Sign in with Facebook
Loading...
440th out of 1,003 books
—
2,195 voters
Kingdom Under Glass: A Tale of Obsession, Adventure, and One Man's Quest to Preserve the World's Great Animals
by
Jay Kirk
A sweeping historical narrative of the life of Carl Akeley, the famed explorer and taxidermist who changed the way Americans viewed the conservation of the natural world
During the golden age of safaris in the early twentieth century, one man set out to preserve Africa's great beasts. In this epic account of an extraordinary life lived during remarkable times, Jay Kirk foll...more
During the golden age of safaris in the early twentieth century, one man set out to preserve Africa's great beasts. In this epic account of an extraordinary life lived during remarkable times, Jay Kirk foll...more
Hardcover, 387 pages
Published
October 26th 2010
by Henry Holt and Co.
(first published January 1st 2010)
Friend Reviews
To see what your friends thought of this book,
please sign up.
Community Reviews
(showing
1-30
of
462)
My chase for interesting animal anecdotes has taken me to some weird books from Pliny to Borges, but Kingdom Under Glass is one that I think most people would enjoy. It's about Carl Akeley, an early 20th century adventurer, inventor, friend of Teddy Roosevelt and, strangely, the world's greatest taxidermist (he actually taxidermied Jumbo the Elephant.) The book is so well-written and meticulously researched that it almost feels patronizing to talk about it like that -- like I'm trying to compens...more
This was one of my favorite books of 2010. I may be biased - I know the author - but the reason I know him is that I loved his work for Harper's, and tracked him down years ago to tell him so. If you haven't read any of Kirk's work, I suggest you remedy that immediately. His writing is extremely smart, strange, and well-researched. There's an article about the Florida panther in this archive that has haunted me for years. http://www.harpers.org/subjects/JayKirk
Onto Kingdom Under Glass. A little...more
Onto Kingdom Under Glass. A little...more
Disclaimer: I got this book for free.
Kingdom Under Glass" by Jay Kirk is a historical fiction - biography tale, set in the late late nineteenth - early twentieth century, about the great taxidermist & conservationist, inventor and sculptor Carl Akeley, his wives Delia "Mickie" Akeley and second wife Mary Jobe Akeley.
Akeley is a legend, I'm surprised I haven't heard of him before this book. On a jungle expedition he killed a leopard with his bare hands, somehow survived an elephant attach, st...more
Kingdom Under Glass" by Jay Kirk is a historical fiction - biography tale, set in the late late nineteenth - early twentieth century, about the great taxidermist & conservationist, inventor and sculptor Carl Akeley, his wives Delia "Mickie" Akeley and second wife Mary Jobe Akeley.
Akeley is a legend, I'm surprised I haven't heard of him before this book. On a jungle expedition he killed a leopard with his bare hands, somehow survived an elephant attach, st...more
A lifelong interest in natural history, fascination with Africa and admiration for Carl Akeley all combined to draw me to this book. I wasn’t disappointed. I consider it the most absorbing book I’ve read so far this year.
Kirk’s novelistic approach, coupled with a thorough collection of notes supporting the narrative, makes it an engrossing biography and tale of adventure and obsession.
Anyone who has seen Akeley’s work has to admire the skill which made him not simply a craftsman, but truly an ar...more
I almost feel bad for being the first reviewer to give this book less than 5 stars on Amazon, but I must admit, by the end, I was ready to be done with it. It was a great depiction of life in the midst of the Industrial Revolution and a fascinating portrayal of Carl Akeley. Describing his passion for revolutionizing taxidermy and also his contributions to filmmaking, Akeley’s life was written with great enthusiasm on these pages. He was a (somewhat obscure) legend whose works can still be marvel...more
Jul 29, 2011
Brandy
added it
Kind of mixed reactions to this book. On the one hand, I feel like the author's exciting narrative style made certain stories stick in my mind in a way in which I'll never forget them. Very captivating. I also like how much attention he gave to Ackley's first wife, Mickie, really showing how much a part of his success she was. On the other hand, I was ready for the book to be done about 3/4 of the way through. Maybe just because I was really bored with the African safaris and watching all of the...more
This book is a must read for fans of history,adventure,art, nonfiction,and just good books.
