Obaysch: A Hippopotamus in Victorian London

Description

Obaysch: A Hippopotamus in Victorian London is the story of Obaysch the hippopotamus, the first 'star' animal to be exhibited in the London Zoo. In 1850, a baby hippopotamus arrived on English shores, allegedly the first in Europe since the Roman Empire, and almost certainly the first in Europe since prehistoric times. Captured near an island from which he took his name, Obaysch was donated by the viceroy of Egypt in exchange for greyhounds and deerhounds. His arrival was greeted with a wave of 'Hippomania', doubling the number of visitors to the zoo. Uncovering the circumstances of Obaysch's capture and exhibition, John Simons investigates the notion of a 'star' animal, as well as the cultural value that Obaysch, and the other hippos who joined him over the following few years, accumulated. This book also delves into the historical context of Obaysch and his audience, considering the relationship between Victorian attitudes to hippopotami and the expansion of the British Empire into sub-Saharan Africa. 'Obaysch: A Hippopotamus in Victorian London is a fine example of how an academic book can work for a general readership...it is over and above an accessible, intelligent, charming, sometimes funny, sometimes sad account of Obaysch.' - Stephen Romei, The Australian

Emeritus Professor John Simons is an historian specialising in the history of animals. He has written or edited twenty books, on topics ranging from Middle English chivalric romance to Andy Warhol to the history of cricket. His previous books on animals include Animal Rights and the Politics of Literary Representation (2002), Rosetti's Wombat (2008), The Tiger That Swallowed the Boy: Exotic Animals in Victorian England (2012) and Kangaroo (2012), which was listed for the Royal Society of Biology's Book of the Year Award. He is a published poet and has just completed his first novel. He has worked in universities on every continent except Antarctica and most recently was Deputy Vice-Chancellor (Academic) at Macquarie University in Sydney.

"[This book] is over and above an accessible, intelligent, charming, sometimes funny, sometimes sad account of Obaysch, who lived at the London Zoo from 1850 until his premature death there in 1878, aged about 28." -- Stephen Romei * The Australian * "This is not a trivial undertaking. If we are to understand animals' lives in any meaningful way, we must, as Simons argues, learn to understand animals as more than mere things whose chief interest lies in what they represent or tell us about ourselves." -- James Bradley * Sydney Morning Herald * "riveting ... Alongside his in-depth research into the lives of hippos, Simons raises philosophical issues that have contemporary relevance ... he involves the reader in hippo narratives and the ethics of capture and captivity" -- Wendy Woodward * Animal Studies Journal * "[The book] would be of interest to anyone with an interest in the Victorians, the history of exotic animals and, of course, anyone with an interest in those fascinating animals - hippos. It is relevant to both academics and to a wider readership ... The book is part of the Animal Publics series featuring interdisciplinary research in animal studies. If all the books in the series are so absorbing, readable and informative, I look forward to reading more." -- Ann Sylph * Archives of Natural History *