The Medici Giraffe
by Marina Belozerskaya
Published by Little, Brown
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Reviewed by Shaley Melchior
Throughout history, famous men and women of old have a reputation of being obsessed with material things, anything from gold and precious jewels to fine art, and in this book, exotic animals. In Belozerskaya's new work of non-fiction, she explores the days before politicians became entangled in bribe-taking accusations and money-laundering scandals. She offers the reader a peek at how exotic animals influenced the political arena from Alexandria in 275 B.C. to the 20th century.
The author has written a highly interesting and intelligent work relating the incredible stories of how exotic animals have influenced the entire history of the modern world. Some tales may be familiar to many people, such as how the Ptolemaic rulers of Egypt used elephants for their armies after Alexander the Great's empire was dissolved. Or how the Roman Empire used the exotic animals that were sent as tribute to be pitted against each other or humans to provide 'entertainment' in the circuses of the day.
Some tales, however, may be unfamiliar to the general public, such as in the final tale of the book in which Richard Nixon was given pandas after his wife mentioned to Mao Zedong how much she enjoyed them. Or how Rudolf II spent so much of his kingdom's vast fortune on collecting exotic creatures that there wasn't always enough funds left to feed his lions, and so he often had to compensate his servants and subjects that had fallen victim to mauling or worse by his starving lions.
The Russian-born Marina Belozerskaya proves what a well-read and meticulous researcher she is. She is an art historian who has taught at Harvard and Tufts. She did her research well, and has concocted a delightful tale of how exotic animals have been used throughout history as gifts for diplomats, entertainment for the populace, as well as the obsession that drove multiple kings, emperors and others to collect these majestic and amazing exotic animals.
Armchair Interviews says: An 4 star-plus look at animals related to history.