Zoo History Books

I have been cataloguing my collection of zoo books and I was wondering what significant publications were missing from my library. For now I would like to focus on specific zoo history books that are about a single establishment. I have approximately 400 zoo-related books in total, including at least 170 guidebooks, 20 books by the legendary Gerald Durrell, and many more zoo books of all shapes and sizes. However, in terms of specific historical records of individual zoos I own approximately 90 books and I've listed those below. My collection is heavily influenced by North American facilities and I've already pre-ordered new history books on Woodland Park and Berlin that will be published in May and August, respectively. Well, ZooChatters...what books am I missing?

William Adams & Carl Shiver - St. Augustine Alligator Farm: A Complete History
Akron Zoo - A Walk in the Park: The First 50 Years of the Akron Zoo
Lawrence Anthony + Spence - The Incredible Wartime Rescue of the Baghdad Zoo
William A. Austin - The First Fifty Years: History of the Detroit Zoo
Roland Baetans - The Antwerp Zoo: 150 Years of History: The Chant of Paradise
M. Badham, Evans & Lawless - Molly’s Zoo: Monkey Mischief at Twycross
J. Barrington-Johnson - The Zoo: The Story of London Zoo
Lloyd Beebe - Wilderness Trails: The Story of the Olympic Game Farm
Paul & Jean Breese - The Honolulu Zoo: Waikiki’s Wildlife Treasure 1915-2015
Brown, Ashby & Schwitzer - An Illustrated History of Bristol Zoo Gardens
Bill Bruns - A World of Animals: The San Diego Zoo and the Wild Animal Park
Carlson & Shindell - Bringing the Ocean to Atlanta: The Creation of the Georgia Aquarium
Carl S. Chilton, Jr. - The History of Gladys Porter Zoo
Gary K. Clarke - Hey Mister – Your Alligator’s Loose! (Topeka Zoo)
Darill Clements - Postcards from the Zoo (Taronga Zoo)
Rachel Colker - The Pittsburgh Zoo: A 100-Year History (1998)
Patricia Corrigan - Wild Things: Untold Tales from the First Century of the St. Louis Zoo
Cushing & Markwell - Snake-Bitten: Eric Worrell and the Australian Reptile Park
Catherine De Courcy - Dublin Zoo: An Illustrated History
Clark DeLeon - America’s First Zoostory: 125 Years at the Philadelphia Zoo
Robin F. Demattia - Connecticut’s Beardsley Zoo: The First Eighty Years
Detroit Zoological Society - Wonders Among Us: Celebrating 75 Years of the Detroit Zoo
Deuchler & Owens - Brookfield Zoo (Images of America Series)
John Edwards - London Zoo: from old photographs 1852-1914
Carolyn & Don Etter - The Denver Zoo: A Centennial History
Cory H. Gittner - Miami’s Parrot Jungle & Gardens: A Colorful History
Karen Furnweger - Shedd Aquarium: The First 75 Years (2005)
Karen Furnweger - Shedd Aquarium (2010) - Updated Version
Georgia Aquarium - Georgia Aquarium (2012) – 82 pages hardcover
Katherine Girlich - San Francisco Zoo (Images of America Series)
Bob Goldsack - Benson’s Wild Animal Park (Images of America Series)
Oliver Graham-Jones - Zoo Tails (London Zoo)
Peter Guillery - The Buildings of London Zoo
Daniel Hahn - The Tower Menagerie
Jack Hanna - Monkeys on the Interstate (Columbus Zoo)
Dean Harrison - Return to Eden (Out of Africa Wildlife Park)
Sonya A. Haskins - Knoxville Zoo (Images of America Series)
Kevin Hile - Little Zoo by the Red Cedar: The Story of Potter Park Zoo
Stan Huskey - Elmwood Park Zoo (Images of America Series)