This is the story of both the birth of conservationism and the birth of the modern museum written with a strong emphasis on narrative this is one of those treasures of non fiction that goes to show real life can be just as exciting and strange as the most wild fiction. I found the style to be reminiscent of "the devil in the white city" and just like that book it proves the point that a scholarly work need...more
This is the story of both the birth of conservationism and the birth of the modern museum written with a strong emphasis on narrative this is one of those treasures of non fiction that goes to show real life can be just as exciting and strange as the most wild fiction. I found the style to be reminiscent of "the devil in the white city" and just like that book it proves the point that a scholarly work need...more
Fascinating read about about Carl Akeley THE taxidermist who wanted to preserve the great animals of the world in case they became extinct. Ironically he ended up killing a lot of them that didn't get used. Lots of famous people like Teddy Roosevelt, PT Barnum, George Eastman and others were a part of his life. He worked at the Milwaukee Museum for several years besides the Field Museum in Chicago and the American Museum of Natural History in New York. I enjoyed reading about his trips to Africa...more
Most biographies that I read are dry books that read like poorly written college history books. You can usually expect it to be third person recounting of facts and dates, often, they aren't even strictly narrative. Not so with Kingdom Under Glass. Jay Kirk wrote this in a narrative style that assumes to know the details of events and the thoughts of characters that he can't possibly know. While some people might argue whether that adheres to some kind of morale code for non-fiction books, it de...more
This book should've been great, after all the life of Carl Akeley was movie-worthy, filled with high adventure on the dark continent of Africa at the height of its imperial conquest. It turned out to be disappointingly flat, as the author tried too hard to be sensational, while in reality, a large part of Akeley's time in Africa was actually filled with tedium and monotony - trudging through miles of inhospitable terrain with nary an encounter with the native wildlife. By the time the truly hair...more
A promising subject rendered curiously inert
I wish I had liked this book more. Really, I do. I was certainly prepared to like it. Golly - big game hunting in Africa, Teddy Roosevelt, lingering tropical illnesses, high caliber weapons, faithful retainers, murder, danger, and intrigue – it certainly sounded like my cup of tea. This is the tale of a man who kills a leopard with his bare hands, for crying out loud, not to mention this wonderful opening passage, which drops the reader right into one...more
I wish I had liked this book more. Really, I do. I was certainly prepared to like it. Golly - big game hunting in Africa, Teddy Roosevelt, lingering tropical illnesses, high caliber weapons, faithful retainers, murder, danger, and intrigue – it certainly sounded like my cup of tea. This is the tale of a man who kills a leopard with his bare hands, for crying out loud, not to mention this wonderful opening passage, which drops the reader right into one...more
3 likes · like · see review
For a book that was a lucky draw from LibraryThing’s Early Reviewer program, this was quite a fortuitous catch for me. Natural history has always been one of my interests, and to get the opportunity to read a biography about the man responsible for the African Hall of Mammals at the American Museum of Natural History was incredible.
Kingdom Under Glass examines the life and career of celebrated taxidermist Carl Akeley. The book traced his training at a school for taxidermy, where Akeley began to...more
Kingdom Under Glass examines the life and career of celebrated taxidermist Carl Akeley. The book traced his training at a school for taxidermy, where Akeley began to...more
One of the very best books I read in 2010. Social, marital and natural history tragedies presented with many moments of great hilarity. Chock full of both the grand picture and remarkable details of the early 20th century Natural History museums and those involved with creating them along with presidential aspirations and pursuits of Theodore Roosevelt. Marian
http://chile.las-cruces.org/search/t?...
http://chile.las-cruces.org/search/t?...
One of the very best books I read in 2010. Social, marital and natural history tragedies presented with many moments of great hilarity. Chock full of both the grand picture and remarkable details of the early 20th century Natural History museums and those involved with creating them along with presidential aspirations and pursuits of Theodore Roosevelt. Marion
http://chile.las-cruces.org/search/t?...
http://chile.las-cruces.org/search/t?...
I had a really hard time with the narration of this book. The fiction-like telling pulled me out of the story again and again. As a post-script, Kirk acknowledges the unconventional narration and assures the reader that conversations were fleshed out from primary sources but, going through those sources, it seemed like he was mostly taking Akeley's word for it. (Akeley's personal account of his travels and life was a very frequently cited source.) The allegations of abuse of his first wife seeme...more
A well-written book about taxidermist and adventurer Carl Akeley. I had difficulty engaging in this book's subject. I especially had difficulty with the characters who bemoaned the possible extinction of large-game species while shooting them (ostensibly for science, but given the number of bodies that were abandoned, this is hard to fathom). A rather bleak portrait of turn-of-the-century ecology, racial prejudice, and eugenics.
