By Jenna French
If you lived in 18th-century Europe, the most exciting event in your life might have been seeing a very exotic animal – an Indian rhinoceros, for example. About eight of the rare creatures displayed in tours across the continent during that time – and one, Clara, is the focus of U of L English professor and 18-century history guru Glynis Ridley’s new book.
“Clara’s Grand Tour: Travels with a Rhinoceros in Eighteenth-Century Europe” investigates the history of the eight or so Indian rhinoceroses in Europe from the Renaissance period to the mid-18th century.
But why would and English professor who came to Louisville via Belfast, Ireland be interested in rhinos? It all comes from an engraving she saw while speaking at a conference in 1998 in Edinburg, Scotland.
“I came across an engraving in a book of anatomical illustrations that showed a skeleton and a rhinoceros,” she said. She explained that engraving was a tedious process, and an artist wouldn’t have included a rhinoceros unless it had some significance. From that point, she decided to conduct research.
“It’s interesting to think that the whole story came from that one picture,” she said.
Several events have been planned to commemorate the release of the novel. First released in Britain last summer, Ridley did a series of radio shows and a BBC children’s program to coincide with the Save the Rhino program.
The hardback version of the book was released in the U.S. in March 2005, and Ridley did a radio show with Dave Cronin on the Louisville Free Public Library’s WFPL station called “Off the Cuff” to spread word about it.
In addition, she has signed books at Borders and Carmichael’s bookstores. Ridley also spoke at the Louisville Zoo, where management it hopes to plan a larger event for the fall.
According to Ridley, the biggest events will take place next year, when the paperback version of the book is released in January 2006. The Getty Center in Los Angeles is restoring an oil painting of Clara the Rhino, and the San Diego Zoo hopes to have Ridley speak there soon.
Ridley has also published other books, but they were strictly academic, and included studies on the history of rhetoric and other books about popular culture. The first book that she wrote was about the first American cookbook and focused on the way early American cookbooks used only homegrown ingredients in their recipes.
“Clara,” with its markedly different and unique readership, was fun for Ridley, she said, because the audience for her other books has typically been experts in the field of eighteenth-century history. Currently, she is looking into writing more creative literature. She is also writing book reviews for the Washington Post.
Besides writing, Ridley also enjoys playing the pub quiz with her husband at Molly Malone’s on Bardstown Road. Last week, they won the Tuesday night finals. The pub quiz takes place on Tuesdays and Wednesdays, and, Ridley said, “Sometimes other patrons get annoyed because we know about Irish pubs and culture. But we know nothing about American sitcoms of the ’60s and ’70s, so it’s really the luck of the draw.”
“Clara’s Grand Tour” is available at Borders and Carmichael’s bookstores around the Louisville area.
