Jumbo: The Greatest Elephant in the World
By
Chambers, Paul Steerforth Press 9781586421410
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This
biography of the most famous elephant to ever live--his name entered
the lexicon as an adjective for oversized things, and he was the
inspiration for Walt Disney's "Dumbo"--draws on new material to tell a
rich, deeply moving tale.
Publisher Comments
Jumbo was a superstar of the Victorian era. Every day tens of thousands
of people would visit this adored animal known as "the Children's Pet"
or, more simply, "the Giant Elephant," at the London Zoo. When P.T.
Barnum purchased him for his Greatest Show on Earth, Jumbo's transport
to the U.S. made headlines for weeks, and he was an instant sensation
in America. His name entered our lexicon as an adjective for oversized
things, and half a century after his death his still-famous and
unrivalled popularity was the inspiration for Walt Disney's "Dumbo,"
But fame comes at a price and, like so many modern celebrities, Jumbo
led a troubled private life that was far from idyllic. His best friend
- a zookeeper named Matthew Scott, who remained by Jumbo's side in
Britain and the United States for twenty years - was moody and
manipulative, and Jumbo himself attracted rumors of violent tantrums, a
fondness for drink, and of a "wife" he left behind in order to make it
big in America.
From
an eyewitness account of Jumbo's capture in Africa after ivory hunters
had killed his parents, to his early years at the Paris zoo where he
was mistreated and regarded as a disappointing runt, to his stunning
growth spurt in London where he became the largest elephant in
captivity, to the "Jumbo craze" that swept across Britain and the
United States, Paul Chambers utilizes new archival material in fully
telling Jumbo's story for the first time.
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