{"product_id":"a-training-school-for-elephants-sophy-roberts","title":"A Training School for Elephants (Sophy Roberts)","description":"\u003cdiv\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003eINSTANT\u003ci\u003e SUNDAY TIMES \u003c\/i\u003eBESTSELLER\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eSHORTLISTED FOR THE STANFORD'S TRAVEL WRITING BOOK OF THE YEAR 2026\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eTHE WAINWRIGHT PRIZE FOR WRITING ON CONSERVATION - **SPECIALLY COMMENDED**\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eA FINANCIAL TIMES BEST BOOK OF 2025\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eFrom the acclaimed author of\u003ci\u003e The Lost Pianos of Siberia\u003c\/i\u003e, comes a new journey, following\u003c\/b\u003e \u003cb\u003efour 19\u003csup\u003eth\u003c\/sup\u003e century elephants marched from the East African coast towards Congo, to tell a heartbreaking story of folly and colonial greed.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e'BEST SUMMER BOOKS OF 2025: An illuminating tale of imperial ambition and ineptitude.' \u003c\/b\u003e\u003ci\u003eFINANCIAL TIMES\u003c\/i\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003e'A beautiful, intelligent and heartfelt book, a brilliantly researched account of an imperial fever dream alongside a no less feverish contemporary journey'\u003c\/b\u003e- \u003ci\u003eTHE\u003c\/i\u003e \u003ci\u003eSUNDAY TIMES\u003c\/i\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003e'History and travelogue combine wonderfully in this tale of colonial plunder and hubris...Sophy Roberts' luminous new book is a journey through Africa from Zanzibar to Lake Tanganyika and back, retracing the steps of a long-forgotten expedition.' \u003c\/b\u003e- \u003ci\u003eGUARDIAN\u003c\/i\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003e'This is a marvellous book, an important footnote to history - of Sophy Roberts' intrepid travel with a real purpose, shining a light on colonialism, Belgian and British, and their peculiar obsessions.'' \u003c\/b\u003e- Paul Theroux, author of \u003ci\u003eThe Great Railway Bazaar\u003c\/i\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003e'Masterfully weaving adventure, intrigue and the darker truths of colonial ambition into a story as gripping as it is eye-opening.' - \u003c\/b\u003eLevison Wood, author of \u003ci\u003eWalking the Nile\u003c\/i\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003e'Deeply researched. Brings to life a bizarre and long-forgotten story of Africa with empathy, intriguing encounters and memorable characters, not least the elephants themselves.' \u003c\/b\u003e- Luke Pepera, author of \u003ci\u003eMotherland: A Journey through 500,000 Years of African Culture and Identity\u003c\/i\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003e'Sophy Roberts brings history to life, tackling difficult, sensitive subjects with careful, exquisite prose. Unputdownable.'\u003c\/b\u003e - Mary Harper, author of \u003ci\u003eGetting Somalia Wrong?\u003c\/i\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003e'A brave and searching book, rich in history and fierce in spirit. The best sort of travel writing: handsome prose, teeming with humanity and an unwavering sense of wonder.'\u003c\/b\u003e - Justin Marozzi, author of \u003ci\u003eBaghdad, City of Peace, City of Blood\u003c\/i\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eIn 1879, King Leopold II of Belgium launched an ambitious plan to plunder Africa's resources. The key to cracking open the continent, or so he thought, was its elephants - if only he could train them.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eAnd so he commissioned the charismatic Irish adventurer Frederick Carter to ship four tamed Asian elephants from India to the East African coast, where they were marched inland towards Congo. The ultimate aim was to establish a training school for African elephants.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eFollowing in the footsteps of the four elephants, Roberts pieces together the story of this long-forgotten expedition, in travels that take her to Belgium, Iraq, India, Tanzania and Congo. The storytelling brings to life a compelling cast of historic characters and modern voices, from ivory dealers to Catholic nuns, set against rich descriptions of the landscapes travelled.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eRoberts digs deep into historic records to reckon with our broken relationship with animals, revealing an extraordinary - and enduring - story of colonial greed, ineptitude, hypocrisy and folly.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003e'A cautionary tale from the early days of the Scramble for Africa, but poignant and scholarly too. R\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003c\/div\u003e\u003ch4\u003eAutorenportrait\u003c\/h4\u003e\u003cdiv\u003e\n\u003cb\u003eSophy Roberts\u003c\/b\u003e is an award-winning British journalist, and a regular contributor to \u003ci\u003eFT Weekend. \u003c\/i\u003eHer critically acclaimed first book, \u003ci\u003eThe Lost Pianos of Siberia, \u003c\/i\u003ewas a \u003ci\u003eSunday Times\u003c\/i\u003e Book of the Year in 2020, and went on to be published in eight more languages.  Her second book, \u003ci\u003eA Training School for Elephants\u003c\/i\u003e, is another unusual quest, threading lost history with modern reportage in India, Iraq, DRC, Tanzania and Belgium. Following an 1879 journey that four elephants from Pune made to Africa's Great Lakes, it is a reckoning with colonial ambitions gone berserk.\u003c\/div\u003e\u003ch4\u003eWeitere Angaben\u003c\/h4\u003e\u003cdiv\u003eBuch (Paperback), Trade paperback (UK), Englisch, 432 Seiten\u003c\/div\u003e","brand":"Weltbild.ch: Bücher \u0026 Outlet","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":63594079977821,"sku":"K097861142","price":17.0,"currency_code":"CHF","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0911\/8915\/0045\/files\/238296-9786114200001A.jpg?v=1771971837","url":"https:\/\/weltbild.ch\/products\/a-training-school-for-elephants-sophy-roberts","provider":"Weltbild.ch: Bücher \u0026 Outlet","version":"1.0","type":"link"}