Trunk Road for Hannibal: With an Elephant over the Alps
John Hoyte
It's an interesting read about an interesting experiment—taking an elephant over the author's hypothesised route for Hannibal and his army. I would have been interested anyway, but the following items added to my interest.
- Side note #1: John Hoyte is the husband of Luci Shaw, the poet (and another Bellinghamster).
- Side note #2a: John Hoyte was interned during WWII by the Japanese in the same camp in China as Eric Liddell (of Chariots of Fire fame).
- Side note #2b: This is the same internment camp that is profiled in the book Shantung Compound—an exceptional book about human nature and the trappings of civilization.
- Side note #2c: This is the same internment camp where the kids from Chefoo School (later my alma mater) were interned.
- Side note #3: I love elephants.
Unfortunately, it seems unlikely that I will ever have an elephant of my own, but they are wonderful creatures and I want to visit them as often as I can. The attached photograph provides evidence that (even at a young age) I was interested in elephants.
(I'm on the left.)
sounds like a cool book, Luci Shaw is one of my favorite authors, but I've never read anything by her husband.
ReplyDeleteI've really enjoyed the stuff I've seen by Luci Shaw. I need to read more.
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