Ken Kawata - New York’s Biggest Little Zoo: A History of the Staten Island Zoo
Jeremy Keeling - Jeremy & Amy (Monkey World)
S.C. Kershaw - The Story of Colchester Zoo
Palmer Krantz & Jacobs - Riverbanks Zoo and Garden: Forty Wild Years
John Knowles - My Marwellous Life: In Zoos and Conservation
Joy W. Kraft - Cincinnati Zoo and Botanical Garden (Images of America Series)
Peggy Pickering Larson - Arizona-Sonora Desert Museum: A Scrapbook
Larson & Ascarza - Arizona-Sonora Desert Museum (Images of America Series)
Mary Delach Leonard - Animals Always: 100 Years at the Saint Louis Zoo
Ted Ligibel - The Toledo Zoo’s First 100 Years: A Century of Adventure
John Lloyd - Wonders Never Cease: Edinburgh Zoo into the 21st Century
Jeff Lyttle - Gorillas in Our Midst: The Story of the Columbus Zoo Gorillas
Matthew Maberry - Packy & Me (Oregon Zoo)
Terry Maple + Erika Archibald - Zoo Man: Inside the Zoo Revolution (Zoo Atlanta)
Jeffrey W. Maulhardt - Jungleland (Images of America Series)
John E. McCosker - Steinhart Aquarium: A Very Fishy Tale
Benjamin Mee - We Bought a Zoo (Dartmoor Zoo)
Melbourne Zoo - 150 Years Melbourne Zoo
Mesker Park Zoo - A Pictorial History of Mesker Park Zoo
Messinger & McGinnis - Marineland (Images of America Series)
Messinger & McGinnis - Marineland: Vintage Postcards (Images of America Series)
Monterey Bay Aquarium - Monterey Bay Aquarium: The Insiders’ Guide
Myers + Stephenson - Mister Zoo: The Life and Legacy of Dr. Charles Schroeder (San Diego)
Dr. Murray A. Newman - Life in a Fishbowl: Confessions of an Aquarium Director
Dr. Murray A. Newman - People, Fish and Whales: The Vancouver Aquarium Story
David A. Oehler - Great Zoos of the U.S.A.: Cincinnati Zoo (children’s book)
Jake Page - Smithsonian’s New Zoo
Bookey Peek - All the Way Home: Stories from an African Wildlife Sanctuary
Point Defiance Zoo - 100 Years at Point Defiance Zoo & Aquarium (2005)
Margaret Poynter - The Zoo Lady (1980) - San Diego Zoo (children's book)
Rosenthal/Tauber/Uhlir - The Ark in the Park: The Story of Lincoln Park Zoo
Andrea Friederici Ross - Let the Lions Roar! The Evolution of Brookfield Zoo
San Diego Zoo - The First Century 1916-2016 (Part I)
San Diego Zoo - The First Century 1916-2016 (Part II)
Joan Scheier - The Central Park Zoo (Images of America Series)
Joan Scheier - New York City Zoos and Aquarium (Images of America Series)
Gretchen Holstein Schoff - Reflections: The Story of Cranes (ICF)
Bill Seaton - My Seven Years in Captivity: Misadventures in the San Diego Zoo
John Sedgwick - The Peaceable Kingdom (Philadelphia Zoo)
Ruth Seeliger - Kansas City Zoo Tales: A Wild 100-Year History
Spencer & Sharp - Turtle Back Zoo (Images of America Series)
Clint Skinner - History of the Dallas Zoo: 1888-1940
Adam A. Smith - My Life in the Cleveland Zoo
Amy Dee Stephens - Oklahoma City Zoo: 1902-1959 (Images of America Series)
Amy Dee Stephens - Oklahoma City Zoo: 1960-2013 (Images of America Series)
Patricia Sumerling - Elephants and Egotists: In Search of Samorn of the Adelaide Zoo
Amelia Thomas - The Zoo on the Road to Nablus
Mike Thomas - Strange Things Happened on my way to the Zoo (Newquay)
Tyler Trafford - The Evolution of the Calgary Zoo
Trevino & Pastorello - Oak Park and the Montgomery Zoo (Images of America Series)
Andrew Westoll - The Chimps of Fauna Sanctuary
Darlene Winter et al - Milwaukee County Zoo (Images of America Series)

