{"product_id":"training-school-for-elephants-paperback","title":"Training School For Elephants (Paperback)","description":"\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003e\u003cspan class=\"a-text-bold\"\u003eINSTANT\u003c\/span\u003e\u003cspan class=\"a-text-bold a-text-italic\"\u003e SUNDAY TIMES \u003c\/span\u003e\u003cspan class=\"a-text-bold\"\u003eBESTSELLER\u003cbr\u003eSHORTLISTED FOR THE STANFORD'S TRAVEL WRITING BOOK OF THE YEAR 2026\u003cbr\u003eWAINWRIGHT PRIZE FOR WRITING ON CONSERVATION 2025 SPECIALLY COMMENDED\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan class=\"a-text-bold\"\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eFrom the acclaimed author of\u003cspan class=\"a-text-bold a-text-italic\"\u003e\u003cspan\u003e \u003c\/span\u003eThe Lost Pianos of Siberia\u003c\/span\u003e, comes a new journey, following\u003cspan\u003e \u003c\/span\u003efour 19\u003csup\u003eth\u003c\/sup\u003e\u003cspan\u003e \u003c\/span\u003ecentury elephants marched from the East African coast towards Congo, to tell a heartbreaking story of folly and colonial greed.\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan class=\"a-text-bold\"\u003e'BEST SUMMER BOOKS OF 2025: An illuminating tale of imperial ambition and ineptitude.' \u003cspan class=\"a-text-italic\"\u003eFINANCIAL TIMES\u003c\/span\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e'A beautiful, intelligent and heartfelt book, a brilliantly researched account of an imperial fever dream alongside a no less feverish contemporary journey'- \u003cspan class=\"a-text-italic\"\u003eTHE\u003c\/span\u003e \u003cspan class=\"a-text-italic\"\u003eSUNDAY TIMES\u003c\/span\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\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.' - \u003cspan class=\"a-text-italic\"\u003eGUARDIAN\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan class=\"a-text-bold\"\u003e\u003cstrong\u003e\u003cspan class=\"a-text-italic\"\u003e\u003cspan\u003eI\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003cspan class=\"a-text-italic\"\u003en 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.\u003c\/span\u003e\u003cspan class=\"a-text-italic\"\u003e\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.\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Sophy Roberts","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":47006777016498,"sku":"9781804994399","price":345.0,"currency_code":"ZAR","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0562\/9191\/8002\/files\/9781804994399.jpg?v=1772793327","url":"https:\/\/www.wordsworth.co.za\/products\/training-school-for-elephants-paperback","provider":"Wordsworth Books","version":"1.0","type":"link"}