Topsy the Crooked-Tailed Elephant

In my last book, Electrified Sheep, I devoted a few pages to telling the story of Topsy, the Coney Island elephant who in 1903 became the first of her species to be put to death by electricity. It's an odd story that tangentially involved two of the biggest names in the history of commercial electricity: Thomas Edison and George Westinghouse.

There have been many elephants killed in all kinds of ways in captivity. But Topsy's death has been a particular source of fascination and horror to people over the years. Probably because the entire event was caught on film by Edison's film company (you can still see that film today on youtube). So Topsy's story has been told quite a few times over the course of the past century.

But now I see that the journalist Michael Daly has produced the first book-length treatment of Topsy's life and death. I haven't had a chance to read it yet, but based on the reviews it sounds like Daly did an excellent job. So it should be a satisfying read for any lover of weird history.

And while I'm at it, let me put in a small plug for myself, since my publisher tells me that the US paperback version of Electrified Sheep has just been released. It's weird history, now cheaper than before. Plus, there's a kindle version!