Beasts in My Belfry (Pan Heritage Classics, Band 10)

At the age of two I made up my mind quite firmly and unequivocally that the only thing I wanted to do was study animals. Nothing else interested me.

This is a charming account of Gerald Durrell's first job in 1945 as a student keeper at Whipsnade Zoo. Over a year, we encounter a typically absurd cast - including Albert the lion, who's a dab hand at ventriloquism, and Teddy the brown bear, with whom the young Durrell sings duets. With notebook and pen in hand, the eager young Durrell observes his co-workers and animal charges alike. Whether getting dirty mucking out the buffalo enclosure or attempting to cajole a jitter-bugging gnus into a transportation crate, life at the zoo is certainly never boring.

Written with Durrell's usual sharp eye for observing humour in any situation, Beasts in my Belfry will delight fans both old and new.

'A hilarious record that no Durrell fan will want to miss.' Sunday Telegraph