The Zoo: The Wild and Wonderful Tale of the Founding of London Zoo: 1826-1851

This book seems well researched. Personally, I thought it was worth reading just for the pages concerning Charles Darwin. I imagine readers with different interests will find other parts of the book just as compelling.

Things I never knew

More blah, blah, blah!

I checked this out from my local library because: (1) I like animals (2) I like London (3) I like learning about the Victorian era. So it was shocking for an animal lover like me to read in the VERY FIRST PARAGRAPH about a ship at sea with many animals on board catching fire, and all of the animals burn up. What the hell. The passengers miraculously escape and arrive in London, with no explanation as to their rescue or details on how they got there. I read another twenty pages and gave up. Her writing style is very affected and unclear.

I bought this for my book club. I was excited to read this book based on the endorsements, but I just couldn't get into it. It's the first book for my book club I wasn't able to finish, and as our meeting approached I was rather nervous about looking like a plonker. However, I found to my surprise that most of my fellow book club members hadn't finished it either! Bits of the book were interesting but I felt the chapters were unfinished - the things I was curious about weren't addressed (what happened to the family of the initial founder who was discussed in chapter one and who died?). On the recommendation of my book club friends I've gone back to read the chapter on Charles Darwin which is interesting. The writing style was quite inaccessible. This is a quirky book that will appeal to many , it just wasn't my thing. I have to say it was impeccably researched though.

A fascinating history of the origins of London Zoo – the world’s oldest scientific zoo.Written almost as if an old fashioned newspaper article itself, this is an engaging tale of how society and perceptions developed to create a slice of the exotic in Regents Park. Filled with scheming individuals, political infighting and personal ambition trampling on animal protection this sets the scene for what we have today.I didn’t read the blurb correctly and was expecting the timeline to feature more recent additions and characters such as Guy, the gorilla, or Chi Chi, the giant panda, but this is nevertheless an enjoyable read and leaves room for a sequel to bring things up to date.

Really enjoyed this book. I once lived near Regents Park and I wish I knew these historical facts and those fascinating lives of those people involved in creating it. I always love a book that makes me want to research more on the subject matter. It’s a pity these people are not as well known (apart from Mr. Darwin) to everyone.

A great read and very interesting to hear how the London Zoo came into being. Although the stories about how the animals were treated are heart rending they do give a perspective on how over time animal welfare has progressed.

Love this book, took me a while to get used to the style of it and the chapters are long. But I would definitely recommend.