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Zarafa
A Giraffe's True Story, from Deep in Africa to the Heart of Paris
by Michael Allin
ISBN: 0385334117
ISBN-13: 9780385334112
Format: Paperback
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Summary
This true account of a Sudanese giraffe that was captured by Mohammed Alli and delivered to France in 1826 illustrates how two nations' religious, political, and cultural ideologies clashed, despite their mutual adoration for the 12-foot animal known as "Zarafa, the Beautiful Stranger."
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Media Reviews
"His book, alternating between a detailed account of Zarafa's story and an illumination of the historical background against which it took place, not only rescues a charming anecdote from obscurity but also makes a convincing case for its importance in the world of 19th-century Mediterranean diplomacy." -- Leo Carey
-- Washington Post Book World
Bibliographic Details
Publisher: Bantam Dell Pub Group
Published date: 1999
Size: 4.75 x 8.25 inches
Weight: 0.6 pounds
Pages: 215
Publisher's Notes
In 1826, a giraffe that had been captured in the Sudan, was shipped to France. Allin looks beyond the fairy tale to reveal the complex web of politics, culture, religion and greed that fueled this phenomenon.
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Zarafa: A Giraffe's True Story, from Deep in Africa to the Heart of Paris
Allin, Michael
Delta, 1999. Paperback. Very Good. Zarafa was a gentle 19th-century giraffe, a simple animal whose life was dictated by the tumultuous times around her. From the African savanna where she was caught and tamed as an infant, Zarafa was shipped down the Nile--along with the meat of her mother and several hundred human slaves--to the shores of the Mediterranean Sea. From there she sailed on to France, a gift from Muhammad Ali, the "Renaissance Barbarian" viceroy of Egypt, intended to distract King Charles X while Egyptian forces invaded Greece. As political ploy, it didn't work. But as ambassador from an exotic land, this odd animal captivated the French people for almost two decades, as she lived out her life as part of the royal menagerie.--- Toronto Store Pick-up Available. ( more information)
Offered by The Recycled Book Shop (Canada)
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Zarafa: A Giraffe's True Story, from Deep in Africa to the Heart of Paris
Allin, Michael
Delta, 1999. 1st pb.. Softcover. VG+.. In 1826, a twelve-foot giraffe was walking across France. A gift from Mohammed Ali of Egypt, this "beautiful stranger" would become an object of adoration in France. Michael Allin looks beyond the fairy tale to reveal the complex web of politics, culture, religion and greed that fueled the phenomenon. B+W illustrations. Rubbing to spine edges. Trade Paperback ( more information)
Offered by Old Goat Books (Canada)
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15)
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Zarafa
Allin, Michael
In 1826, a twelve-foot giraffe, captured in the Sudan, shipped down the Nile, carried across the Mediterranean in a ship's hold, was now walking across France. A gift from Mohammed Ali, the most powerful man in Africa, this "beautiful stranger" would become an object of adoration in France. But in this compelling, beautifully rendered book, Michael Allin looks beyond the fairy tale to reveal the complex web of politics, culture, religion, and greed that fueled the phenomenon of the giraffe called Zarafa. Opening an exotic window on the early nineteenth century, brilliantly capturing what it is like to see something for the very first time, Zarafa weaves a captivating tale of nations and nature, of colorful scoundrels and dangerous rulers--and of a remarkable animal that charmed a nation, bribed a leader, and brought two very different worlds together. "Michael Allin does a terrific job of chronicling the giraffe's remarkable pilgrimage...at times, [ Zarafa] reads like a fairly tale." -- The New York Times" Zarafa is all about the vanishing pleasure of wonderment--as seen through the eyes of the men and women who witnessed the arrival of the first giraffe in France in 1826." -- Detroit Free PressAn Alternate Selection of the Book-of-the-Month Club ( more information)
Offered by ACP Family Bookstore (United States)
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ZARAFA - A Giraffe's True Story from Deep in Africa to the Heart of Paris
Allin, Michael
New York: Delta Books - Dell Publishing, 1999. 215 pp. First Thus. Light edge and corner wear with a flat uncreased spine; no interior markings. The cover features a painting by Jacques Raymond Brascassat, courtesy of Musee des Beaux - Arts de Beaune. Illustrated with black and white artwork. The Chapters are: Two Africas; A Fascinating Nightmare; The Renaissance Barbarian; Stealing Egypt; A Royal Gift; The Sea of Milk; Farewells; Camelopard; Across Sleeping Marseille; Soirees a la Girafe; Happier Every Day; Misdemeanors of Curiosity; A Beautiful Stranger; True to His Word; and The Degree of Happiness; followed by an epilogue; art credits and an index. Scans are available for all books.. ISBN: 0385334117. First Printing. Trade Paperback. Very Good+. Illus. by Jacques Raymond Brascassat;. 8vo. Author's First Book. africa; african; africana; wildlife; giraffe; 1826; sudan; muhammed ali;. ( more information)
Offered by W. Fraser Sandercombe (Canada)
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