INSTANT SUNDAY TIMES BESTSELLER From the acclaimed author of The Lost Pianos of Siberia comes
a new journey following four 19 th century elephants marched from the East African coast
towards Congo to tell a heartbreaking story of folly and colonial greed. 'A beautiful
intelligent and heartfelt book a brilliantly researched account of an imperial fever dream
alongside a no less feverish contemporary journey' - THE SUNDAY TIMES 'Absorbing ... any
account of a journey in the footsteps of another is bound to be elegiac but rarely has an
elegy been so suffused with drama and pathos.' - FT 'History and travelogue combine
wonderfully in this tale of colonial plunder and hubris...Sophy Roberts' luminous new book is a
journey through Africa from Zanzibar to Lake Tanganyika and back retracing the steps of a
long-forgotten expedition.' - GUARDIAN 'This is a marvellous book an important footnote to
history - of Sophy Roberts' intrepid travel with a real purpose shining a light on colonialism
Belgian and British and their peculiar obsessions.'' - Paul Theroux author of The Great
Railway Bazaar 'Masterfully weaving adventure intrigue and the darker truths of colonial
ambition into a story as gripping as it is eye-opening.' - Levison Wood author of Walking the
Nile 'Deeply researched. Brings to life a bizarre and long-forgotten story of Africa with
empathy intriguing encounters and memorable characters not least the elephants themselves.' -
Luke Pepera author of Motherland: A Journey through 500 000 Years of African Culture and
Identity 'Sophy Roberts brings history to life tackling difficult sensitive subjects with
careful exquisite prose. Unputdownable.' - Mary Harper author of Getting Somalia Wrong? 'A
brave and searching book rich in history and fierce in spirit. The best sort of travel
writing: handsome prose teeming with humanity and an unwavering sense of wonder.' - Justin
Marozzi author of Baghdad City of Peace City of Blood In 1879 King Leopold II of Belgium
launched an ambitious plan to plunder Africa's resources. The key to cracking open the
continent or so he thought was its elephants - if only he could train them. And so he
commissioned the charismatic Irish adventurer Frederick Carter to ship four tamed Asian
elephants from India to the East African coast where they were marched inland towards Congo.
The ultimate aim was to establish a training school for African elephants. Following in the
footsteps of the four elephants Roberts pieces together the story of this long-forgotten
expedition in travels that take her to Belgium Iraq India Tanzania and Congo. The
storytelling brings to life a compelling cast of historic characters and modern voices from
ivory dealers to Catholic nuns set against rich descriptions of the landscapes travelled.
Roberts digs deep into historic records to reckon with our broken relationship with animals
revealing an extraordinary - and enduring - story of colonial greed ineptitude hypocrisy and
folly. 'A cautionary tale from the early days of the Scramble for Africa but poignant and
scholarly too. Roberts writes beautifully.' - Thomas Pakenham author of The Scramble for
Africa ' A rich engrossing tapestry of greed and disregard for life ... Few write as
compellingly as Roberts this is her as only she can write.' - Amal Chatterjee author of
Across the Lakes
