A Zoo in My Luggage
by Gerald Durrell

Durrell's works span several decades and nearly all of the continents as he, first as a naturalist and animal collector, and later as a devout conservationist, reported in accurate but humourous detail his experiences with animals. A Zoo in My Luggage starts with an account of his third trip to the British Cameroons in West Africa, where he and his wife captured animals to start their own zoo. Having undertaken things in a rather unconventional order -- first collecting the animals and then trying to find a place to house them.-- the remainder of the work deals with solving that dilemma, a series of events that resulted eventually in the creation of the Jersey zoo and his Wildlife Conservation Trust. Durrell grew up on the Greek island of Corfu where he was largely homeschooled -- a fact for which the world of animal literature should be eternally grateful. The brother of novelist Lawrence Durrell, his literary tallents were both formidable and delightful.

All of Durrell's works are still under copyright, but are available for a reasonable price in paperback. (Order A Zoo in My Luggage online.)