The Tower Menagerie: The Amazing 600-Year History of the Royal Collection of Wild and Ferocious Beasts Kept at the Tower of London

Daniel Hahn's The Tower Menagerie: The Amazing 600-Year History of the Royal Collection of Wild and Ferocious Beasts Kept at the Tower of London is a fascinating look at a little known but highly interesting slice of history. Hahn is not a professional historian and the book reflects that, but at the same time he has put together a very readable account on a subject that crosses a number of historical, scientific and cultural threads. It was difficult to decide how many stars to give this book. I was tempted to give it only 3 stars as I felt it lacked the thoroughness that a professional historian would have shown, but at the same time I was also tempted to give it 5 stars for sheer uniqueness; there is, to my knowledge, only one other book dedicated solely to the topic of the Tower of London's menagerie, and that book is out of print. I settled on 4 stars for being readable, informative and in many places highly entertaining. Hahn may be forgiven for some of the book's spotty coverage on parts of the menagerie's medieval period as he, like any other researcher, can only research what was actually written and there are precious few resources to consult on the subject for that period. Hence the book's tendency towards an anecdotal style. That said, however, the book is filled with fascinating anecdotes that in themselves reveal a lot about the times the menagerie passed through, from the bizarre beliefs that people once held (that unicorns and dragons were as real as rhinos and giraffes, that elephants could only drink wine in the winter, that ostriches lived on a diet of nails), to the use of menageries as displays of royal and national prestige, and later, to the growth of what would ultimately be the public entertainment industry. To give you an idea of the kind of anecdotes you'll find in this book, this one deals with the gift of a polar bear to England's Henry III by the king of Norway: "This unprecendentedly awkward gift arrived in London with its keeper in the autumn of 1252. And... it certainly lost no time in capturing the attention and imagination of the people of the city. At first the sherriffs of the City of London were asked (told) to provide money towards the animal's food and keep... but after a year or so of this expense... the people of London were wisely instructed to invest in a muzzle, chain and rope, so that the animal could be kept on the bank of the Thames and could fish for his own food. -- Along with the animal's new fishing outfit, the sheriffs paid for a thick wrap for his devoted keeper, who was expected to accompany him into the Thames on his fishing expeditions (quite why remains a mystery); on less energetic days the bear could always fish from his place on the bank, doubtless to the relief of his put-upon companion. -- Foreign visitors coming to London for diplomacy or trade in the mid-thirteenth century, approaching by boat as most did, would have seen an extraordinary spectacle as they reached the Pool

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!

Funn. The animals and the characters each seem to have a personality. Different periods of history without allowing hte book to drag. Famous people are woven seemlesly into a consistent story.