{"product_id":"zarafa-a-giraffes-true-story","title":"ZARAFA: A GIRAFFE'S TRUE STORY","description":"\u003cp\u003eIn October 1826  a ship arrived at Marseille carrying the first giraffe ever seen in France. A royal offering from Muhammad Ali  Ottoman Viceroy of Egypt  to King Charles X  she had already traveled 2 000 miles down the Nile to Alexandria  from where she had sailed across the Mediterranean standing in the hold  her long neck and head protruding through a hole cut in the deck. In the spring of 1827  after wintering in Marseille  she was carefully walked 550 miles to Paris to the delight of thousands of onlookers.  The viceroys tribute was politically motivated: He commanded the Turkish forces then fighting the Greeks in their war of independence  and hoped his gift would persuade the French not to intervene against him. But the viceroy and his intentions were quickly forgotten as France fell in love with its \"beautiful stranger.\" Zarafa chronicles the full story of this remarkable animal  revealing a kaleidoscope of history  science  and culture that opens an exotic window on the early nineteenth century. From the Enlightenments blossoming fascination with science to Napoleons ill-fated invasion of Egypt in 1798from the eminent French naturalist tienne Geoffroy Saint-Hilaire to Bernardino Drovetti  French consul general in Egypt and tomb robber extraordinairethe era was full of memorable events and characters. Michael Allin deftly weaves them into the story with an appreciation for detail and an uncommon affection.  The giraffes strange and wonderful journey linked Africa and Europe in mutual discovery. Although her arrival did not keep the French out of Alis war  she became an instant celebrity in Paris and over the next eighteen years she fascinated all of Europe. Through Michael Allins narrative skill  Zarafa stirs the imagination as it provides a new context for the history of a distant age.\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"My Store","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":44949882011701,"sku":"ByrdShop_0747222991","price":62.31,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0627\/8139\/0901\/files\/9780747222996.jpg?v=1770088894","url":"https:\/\/atxbooks.com\/products\/zarafa-a-giraffes-true-story","provider":"ATX Books","version":"1.0","type":"link"}