A deeply researched exploration of how, historically, American zoos have interpreted nature for urban audiences
Reviews:
"The ideas that sustained [zoos] were, as Elizabeth Hanson explains in Animal Attractions, progressive. These were not seedy, sideshow affairs where you went for cheap thrills but places for 'recreation, self improvement and spiritual renewal.' " —Geoffrey Norman, Wall Street Journal
"Animal Attractions carefully and importantly contextualizes the zoo amidst broader developments in American culture. . . . [A]n important contribution to the vital rethinking of zoos and urban space and the relationship of nature and culture in modern America." —Brett Mizelle, Journal of American History