 

I'd recommend "The Passion Of John Aspinall" by Brian Masters. A great read on a, complex, driven man and his zoological activities written by a serious author, available from Abe Books fairly cheaply.

 

It Began with a Roar! The Beginning of the World-Famous San Diego Zoo is an interesting read - Amazon seems to be charging a pretty penny for it right now, but I'm not sure if it's genuinely that rare of it's just an Amazon issue, as I do occasionally see prices inflated there. I certainly can't recommend it for hundreds of dollars - but I received it as a gift, and while it was dry reading when I was younger, I find it a much more fascinating read today, and the meaty portion of it was written by zoo director Harry Wegeforth in the 40s. I own the 1990 updated edition, though much of the new content is mostly related to Wegeforth and it doesn't fill in the blanks between then and now.

Basically, it's worth reading if you find it cheap, but I can't recommend the price tag I'm seeing right now.

I've also read a few of the books you own and have always been looking for more, so thank you. Didn't even know the Shedd had a book.

 

Here's a few that I didn't spot on your list. There are seemingly endless books about London Zoo as well as those on this list. Apologies if I've repeated any of yours.

2012/13 The Heritage of Budapest Zoo by Dr. Miklos Persanyi

2012 Schonbrunn Zoo – Myth and Truth by Dagmar Schratter, Oliver Lehmann

2012 Rhinos on the Lawn and the People who made the Cotswold Wildlife Park by Matthew Jones

2011 Nine Lives (South Lakes) by David S. Gill

2011 From The Lamb to the Tiger by Ellis Bowen Daw (Dartmoor Wildlife Park)

2012 From Cows to Tigers – Building Noah’s Ark by Anthony Bush (Noah’s Ark Zoo Farm)

2009 The Touch of Durrell, A Passion for Animals by Jeremy Mallinson (Jersey)

2005 Zoo Story (Paignton) by Philip Knowling

2004 A History of The San Francisco Zoo by Nancy R Chan

2000 My Wild Life (West Midlands Safari Park) by Bob Lawrence

1998 The Road to Rode (Bird Garden) by Betty Risdon

1993 125 Years of Lincoln Park Zoological Gardens

1992 A Tiger by the Tail. A History of Auckland Zoo 1922-1992 by Derek Wood

1992 Zoo Lady (Flamingo Park) by Frances Hick

1991 History of the San Antonio Zoo by Wilbur L Matthews

1988 Chimps, Champs, and Elephants (Paignton) by Jack Baker

1985 Portrait of a Zoo (Bristol) by Robert and Anne Warin

1979 A Zoo for all Seasons (Washington) by the Smithsonian Institution

1979 Some of my Best Friends are Animals (Dublin) by Terry Murphy

1979 My Jungle Babies (Kilverstone) by Rosamund Fisher

1978 Royal Zoological Society of South Australia 1878-1978 (Melbourne) by C E Rix

1976 Penguin Millionaire (Birdland, Bourton-on-the-water) by Len Hill and Emma Wood.

1976 My Home is a Zoo (Ilfracombe) by Charles Trevisick

1974 Gathering of Animals. An Unconventional History of the New York Zoo by William Bridges

1969 Zoo Without Bars – The Story of Chester Zoo by June Johns

1969 The Lions of Longleat by the Marquess of Bath & Jimmy Chipperfield

1969 Berggren’s Beasts (Boras) by Sigvard Berggren

1966 The Living Air (Cleres) by Jean Delacour

1965 The Captive Sea (Miami Seaquarium) by Craig Phillips

1965 Cubs, Calves and Kangaroos (Basle) by Paul Steinemann

1964 My Life with Animals (San Francisco) by Carey Baldwin

1964 The Story of Bristol Zoo by AHN Green-Armytage

1964 The Story of the Edinburgh Zoo by TH Gillespie

1960 At Home in the Zoo (Belle Vue) by Gerald Iles

1960 Ask of the Beasts (Ashover) by Jill Keeling

1957 Hold That Tiger (Bronx) by Sam Dunton

1956 The London Zoo by Philip Street

1955 My Zoo Family (Bronx) by Helen Martini

1954 Animals my Adventure (Berlin) by Lutz Heck

1953 Whipsnade by Philip Street

1940 My Life in a Man-Made Jungle (San Diego) by Belle J Benchley

1939 My Life with Animals (Maidstone) by Garrard Tyrwhitt-Drake

192? Birds and Beasts of the Roman Zoo by TH Knottnerus-Meyer

192? Almost Human. Reminiscences from the Melbourne Zoo by AAW Wilkie

1909 Beasts and Men by Carl Hagenbeck

1905 The Zoological Society of London by H Scherren

 

@Shorts: I'll definitely order the John Aspinall book...cheers!

@JVM: I'll also order the Harry Wegeforth book...thanks! In the past I haven't been able to find a reasonably priced copy of that publication.

@Designaka: Thanks to you I currently have at least 20 zoo books sitting in my basket at AbeBooks...my credit card is wondering whether to proceed with the transaction or pack it all in! Some of the books are not available on either AbeBooks or Amazon but there are many great selections that you have provided. However, I do have some questions for you:

- Is the book Berggren's Beasts in English? Would you recommend it?
- What about the Royal Zoological Society of South Australia publication? It is at least $50 Canadian including shipping and is that book honestly worth the money?
- Are the Vienna and Budapest history books in English?

 

Every book is in English. I thoroughly recommend the Vienna (a very small book) and the Budapest. The other two... both hardbacks – I would consider them to be essential to a good Zoo History library however, I picked up both of mine some years ago for very little cost. What you spend can only be decided by yourself. Happy hunting & reading!

 

"Designaka" has beaten me to it as I was planning to mention most of the books he listed; however, a few comments from me anyway.

I don't know what version of "London Zoo from Old Photographs" you have; however there is enough difference between the first edition (1996) and the second edition (2012) to make it worthwhile owning both.

