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New Worlds, New Animals

From Menagerie to Zoological Park in the Nineteenth Century

edited by R.J. Hoage and William A. Deiss

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From King Solomon's collections of "apes and peacocks" to the menageries of English and Hapsburg monarchs, the display of exotic animals has delighted and amazed observers for centuries. Originally prized as symbols of elite wealth and power, such collections have been dramatically transformed since 1800—particularly in terms of audience and purpose.

In New Worlds, New Animals, R. J. Hoage and William A. Deiss assemble essays that concentrate on the development of the modern zoo in the nineteenth century. Taking an in-depth look at the social climate of the century, they chart the transition...

From King Solomon's collections of "apes and peacocks" to the menageries of English and Hapsburg monarchs, the display of exotic animals has delighted and amazed observers for centuries. Originally prized as symbols of elite wealth and power, such collections have been dramatically transformed since 1800—particularly in terms of audience and purpose.

In New Worlds, New Animals, R. J. Hoage and William A. Deiss assemble essays that concentrate on the development of the modern zoo in the nineteenth century. Taking an in-depth look at the social climate of the century, they chart the transition from elaborate menageries for exclusive patrons to public facilities that expressed the power and might of nations to institutions dedicated to public education, wildlife conservation, and biological research. These changes reflect the larger transformation of the West—from the colonial era's desire to "tame" newly discovered continents to today's more egalitarian, conservation-minded world.

New Worlds, New Animals begins with an overview of the history of menageries in antiquity and their development in Europe and the United States. Zoos in many countries had quite different origins—including a fish market that became an animal dealership before becoming a zoo and an Australian way station originally designed to acclimate Old World domestic stock to a new continent.

The authors also examine the period in the United States between 1830 and 1880, when popular traveling animal shows and circuses gave way to the first public zoos in New York and Philadelphia. They take an in-depth look at the establishment of the National Zoological Park in Washington, D.C.—the first zoo created to preserve endangered species. Illustrated with nearly 100 photographs, New Worlds, New Animals gives readers a new respect for and understanding of the role of zoos in social and cultural history.

Reviews

Reviews

This volume succeeds in presenting a balanced view of zoological park development in the last century, and has a global perspective... it is truly a fine effort of scholarship and invaluable to any person seeking a greater knowledge of the history, aspirations, and roles of zoos in Western Civilization.

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Book Details

Publication Date
Status
Available
Trim Size
7
x
10
Pages
224
ISBN
9780801853739
Illustration Description
97 b&w illus.
Table of Contents

Foreword, by Michael H. Robinson
Preface and Acknowledgments
Part I: Overviews
Reflections on Zoo history
Menageries and Zoosz to 1900
Menageries, Mataphors, and Meanings
Part II: European and Colonial Zoos

Foreword, by Michael H. Robinson
Preface and Acknowledgments
Part I: Overviews
Reflections on Zoo history
Menageries and Zoosz to 1900
Menageries, Mataphors, and Meanings
Part II: European and Colonial Zoos
Zoos in the Family: The Geoffroy Saint-Hilaire Clan and the Three Zoos of Paris
The Order of Nature: Constructing the Collections of Victorian Zoos
A Tale of Two Zoos: The Hamburg Zoological Garden and Carl Hagenbeck's Tierpark
Zoos and Aquariums of Berlin
A Paradox of Purposes: Acclimatization Origins of the Melbourne Zoo
Ram Bramha Sanyal and the Establishment of the Calcutta Zoological Gardens
Part III: The American Scene
American Showmen and European Dealers: Commerce in Wild Animals in Nineteenth-Century America
The Origin and Development of American Zoological Parks to 1899
The National Zoological Park: "City of Refuge" or Zoo?
Epilogue
Appendixes
The Value of Old Photographs of Zoological Collections
The Architechture of the National Zoological Park
Notes
List of Contributors
Index

Author Bios
Featured Contributor

Robert J. Hoage

Robert J. Hoage is chief of the office of public affairs for the National Zoological Park in Washington D.C.