About this item
Highlights
- The newspapers called him "Overshadowing Monarch Mastodon," "Behemoth of Holy Writ" and "Prodigious Mountain.
- About the Author: Les Harding, a former academic librarian, has written numerous articles and book reviews and more than a dozen books.
- 135 Pages
- Biography + Autobiography, General
Description
Book Synopsis
The newspapers called him "Overshadowing Monarch Mastodon," "Behemoth of Holy Writ" and "Prodigious Mountain." He was the main event at the greatest show on earth: Jumbo, at around 6-1/2 tons and almost 12 feet tall, the biggest elephant anyone had ever seen. Jumbo's mere presence in the Barnum, Bailey and Hutchinson circus guaranteed an additional $3,000 a day in box office receipts. More of an exhibit than a performer, Jumbo was simply paraded around the three rings. But still the people came, just to marvel at the size of this monster pachyderm.
This work traces Jumbo's capture in East Africa, his life in the London Zoo, the controversy over his sale for $10,000 to American showman P.T. Barnum, his journey across the Atlantic, his life as the most famous attraction in Barnum's circus, and his tragic death in a railway accident in Canada in 1885.
Review Quotes
"provides the details of the life and death of Barnum's 12-foot-tall attraction...offers background on Barnum's life, the history of elephants in circuses, and a list of other famous elephants"-C&RL News.
About the Author
Les Harding, a former academic librarian, has written numerous articles and book reviews and more than a dozen books. He lives in St. John's, Newfoundland, Canada.