Book
A training school for elephants / Sophy Roberts.
Record details
- ISBN: 9780802164865 (hardcover)
- Physical Description: xvii, 412 pages : illustrations, maps ; 24 cm
- Edition: First Grove Atlantic hardcover editon.
- Publisher: New York : Atlantic Monthly Press, 2025.
Content descriptions
| General Note: | Colour illustrations on endpapers. |
| Bibliography, etc. Note: | Includes bibliographical references and index. |
| Formatted Contents Note: | Prologue to an adventure -- Shopping for an elephant -- The Paris of East Africa -- Sink or swim -- Miss Kisabengo -- Big with blessing -- Acacia horrida -- The land of the moon -- Chief of chiefs -- Fish without number -- Paradise plains -- Two tin boxes. |
Search for related items by subject
| Genre: | Biographies. Personal narratives. |
- Baker & Taylor
"Out of a sidelined, colonial-era expedition in Africa comes a new story of cruelty, deception and adventure from the acclaimed author of The Lost Pianos of Siberia. In 1879, King Leopold II of Belgium launched an ambitious plan to plunder Africa's resources. The key to cracking open the continent, or so he thought, was its elephants- if only he could train them. And so he commissioned the charismatic Irish adventurer Frederick Carter to ship four tamed Asian elephants from India to the East African coast, where they were marched inland towards Congo. The ultimate aim was to establish a training school for African elephants. Following in the footsteps of the four elephants, Roberts pieces together the story of this long-forgotten expedition, in travels that take her to Belgium, Iraq, India, Tanzania, and Congo. The storytelling brings to life a compelling cast of historic characters and modern voices, from ivory dealers to Catholic nuns, set against rich descriptions of the landscapes travelled. In an original weave of past and present, she digs deep into historic records revealing an extraordinary-and enduring-story of colonial greed, hypocrisy, and folly"-- - Baker & Taylor
A gripping historical narrative traces a forgotten colonial-era expedition to train African elephants, uncovering a tale of exploitation, deception and adventure through vivid storytelling, diverse voices and explorations spanning continents and centuries. - Perseus Publishing
Out of a sidelined, colonial-era expedition in Africa comes a new history of cruelty, deception and adventure from the acclaimed author of The Lost Pianos of Siberia
In 1879, King Leopold II of Belgium launched an ambitious plan to plunder Africaâs resources. The key to cracking open the continent, or so he thought, was its elephantsâif only he could train them. And so he commissioned the charismatic Irish adventurer Frederick Carter to ship four tamed Asian elephants from India to the East African coast, where they were marched inland towards Congo. The ultimate aim was to establish a training school for African elephants.
Following in the footsteps of the four elephants, Roberts pieces together the story of this long-forgotten expedition, in travels that take her to Belgium, Iraq, India, Tanzania, and Congo. The storytelling brings to life a compelling cast of historic characters and modern voices, from ivory dealers to Catholic nuns, set against rich descriptions of the landscapes travelled. In an original weave of past and present, she digs deep into historic records revealing an extraordinaryâand enduringâstory of colonial greed, hypocrisy, and folly.