There are an enormous number of books about London Zoo; it wouldn't be practical to list them all here but your list is missing probably the three most important early histories of the place:-

"A Record of Progress of the Zoological Society of London During the Nineteenth Century” (1901)

“The Zoological Society of London : a Sketch of its Foundation and Development, and the Story of its Farm, Museum, Gardens, Menagerie and Library” (Henry Scherren; 1905)

“A Centenary History of the Zoological Society of London” (P. Chalmers Mitchell; 1929)

For details of the species exhibited at London Zoo during its first hundred years then the following three volume work is indespensible:-

“List of the Vertebrated Animals Exhibited in the Gardens of the Zoological Society of London 1828 – 1927: Centenary Edition" (1929)

Vol 1 Mammals (by S. S. Flower)
Vol 2 Birds (by G. Carmichael Low)
Vol 3 Reptiles (by S. S. Flower); Amphibians (by Malcolm A. Smith); Fishes (by E.G. Boulenger).

Although not a history of the zoo, anybody interested in London Zoo in days gone by should also read the delightful book:-

“A Walk Through the Zoological Gardens” (F. G. Aflalo; 1900)

Unfortunately the above books are now scarce, hard to find and tend to be very expensive.

Sill on the subject of London Zoo, I am also very fond of "The Zoo Story” (L. R. Brightwell; 1952) which is basically an updated version of Brightwell’s earlier book “The Zoo You Knew?” (1936).

"Designaka" mentioned "At Home in the Zoo" (Gerald Iles, 1960) which is an interesting book about Belle Vue (Manchester). Perhaps worth adding that this book was also published in America, a year later, with a slightly different title "My Home in the Zoo" (1961), the American edition having an introduction by Fairfield Osborn of the New York Zoological Society.

 

Excellent post Tim. I've bought two copies of the Aflalo book in the past (one as a present). And I've been looking for a third for years now – so best of luck with that one Snow leopard. I've also just published a revised reprint of the 1978 book: Halifax Zoo And Amusement Park by Harry Armitage that you both might be interested in.

 

Yes, I saw on another thread that a revised edition of this had recently been published but didn't realise you were responsible.

Indeed you're right; I am interested.

 

And how might one acquire a copy of said Halifax tome? Sounds like an essential purchase!

 

@snowleopard : What is the price range on these books? Are they relatively cheap or are some of them pricey?

 

Glad to learn that my century old Halifax Zoo postcard depicting a zebra hybrid is reproduced in this book.....

 

@Coelacanth18: My collection of zoo books showcases a diverse range in publications and price. If you go to Amazon or AbeBooks then you can search up any books that you are interested in as there is a wide range when it comes to cost.

@Tim May: I have the London Zoo from Old Photographs (second edition) and thanks very much for the extensive list of books on London Zoo. Since I probably already own at least 5 books on London Zoo and my current "basket" on AbeBooks is at 20 books and $400 Canadian...I think that I'll skip any more London books and concentrate on other zoos for now. If I already own at least 400 zoo books (including guidebooks) then if one were to average them out to $25 per book then I'm already up to $10,000 spent on zoo literature in my lifetime. It is amazing to think that for some of us the books are priceless but almost everyone I know would consider the collection worthless. Such is the sad state of the enthusiast.

Lastly, Halifax Zoo And Amusement Park (by Harry Armitage) sounds interesting but if I'm not mistaken it is a rather slim volume and shipping to Canada tends to be prohibitive.

 

@snowleopard : Good luck! There's a few less expensive copies under this listing, but it looks like there's no guarantee whether you'll get the 1953 edition, or possibly the 1990 edition. (One of the customer image showcases the latter, but the listing is for the former) In addition, one of the reviewers had a bad experience...
It Began with a Roar!: The Story of the World-Famous San Diego Zoo: Harry M. Wegeforth, Neil Morgan: Amazon.com: Books

Still pricier than I tend to like for books but a lot more fair than the asking price on the main listing for the 1990 edition, which is in the hundreds.

 

AbeBooks has a number of copies of It Began with a Roar! for reasonable prices:

It Began with a Roar - AbeBooks

 

Ebay is agood place to look if you type zoo history and select books and magazines. They have a few rather old ones on tonight here in the UK.

 

The Halifax book can be 15 Canadian dollars post free to you Snow Leopard (Christmas offer!) They are a limited edition of 80. Halifax zoo and Amusement Park is a fascinating read from a local historian. I don't think anything else has or will be published about this short-lived collection.

 

Isn't this a work of fiction

 

Ha! Happy Christmas David. What do you think is going to happen up there? Will the council finally get rid of him?

 

Who knows what is going to happen but we should know by the 7th January,given that when it comes to the letter of the zoo licencing act Gill has had more than nine lives.Any way back to the book having read both the version that went on sale and the version that didn't go to print two very different books!