Merged review:
A well-written book about taxidermist and adventurer C...more
Merged review:
A well-written book about taxidermist and adventurer C...more
The enthralling true story of Carl Akeley's transformation of the natural history museum from a hall of curiosity to a place of scientific observation and study. Tenacious in character and fictional in tone, this was a fun summer read that I feel into while perusing the library shelves and emerged delighted a few hours later.
Taxidermy, especially at the museum level fascinates me as a merger of science and art. Carl Akeley is considered to be the father of modern taxidermy, and this book follows his life from boyhood to dying on his last trip to Africa. Jay Kirk takes some liberties depicting scenes using words people said from various memoirs or letters, but I appreciated it as it kept an interesting narrative for a fascinating man. Also included: Teddy Roosevelt, attitudes about conservation and evolution from the...more
This book was the most entertaining biography I've ever read. Some of it, of course, has to do with my interest in the subject matter -- I'm enamored by the dioramas at the AMNH -- but most was due to the fact that Kirk has an extraordinary writing style. It's perpetually gripping and engaging, and brought the characters of Carl Akeley, his wife Mickey, and their friends and colleagues to life.
I also enjoyed how it could never in a million years could be considered a hagiography. Racist attitude...more
I also enjoyed how it could never in a million years could be considered a hagiography. Racist attitude...more
Definitely not for the squeamish.
There are many graphic descriptions of hunting and taxiderming(?) the animals that now make the amazing dioramas at the AMNH (natural history museum in nyc).
The man, Akeley was so driven and quite brilliant. As with many such people, he was also a raging a**hole. Wow! The level of egomania and hypocrisy is staggering. For him and Teddy Roosevelt-who has a minor part in the book.
The writing is interesting though may be written in too folksy a manner for biography...more
There are many graphic descriptions of hunting and taxiderming(?) the animals that now make the amazing dioramas at the AMNH (natural history museum in nyc).
The man, Akeley was so driven and quite brilliant. As with many such people, he was also a raging a**hole. Wow! The level of egomania and hypocrisy is staggering. For him and Teddy Roosevelt-who has a minor part in the book.
The writing is interesting though may be written in too folksy a manner for biography...more
An interesting book and a great insight into a world of years gone by.
I found it a little difficult to get into it, but once I got to grips with its style I found it a very enjoyable read.
I found it a little difficult to get into it, but once I got to grips with its style I found it a very enjoyable read.
A fascinating historical description of the destruction of big-game wildlife in Africa. I didn't realize that it was (mostly) non-fiction until near the very end.
Non-fiction and a good read. Animal dioramas, taxidermy and one man's changing into a protector of species and habitat.
This was supposed to be great. With an element of a real-life King Kong meets Solomon's Mines, it shouldn't have been anywhere near as boring as it was.
Kirk seems reluctant to let his story tell itself, which is weird: what help does a taxidermist's safari in the African wilderness need? But he can't help interjecting awkward turns of phrase and inconsequential events into his unfocused narrative. Annoyingly pallish, swaggeringly flippant-- I just hated the tone of this book. If you really like...more
Kirk seems reluctant to let his story tell itself, which is weird: what help does a taxidermist's safari in the African wilderness need? But he can't help interjecting awkward turns of phrase and inconsequential events into his unfocused narrative. Annoyingly pallish, swaggeringly flippant-- I just hated the tone of this book. If you really like...more
2 likes · like · see review
Well conceived and written but I couldn't finish the last 100 pages or so. To depressing.
Akeley is interesting, but Kirk's writing is sensationalist. If you want to know about Akeley, read his books, Delia Akeley's books, and Mary Jobe Akeley's books. What Kirk does here is filter less interesting versions of those without much added research it seems beyond a section on the Johnsons that feels incomplete. Read Dave Madden's Authentic Animal instead. Much better and really interesting.
I won a copy of this book, and really enjoyed reading it. I thought it was a engaging examination of Carl Akeley's life...and I must admit, before reading this book, I had no idea who Akeley was! There is a natural flow to the story, and I loved accompanying Akeley on his many adventures.
A unique style of biography. Excellently written.
astonishing, absorbing book about the turn of the century and the belief that killing and stuffing animals was the way to to preserve them. Ackley also did amazing things with photography. Reads like fiction, extraordinarily researched and beautifully written!
On the whole, well-written, but it drags in the last quarter. Akeley-the-man is less interesting than his own life and accomplishments, if that makes sense.
There are no discussion topics on this book yet.
Be the first to start one »
Feb 27, 2011 12:31pm