Beasts in My Belfry

For fans of the PBS Masterpiece Theater series, The Durrells in Corfu--here's what happened next

When Gerald Durrell was eight, his family, lead by his intrepid, imperturbable mother, went abroad and settled in Corfu. The story of the family life's there is told in Fauna and Family. Then the Durrells returned to England in 1939 and the family's story continues in Fillets of Plaice. Finally, in 1945, the young zoologist finally came to work at his first actual zoo in Beasts in My Belfry). It was Whipsnade Zoo--then a new concept in open-range animal exhibits--where Durrell joined in as a student keeper with Albert the lion, Babs the polar bear, and a baby P re David's deer among his first charges. In this entertaining history, he recaptures all the passion that permeated those early years, while conveying his insight into and affection for both four- and two-footed creatures. The book is full of larger-than-life animal characters: the bear who sang operatic arias with one paw clasped to his breast, his bosom friend Billy the goat, playful zebras, and a host of equally endearing and memorable critters. This is Durrell at his best.