| Edition |
First edition. |
| Description |
viii, 369 pages, 8 unnumbered pages of plates : color illustrations ; 24 cm |
| Note |
Includes index. |
| Contents |
The 200-pound baby -- The elephant -- Barnum -- The elephantine expedition -- Ugly -- The war between the States, the Battle of the Dwarfs -- 4-pay -- The fire, the plowing elephant, the panic, and the "dusky attendant" -- Crooked tale, crooked tail -- The continued magic of kindness and the first beauty contest -- The wizard -- The White Elephant War -- Eph's escape, pickpockets, and pink lemonade -- The tree of knowledge and the fearless frogmam -- Another war begins -- The executioner's experiments -- The chair -- Westinghoused -- Reading your own obituary -- The great name vanishes -- Topsy somersaults; gold dust and Duncan get a home -- The wizard's latest marvel and so many elephants -- Sid sorrows, Topsy traipses -- From lady moody to the billion-dollar smile -- The big swim. |
| Summary |
In 1903, on Coney Island, an elephant named Topsy was electrocuted. This bizarre execution has reverberated through popular culture with the whiff of urban legend. But it really happened, and many historical forces conspired to bring Topsy, Thomas Edison, and those 6,600 volts of alternating current together. It wasn't until after the Civil War that the circus entered its golden age, thanks especially to P.T. Barnum and Adam Forepaugh. It was their War of the Elephants that brought Topsy to America. With fantastic detail, Daly brings this world of caravans, crooks, and sideshows to life. And he captures the life of the animals, both the cruelties and, when treated with kindness, their remarkable feats. The War of the Currents--which pitted Edison against George Westinghouse--would also play a major role in the life of Topsy. Edison maneuvered to have the first electric chair powered by his rival's alternating current, hoping that the executions would demonstrate the comparative danger of AC. Daly expertly guides the reader through this peculiar and enduring story, as well as the World's Columbian Exposition in Buffalo, and the development of Coney Island -- Jacket. |
| Subject |
Topsy (elephant)
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Circus animals.
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Barnum, P. T. (Phineas Taylor), 1810-1891.
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Circus owners -- United States -- Biography.
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Edison, Thomas A. (Thomas Alva), 1847-1931.
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Inventors -- United States -- Biography.
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Circus -- United States -- History.
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Electrocution -- Experiments.
|
| ISBN |
9780802119049 hardcover |
|
0802119042 hardcover |
|
