The feejee mermaid and other essays in natural and unnatural history / Jan Bondeson.

Format:

Book

Author/Creator:

Bondeson, Jan.

Language:

English

Subjects (All):

Zoology--Miscellanea.

Zoology.

Zoology--Anecdotes.

Genre:

Anecdotes.

Trivia and miscellanea.

Physical Description:

xi, 315 pages : illustrations ; 24 cm

Place of Publication:

Ithaca, N.Y. : Cornell University Press, [1999]

Summary:

In his new collection of essays, Jan Bondeson tells ten fascinating stories of myths and hoaxes, beliefs and Ripley-like facts, concerning the animal kingdom.Throughout he recounts -- and in some instances solves -- mysteries of the natural world which have puzzled scientists for centuries.

Heavily illustrated with photographs and drawings, the book presents astounding tales from across the rich folklore of animals: a learned pig more admired than Sir Isaac Newton by the English public, an elephant that Lord Byron wanted to employ as his butler, a dancing horse whose skills in mathematics were praised by William Shakespeare, and, of course, the extraordinary creature known as the Feejee Mermaid. This object became the foremost curiosity of London in the 1820s and later in the century toured the United States under the management of P. T. Barnum. Bearing a striking resemblance to a wizened and misshapen monkey with a fishtail, the mermaid was nonetheless proclaimed a genuine specimen by "experts."

Notes:

Includes bibliographical references (p. 309-315) and index.

ISBN:

0801436095

OCLC:

39627611