{"title":"Sophy Roberts","description":"\u003cp\u003eExplore the captivating world of Sophy Roberts, where travel writing meets insightful cultural commentary. Journey through remote landscapes and discover hidden histories. Perfect for readers seeking adventure and understanding.\u003c\/p\u003e","products":[{"product_id":"lost-pianos-of-siberia-book-sophy-roberts-9780857524942","title":"The Lost Pianos of Siberia","description":"That they might be capable of making  music in such a hostile landscape feels like a miracle.  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Yet there is another tale to tell.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e Dotted throughout this remote land are pianos--grand instruments created during the boom years of the nineteenth century, as well as humble, Soviet-made uprights that found their way into equally modest homes. They tell the story of how, ever since entering Russian culture under the westernizing influence of Catherine the Great, piano music has run through the country like blood. \u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e How these pianos traveled into this snow-bound wilderness in the first place is testament to noble acts of fortitude by governors, adventurers and exiles. Siberian pianos have accomplished extraordinary feats, from the instrument that Maria Volkonsky, wife of an exiled Decembrist revolutionary, used to spread music east of the Urals, to those that brought reprieve to the Soviet Gulag. That these instruments might still exist in such a hostile landscape is remarkable. That they are still capable of making music in far-flung villages is nothing less than a miracle.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e The Lost Pianos of Siberia is largely a story of music in this fascinating place, fol-lowing Roberts on a three-year adventure as she tracks a number of different instruments to find one whose history is definitively Siberian. Her journey reveals a desolate land inhabited by wild tigers and deeply shaped by its dark history, yet one that is also profoundly beautiful--and peppered with pianos.\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"WoB","offers":[{"title":"GB \/ VERY_GOOD \/ INTERNAL","offer_id":49571664068881,"sku":"GOR011341514","price":0.0,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":false},{"title":"US \/ GOOD \/ SBYB","offer_id":49916446015761,"sku":"CIN0802149286G","price":0.0,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":false},{"title":"US \/ VERY_GOOD \/ SBYB","offer_id":50099694534929,"sku":"CIN0802149286VG","price":0.0,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":false},{"title":"US \/ WELL_READ \/ SBYB","offer_id":50113613070609,"sku":"CIN0802149286A","price":0.0,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":false}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0784\/4072\/6801\/files\/0802149286.jpg?v=1751264886"},{"product_id":"lost-pianos-of-siberia-book-sophy-roberts-9780857524959","title":"The Lost Pianos of Siberia","description":"Siberia’s story is traditionally one of exiles, penal colonies and unmarked graves. Yet there is another tale to tell.  Dotted  throughout this remote land are pianos – grand instruments created  during the boom years of the Nineteenth Century, and humble, Soviet-made  uprights that found their way into equally modest homes. They tell the  story of how, ever since entering Russian culture under the influence of  Catherine the Great, piano music has run through the country like  blood.   How these pianos travelled into this snow-bound  wilderness in the first place is testament to noble acts of fortitude by  governors, adventurers and exiles. That stately instruments might still  exist in such a hostile landscape is remarkable. That they are still  capable of making music in far-flung villages is nothing less than a  miracle.  But this is Siberia, where people can endure the worst  of the world — and where music reveals a deep humanity in the last place  on earth you would expect to find it.","brand":"WoB","offers":[{"title":"GB \/ VERY_GOOD \/ INTERNAL","offer_id":49586491326737,"sku":"GOR010611815","price":0.0,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true},{"title":"GB \/ WELL_READ \/ INTERNAL","offer_id":51392068976913,"sku":"GOR012229632","price":0.0,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":false}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0784\/4072\/6801\/files\/085752495X.jpg?v=1751234476"},{"product_id":"lost-pianos-of-siberia-book-sophy-roberts-9780802149299","title":"Lost Pianos of Siberia","description":"\u003cb\u003eFrom acclaimed journalist Sophy Roberts, a journey through one of the harshest landscapes on earth--where music reveals the deep humanity and the rich history of Siberia\u003c\/b\u003e \u003cp\u003e\u003cbr\u003e Siberia's story is traditionally one of exiles, penal colonies and unmarked graves. 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'BEST SUMMER BOOKS OF 2025: An illuminating tale of imperial ambition and ineptitude.' FINANCIAL TIMES  'A beautiful, intelligent and heartfelt book, a brilliantly researched account of an imperial fever dream alongside a no less feverish contemporary journey'- THE SUNDAY TIMES  'History and travelogue combine wonderfully in this tale of colonial plunder and hubris…Sophy Roberts’ luminous new book is a journey through Africa from Zanzibar to Lake Tanganyika and back, retracing the steps of a long-forgotten expedition.' - GUARDIAN  'This is a marvellous book, an important footnote to history - of Sophy Roberts' intrepid travel with a real purpose, shining a light on colonialism, Belgian and British, and their peculiar obsessions.’' - Paul Theroux, author of The Great Railway Bazaar  ‘Masterfully weaving adventure, intrigue and the darker truths of colonial ambition into a story as gripping as it is eye-opening.’ - Levison Wood, author of Walking the Nile  'Deeply researched. Brings to life a bizarre and long-forgotten story of Africa with empathy, intriguing encounters and memorable characters, not least the elephants themselves.’ - Luke Pepera, author of Motherland: A Journey through 500,000 Years of African Culture and Identity  ‘Sophy Roberts brings history to life, tackling difficult, sensitive subjects with careful, exquisite prose. Unputdownable.’ - Mary Harper, author of Getting Somalia Wrong?  'A brave and searching book, rich in history and fierce in spirit. The best sort of travel writing: handsome prose, teeming with humanity and an unwavering sense of wonder.' - Justin Marozzi, author of Baghdad, City of Peace, City of Blood   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 East African coast, where they were marched inland towards Congo. The ultimate aim was to establish a training school for African elephants.  Following in the footsteps of the four elephants, Roberts pieces together the story of this long-forgotten expedition, in travels that take her to Belgium, Iraq, India, Tanzania and Congo. The storytelling brings to life a compelling cast of historic characters and modern voices, from ivory dealers to Catholic nuns, set against rich descriptions of the landscapes travelled.  Roberts digs deep into historic records to reckon with our broken relationship with animals, revealing an extraordinary — and enduring — story of colonial greed, ineptitude, hypocrisy and folly.   ‘A cautionary tale from the early days of the Scramble for Africa, but poignant and scholarly too. Roberts writes beautifully.’ - Thomas Pakenham, author of The Scramble for Africa  ‘A rich, engrossing tapestry of greed and disregard for life … Few write as compellingly as Roberts, this is her as only she can write.’ - Amal Chatterjee, author of Across the Lakes","brand":"WoB","offers":[{"title":"GB \/ VERY_GOOD \/ INTERNAL","offer_id":50982820741393,"sku":"GOR014160103","price":0.0,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true},{"title":"GB \/ NEW \/ GARDNERS","offer_id":51123559039249,"sku":"NGR9780857528377","price":0.0,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true},{"title":"GB \/ LIKE_NEW \/ INTERNAL","offer_id":51266281996561,"sku":"GOR014212255","price":0.0,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true},{"title":"US \/ VERY_GOOD \/ SBYB","offer_id":51869137797393,"sku":"CIN0857528378VG","price":0.0,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":false},{"title":"GB \/ NEW \/ INGRAM","offer_id":52666883965201,"sku":"NLS9780857528377","price":0.0,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true},{"title":"GB \/ GOOD \/ INTERNAL","offer_id":52705142800657,"sku":"GOR014588360","price":0.0,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":false}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0784\/4072\/6801\/files\/0857528378.jpg?v=1767353109"},{"product_id":"training-school-for-elephants-book-sophy-roberts-9780802164865","title":"A Training School for Elephants","description":"\u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003eOut of a sidelined, colonial-era expedition in Africa comes a new history of cruelty, deception and adventure from the acclaimed author of \u003ci\u003eThe Lost Pianos of Siberia\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eIn 1879, King Leopold II of Belgium launched an ambitious plan to plunder Africa's resources. 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'BEST SUMMER BOOKS OF 2025: An illuminating tale of imperial ambition and ineptitude.' FINANCIAL TIMES  'A beautiful, intelligent and heartfelt book, a brilliantly researched account of an imperial fever dream alongside a no less feverish contemporary journey'- THE SUNDAY TIMES  'History and travelogue combine wonderfully in this tale of colonial plunder and hubris…Sophy Roberts’ luminous new book is a journey through Africa from Zanzibar to Lake Tanganyika and back, retracing the steps of a long-forgotten expedition.' - GUARDIAN  'This is a marvellous book, an important footnote to history - of Sophy Roberts' intrepid travel with a real purpose, shining a light on colonialism, Belgian and British, and their peculiar obsessions.’' - Paul Theroux, author of The Great Railway Bazaar  ‘Masterfully weaving adventure, intrigue and the darker truths of colonial ambition into a story as gripping as it is eye-opening.’ - Levison Wood, author of Walking the Nile  'Deeply researched. 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Roberts writes beautifully.’ - Thomas Pakenham, author of The Scramble for Africa  ‘A rich, engrossing tapestry of greed and disregard for life … Few write as compellingly as Roberts, this is her as only she can write.’ - Amal Chatterjee, author of Across the Lakes","brand":"WoB","offers":[{"title":"GB \/ VERY_GOOD \/ INTERNAL","offer_id":52498617139473,"sku":"GOR014540549","price":0.0,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":false},{"title":"US \/ LIKE_NEW \/ SBYB","offer_id":52888890867985,"sku":"CIN0857528386LN","price":0.0,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":false}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0784\/4072\/6801\/files\/9780857528384.jpg?v=1769686067"},{"product_id":"training-school-for-elephants-book-sophy-roberts-9780802167538","title":"A Training School for Elephants","description":"\u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003eOut of a sidelined, colonial-era expedition in Africa comes a new history of cruelty, deception and adventure from the acclaimed author of \u003ci\u003eThe Lost Pianos of Siberia\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eIn 1879, King Leopold II of Belgium launched an ambitious plan to plunder Africa's resources. 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