{"title":"Sophy Roberts","description":"Sophy Roberts is a British writer whose work focuses on remote travel. She began her career assisting the writer Jessica Mitford, was an English scholar at Oxford University, and trained in journalism at Columbia University. She regularly contributes to the Financial Times and Condé Nast Traveler. The Lost Pianos of Siberia is her first book.","products":[{"product_id":"lost-pianos-of-siberia-paperback","title":"Lost Pianos of Siberia - Paperback","description":"\u003cp\u003e\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\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cbr\u003eSiberia's story is traditionally one of exiles, penal colonies and unmarked graves. 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":"BooksCloud","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":51367959363807,"sku":"9780802149299","price":20.0,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0813\/8958\/4607\/files\/p_ObdVo7M49780802149299.webp?v=1789116969"},{"product_id":"a-training-school-for-elephants-hardcover","title":"A Training School for Elephants - Hardcover","description":"\u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\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. 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.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eFollowing 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. In an original weave of past and present, she digs deep into historic records revealing an extraordinary--and enduring--story of colonial greed, hypocrisy, and folly.\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"BooksCloud","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":51368471593183,"sku":"9780802164865","price":30.0,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0813\/8958\/4607\/files\/y7gnyv0_cU9780802164865.webp?v=1789128485"},{"product_id":"a-training-school-for-elephants-paperback","title":"A Training School for Elephants - Paperback","description":"\u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\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. 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.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eFollowing 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. In an original weave of past and present, she digs deep into historic records revealing an extraordinary--and enduring--story of colonial greed, hypocrisy, and folly.\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"BooksCloud","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":51368977432799,"sku":"9780802167538","price":20.0,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0813\/8958\/4607\/files\/3bvWEApLLt9780802167538.webp?v=1789135988"}],"url":"https:\/\/blackandbarhe.com\/collections\/sophy-roberts.oembed","provider":"Black \u0026 Barhe Bookstore","version":"1.0","type":"link"}