Jumbo, Victorian England's favourite elephant, was born in 1861 in French Sudan. Imported to a Parisian zoo and later sold on to London. Worldwide fame came when he was brought by the American showman and scam artist P.T. Barnum in 1881(despite letters from 100,000 British schoolchildren who wrote to Queen Victoria begging her to prevent the sale). Barnum went on to transform Jumbo into a lucrative circus acts and one of the most loved animals of all time. Using the heart-wrenching story of Jumbo's celebrity life, tragic death in Canada in 1885,and his enduring cultural legacy, John Sutherland will write the first comprehensive 'biography' of the animal who gave us one of our favourite words.