In the eighteenth
century, it would not have been impossible to encounter an elephant or a
kangaroo making its way down the Strand, heading towards the menagerie
of Mr. Pidcock at the Exeter Change. Pidcock s was just one of a number
of commercial menagerists who plied their trade in London in this period
the predecessors to the zoological societies of the Victorian era. As
the British Empire expanded and seaborne trade flooded into London s
ports, the menagerists gained access to animals from the most far-flung
corners of the globe, and these strange creatures became the objects of
fascination and wonder. Many aristocratic families sought to create
their own private menageries with which to entertain their guests, while
for the less well-heeled, touring exhibitions of exotic creatures both
alive and dead satisfied their curiosity for the animal world. While
many exotic creatures were treasured as a form of spectacle, others
fared less well turtles went into soups and civet cats were sought after
for ingredients for perfume. In this entertaining and enlightening
book, Plumb introduces the many tales of exotic animals in London.
I received this book in exchange for an honest review. I have to say
that I am torn about this book. While I love historic books, the history
of this book is very hard to stomach. It is very well written, but the
subject matter is quite cruel. I think this would be a wonderful book
for someone that likes this type of history but I don't think that it
was for me.
No comments:
Post a Comment