudan; imported to a Parisian zoo and later sold on to London; where ndash; for seventeen years ndash; he dutifully gave children rides and ate buns from their hands; all the while being tortured at night to keep him docile. Worldwide fame came when he was bought by the American showman and scam artist P.T. Barnum in 1881; despite letters from 100;000 British schoolchildren who wrote to Queen Victoria begging her to prevent the sale. Barnum went on to transform Jumbo into a lucrative circus act and one of the most loved animals of all time; establishing elephants as a regular feature of funhouses and menageries the world over. Using the heartwrenching story of Jumbos celebrity life; tragic death in Canada in 1885; and his enduring cultural legacy; Jumbo is personal and fascinating reflection on our cultural elephantiasis by one of our most distinguished literary-critical detectives; which is guaranteed to amuse; stimulate; provoke and delight in equal measure.
#134816 in eBooks 2005-05-10 2005-05-10File Name: B00IN9OVDM
Review
0 of 0 people found the following review helpful. Kindle Fire Version NoteBy G. Alvin SimonsThe Kindle Fire version is formatted to zoom in on the comic panels. Just zoom in expand them with your fingers. I loved the first book on regrettable heroes. This one looks just as good.0 of 0 people found the following review helpful. Five StarsBy CustomerPerfect gift6 of 6 people found the following review helpful. Great and funny historical reference.By L. MastrangeloThis is what I would call a "Bathroom Book" or maybe a coffee table book. You could burn out quickly trying to read it in one setting. I dont imagine it was planned for that anyway. Its best left somewhere you can occasionally grab it and read about a few characters; put it down and then come back again later to read a few more. It looks like a giant comic book and the cover is designed to appear a bit tattered like a well read one- but its not. People seeing it on a table will be drawn to it.As far as content; this book is just as advertised on the cover and in the description. The best thing about this book is not just the villains discussed but in the way their stories are told by the author. This book would be informative but possibly dull if not for the wit of Jon Morris- both generally and sarcastically. It really makes the entire book so much more enjoyable. Each character gets 2-4 pages including a legend showing their heroical nemesis; their debut and longevity dates; a cover from one of the comics they appear in; and some additional panels.One added bonus that I was not thinking about when I got it was the culture and its social and political influences on the comics of various generations. You can see how religion; economy; and war (Nazis and Germany- especially Hitler himself) influenced the comics of their respective eras.To summarize; it was funny and educational and a book I suspect will be around my house for a long time. As a result; I ordered the previous book about regrettable heroes.
