Hahn's writing is knowledgeable, intelligent and witty. This book had me chuckling out loud and I would highly recommend it.


Terrific fun and entertaining   April 20, 2003
Daniel Hahn has worked wonders to compress 600 years of history into such a perfectly formed book, and if he digresses occasionally it is always on a subject more or less relevant and never dull. The book is also beautifully illustrated, with line drawings and colour pictures showing how animals have been represented over the centuries. All in all a gem of a book which should appeal to fans of e.g. Simon Winchester or Giles Milton.


Please DO Feed The Lions!   April 12, 2003
 3 out of 3 found this review helpful

This is a very interesting and entertaining look at the Royal Menagerie, which was kept in the Tower of London from 1235 until 1835. Daniel Hahn explains how the menagerie started as just a place to keep a single gift of three leopards that had been given to King Henry III. It expanded over the years to include other gifts from visiting royalty, as well as animals brought back by various explorers. Originally, only V.I.P.'s could get in to see the collection but later on the public were also admitted....if a person could afford the price of a ticket. However, if you couldn't afford to pay your way in, you were allowed to donate the family dog or cat, to be used to feed the animals! The menagerie, unlike zoos today, originally had no true educational purpose. It did serve to satisfy curiosity about what previously unknown animals did look like, but in those violent days people mostly wanted to be entertained. So, for example, fierce dogs would be thrown in with a lion and people got to watch the resulting fracas. If no fights were scheduled, you could at least get to watch the inmates of the menagerie being fed fresh (meaning still living) meals! Mr. Hahn does a nice job of tracing the changes in how the menagerie was operated, as society changed. Originally, people didn't think that animals had any rights, so the animals were treated poorly. They lived in cramped conditions and the keepers were ignorant concerning what the animals should be fed. They were especially stumped by herbivores. They tried feeding a beaver with bread and they gave an elephant only wine to drink. Many years later, when people started to think that animals deserved decent treatment, living space was expanded and efforts were made to keep the animals clean and comfortable. The whole thing came to an end in 1835 when the Duke of Wellington had all the animals from the royal collection carted off to the newly opened zoo at Regent's Park (which he had an interest in). This is a quick but enjoyable read, enlivened with many anecdotes and by the author's considerable sense of humor.


A great read!   April 5, 2003
 5 out of 5 found this review helpful

This isn't really a book about a zoo. Amazingly, it's more of a trip through various years of human history with the zoo as a recurring reference. Daniel Hahn manages to weave in and out of people, ideas and events and pulls them together in a way you wish your history teacher had done back at school.

In a sprightly fashion, we get a complete picture of six centuries of human development and man's relationship with animals. This is done through various stories linking culture, science and politics.

As a quick sample: we learn how John Wesley had flute music played to the animals to determine if they had a soul; we cover the continuous links between lions and the British monarchy; there is political intrigue and concern at Darwin's theory of evolution; and we find out the origin of bull and bear stock markets.

This brings me to, what I call, the information-on-the-side in this book, which acts as a wonderful source of interest. Daniel Hahn gives Oliver Sacks a run for his money with his fascinating asides and footnotes and then wins hands-down by making them some of the funniest things ever written.

This book is a delight from start to finish. It's thoughtful, fascinating and packed with history, insight and wonderful observations. I urge you to read it - you'll love it!


Of zoos, zoolatrists and other misdemeanants...   April 4, 2003
Do you combine a passion for animals, royal heritage with a healthy dose of eccentricity? are you perhaps a Brit, or well on your way to becoming one? You could do much worse than to read this sparkling book, a roaring pleasure bringing the past, and particularly past ways of understanding animals, to life.