Topsy: The Startling Story of the Crooked-Tailed Elephant, P. T. Barnum, and the American Wizard, Thomas EdisonThe true story of a nineteenth-century elephant caught between warring circuses and battling scientists, from the author of The Book of Mychal. In 1903, on Coney Island, an elephant named Topsy was electrocuted. Many historical forces conspired to bring her, Thomas Edison, and those 6,600 volts of alternating current together that day. Tracing them all in Topsy, journalist Michael Daly weaves together a fascinating popular history, the first book to tell this astonishing tale. At the turn of the century, circuses in America were at their apex with P. T. Barnum and Adam Forepaugh competing in a War of the Elephants. Their quest for younger, bigger, or more “sacred” pachyderms brought Topsy to America. Fraudulently billed as the first native-born elephant, Topsy was immediately caught between the disputing circuses as well as the War of the Currents, in which Edison and George Westinghouse (and Nikola Tesla) battled over the superiority of alternating versus direct current. Rich in period Americana, and full of circus tidbits and larger than life characters, Topsy is a touching and entertaining read. “A rollicking pachydermal tale . . . A summer escape.” —The New York Times “A nineteenth-century reality show that boggles the mind as the pages fly by with events that have you laughing out loud one moment and gasping in disbelief the next.” —Tom Brokaw “I’ve always respected Michael Daly as a great New York writer . . . He humanizes and speaks for those animals who cannot speak. He touches the hearts of those of us who are not animal activists.” —James McBride “A skillfully told and admirably researched reminder of a time not as long ago as we’d like to think.” —The Wall Street Journal |
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LibraryThing Review
User Review - Carlie - LibraryThingI have not read a book that left me so enraged at humanity in a very long time. I knew when I started what would happen to Topsy, but it was no less jarring and despicable. She was a baby elephant ... Read full review
LibraryThing Review
User Review - Sullywriter - LibraryThingAn engrossing book that brings vividly to life a fascinating era of American history, science, and entertainment populated with absorbing portraits of intriguing figures like Thomas Edison, George ... Read full review
Contents
The Elephantine Expedition | |
Ugly | |
The War Between the States the Battle of the Dwarfs | |
4Paw | |
The Fire the Plowing Elephant the Panic | |
Crooked Tale Crooked Tail | |
Another War Begins | |
The Executioners Experiments | |
Westinghoused | |
Reading Your Own Obituary | |
Topsy Somersaults Gold Dust | |
The Wizards Latest Marvel and | |
From Lady Moody to the BillionDollar Smile | |
Here I Am Here I Am Where Are You? | |
The Continued Magic of Kindness and the First | |
The Wizard | |
The White Elephant | |
Ephs Escape Pickpockets and Pink Lemonade | |
The Tree of Knowledge and the Fearless Frogman | |
The Big Swim | |
Afterword | |
Acknowledgments | |
Other editions - View all
Topsy: The Startling Story of the Crooked-tailed Elephant, P.T. Barnum, and ... Michael Daly No preview available - 2014 |
Common terms and phrases
Adam Forepaugh alternating current American animal announced appeared arrived baby elephant Bailey’s Barnum show beast began Bergh big top Bill Blount Bolivar Bostock Boyton Brooklyn Buffalo chain circus Company Coney Island Conklin continued Cooper & Bailey Craven creature crew crowd Dan Rice death declared described direct current dollars Dundy Edison elder Forepaugh electric chair electric light electrocution electrode elephant’s exhibition exposition feet film Forbach Forepaugh show herd horses huge humbug inventor Joice Heth Juliet Jumbo keeper Kemmler killed kinetoscope later wrote Luna Park Madison Square Garden menagerie Museum musth newspaper noted O’Brien offered P. T. Barnum Pan-American Exposition parade performance Philadelphia press agent railroad reported Rice Romeo route book season seemed show’s showman Snyder sought Street Tate Tesla Thompson thousand took Topsy Topsy’s train trainer traveling trunk turned wagon War of Currents Westinghouse white elephant Wizard York York Clipper young Forepaugh
Bibliographic information
| Title | Topsy: The Startling Story of the Crooked-Tailed Elephant, P. T. Barnum, and the American Wizard, Thomas Edison |
| Author | Michael Daly |
| Publisher | Open Road + Grove/Atlantic, 2013 |
| ISBN | 0802194575, 9780802194572 |
| Length | 288 pages |
| Subjects | › › History / United States / 20th Century Nature / Animal Rights Social Science / Popular Culture |
| Export Citation | BiBTeX EndNote RefMan |