A Training School for Elephants: Retracing a Curious Episode in the European Grab for Africa

Out of a sidelined, colonial-era expedition in Africa comes a new history of cruelty, deception, and adventure from the acclaimed author of The Lost Pianos of Siberia.

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 Eas...