A Training School for Elephants
Grove/Atlantic · Hardcover · May 2, 2025
Out of a sidelined, colonial-era expedition in Africa comes a new history of cruelty, deception and adventure from the acclaimed author of The Lost Pianos of Siberia In 1879, King Leopold II of Belgium launched an ambitious plan to plunder Africa’s resources.
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- Who it’s for
- An unlikely expedition opens onto a sharp, immersive history of colonial greed, deception, and folly.
- Genres
- African History, Exploration & Discovery, East African History
- Published
- Grove/Atlantic, May 2, 2025
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Out of a sidelined, colonial-era expedition in Africa comes a new history of cruelty, deception and adventure from the acclaimed author of The Lost Pianos of Siberia In 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.
Continue reading
And 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. Following 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. In an original weave of past and present, she digs deep into historic records revealing an extraordinary—and enduring—story of colonial greed, hypocrisy, and folly.
History in Motion
An unlikely expedition opens onto a sharp, immersive history of colonial greed, deception, and folly.
Come here for
- A strange elephant expedition tangled up with colonial ambition.
- History that moves between archival traces and present-day travel.
Expect
- Four elephants at the center of an overlooked colonial venture.
- Past and present woven across several countries.
Where it sits
| Exploration & Discovery | 44% |
|---|---|
| African History | 36% |
| East African History | 21% |
Percentages are BookFrontier’s reading of the book.
Publisher categories
- African History
- East African History
- Colonial Encounters
- Authors
- Sophy Roberts
- Publisher
- Grove/Atlantic
- Published
- May 2, 2025
- Format
- Hardcover
- Reading lane
- African History