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The Feejee Mermaid : And Other Essays in Natural and Unnatural History
   Bondeson, Jan (Author)
Feejee Mermaid : And Other Essays in Natural and Unnatural History
Title Details
ISBN-10 0801436095
ISBN-13 9780801436093
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Product Description   Table of Contents   About the Author  
Publisher Fact Sheet
In his new collection of essays, Jan Bondeson tells ten stories of myths & hoaxes, beliefs & Ripley-like facts, concerning the animal kingdom. Throughout he recounts - & in some instances solves - mysteries of the natural world which have puzzled scientists for centuries. Heavily illustrated with photographs & drawings, the book presents astounding tales from across the rich folklore of animals: a learned pig more admired that 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 & later in the century toured the United States' under the management of P. T. Barnum. Bearing a striking resemblance to a wizened & misshapen monkey with a fishtail, the mermaid was nonetheless proclaimed a genuine specimen by experts.

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.PHeavily 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."

A research physician whose specialties are rheumatology and internal medicine, Bondeson indulges his (and our) fascination with natural anomalies by presenting his findings concerning such historical scientific curiosities as the dragon-like basilisk, Jumbo the king of elephants, the raining down of fish and frogs, the vegetable lamb, and the title creature, the Feejee Mermaid. His approach is assuredly more scientific than anecdotal, but it still reads as a bit of a morbid history of natural science fraud and human gullibility. Quite a few b&w photos and drawings illustrate the text. Annotation c. Book News, Inc., Portland, OR (booknews.com)
Product Details
Edition : 1999 Product Dimensions: 6.75" wide x 9.75" long x 1.25" tall
Publisher: Cornell University Press Weight: 1.34 lbs.
Binding: Trade Cloth
Number of Pages 336
Language: English
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