Modern Ark: The Story of Zoos: Past, Present, and Future, by Croke, Vicki
Inventory #: 00410
Price: $12.00

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Modern Ark: The Story of Zoos: Past, Present, and Future, by Croke, Vicki. Scribner: New York, 1997. Edition: First edition. ISBN: 068419712X. Hardcover, 272 pages. Quarter bound in olive cloth over gray, paper-covered boards; gilt lettering on spine. Eight plates of B&W pictures. Bibliography. Index.

Condition: Fine in near fine jacket.. Light bumping to lower spine and front corner.

Contents: From the jacket:

Filled with fascinating facts and entertaining anecdotes, THE MODERN ARK is an in-depth look at the radical changes occurring in our nation's zoos -- from cement-paved mazes to simulated rain forests to completely natural landscapes -- as well as the history behind the actual idea of the zoo. With remarkable élan, Vicki Croke guides us through a history replete with Egyptian menageries; Louis XVI's personal collection of exotic animals at Versailles (that the Jacobins would later attempt to liberate during the French Revolution); and, in our century, William Hearst's private park at San Simeon.

In THE MODERN ARK, we meet the villains -- zoo officials and administrators who refuse to upgrade their facilities -- as well as the visionaries who recognize the need for zoos to redefine themselves. From laboratories to cyberspace, Croke takes us behind the scenes where groundbreaking research is being conducted as zoos ace their futures. Timely and important, vivid and textured, THE MODERN ARK captures the daily struggles and battles zoos confront in all their complexity and marks the debut of a fresh and vibrant new talent in nature writing.