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About this book
Clara, Europe's first rhinoceros, was the favourite attraction of kings and queens from one side of the continent to the other.
"In this enjoyable little book, Ridley shows how, in the age of Enlightenment, as observation clashed with classical authority, scholars flocked to Clara while the public came to gaze in simple a we on God's marvellous creation. Clara seems to have won the affections of everyone who saw her. This is a worthy tribute to a remarkable creature who should not be forgotten." - Edwina Currie, New Statesman, 12/07/2004
Customer Reviews
Biography
Glynis Ridley was a lecturer in eighteenth-century studies at Queen's University, Belfast. She now lives in Kentucky.
Biography / Memoir
By: G Ridley
222 pages, B/w illus
'The enchanting story of a rhinoceros taken on a tour of eighteenth-century Europe... Entertaining.' John Mullan, Guardian 'A jewel of a story' New Scientist; 'Wonderful' Conde Nast Traveller; 'Clara's Grand Tour is a little book with big ideas. A beautifully produced volume... Glynis Ridley approaches her whimsical subject matter with wit, affection and enjoyment, but this is also a serious work that sheds interesting light on a number of cultural and historical ideas.' Samuel Blake, Times Literary Supplement; 'Glynis Ridley's perfectly turned-out book... doesn't deal in questions, offering only an open invitation to watch, wonder and admire... No so much a biography as a jewel box of glimpses into the eighteenth-century mindset...Beautifully told.' Scotsman