A Lion Called Christian: The True Story of the Remarkable Bond Between Two Friends and a Lion (Hardcover)

~ (Author), (Author), George Adamson (Foreword)
Key Phrases: other lions, wild lions, Leith Hill, George Adamson, Born Free (more...)

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com Review

Book Description
In 2008 an extraordinary two-minute film clip appeared on YouTube and immediately became an international phenomenon. It captures the moving reunion of two young men and their pet lion Christian, after they had left him in Africa with Born Free’s George Adamson to introduce him into his rightful home in the wild.

A Lion Called Christian tells the remarkable story of how Anthony “Ace” Bourke and John Rendall, visitors to London from Australia in 1969, bought the boisterous lion cub in the pet department of Harrods. For several months, the three of them shared a flat above a furniture shop on London’s King’s Road, where the charismatic and intelligent Christian quickly became a local celebrity, cruising the streets in the back of a Bentley, popping in for lunch at a local restaurant, even posing for a fashion advertisement. But the lion cub was growing up--fast--and soon even the walled church garden where he went for exercise wasn’t large enough for him. How could Ace and John avoid having to send Christian to a zoo for the rest of his life? A coincidental meeting with English actors Virginia McKenna and Bill Travers, stars of the hit film Born Free, led to Christian being flown to Kenya and placed under the expert care of “the father of lions” George Adamson. Incredibly, when Ace and John returned to Kenya to see Christian a year later, they received a loving welcome from their lion, who was by then fully integrated into Africa and a life with other lions.

Originally published in 1971, and now fully revised and updated with more than 50 photographs of Christian from cuddly cub in London to magnificent lion in Africa, A Lion Called Christian is a touching and uplifting true story of an indelible human-animal bond. It is destined to become one of the great classics of animal literature.

A Look Inside A Lion Called Christian

Click on thumbnails for larger images

Christian with Mark at Todd's Hairdressers in the World's End	Football in the Moravian Close	John, Christian, and Ace relaxing at Leith Hill

Easter, 1970	Ace (left) and John (right) with Christian on The King's Road, Chelsea

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Product Description

In 2008 an extraordinary two-minute film clip appeared on YouTube and immediately became an international phenomenon. It captures the moving reunion of two young men and their pet lion Christian, after they had left him in Africa with Born Free’s George Adamson to introduce him into his rightful home in the wild.

A Lion Called Christian tells the remarkable story of how Anthony “Ace” Bourke and John Rendall, visitors to London from Australia in 1969, bought the boisterous lion cub in the pet department of Harrods. For several months, the three of them shared a flat above a furniture shop on London’s King’s Road, where the charismatic and intelligent Christian quickly became a local celebrity, cruising the streets in the back of a Bentley, popping in for lunch at a local restaurant, even posing for a fashion advertisement. But the lion cub was growing up—fast—and soon even the walled church garden where he went for exercise wasn’t large enough for him. How could Ace and John avoid having to send Christian to a zoo for the rest of his life? A coincidental meeting with English actors Virginia McKenna and Bill Travers, stars of the hit film Born Free, led to Christian being flown to Kenya and placed under the expert care of “the father of lions” George Adamson. Incredibly, when Ace and John returned to Kenya to see Christian a year later, they received a loving welcome from their lion, who was by then fully integrated into Africa and a life with other lions.

Originally published in 1971, and now fully revised and updated with more than 50 photographs of Christian from cuddly cub in London to magnificent lion in Africa, A Lion Called Christian is a touching and uplifting true story of an indelible human-animal bond. It is is destined to become one of the great classics of animal literature. --This text refers to the Audio CD edition.

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Product Details

• Hardcover: 256 pages
• Publisher: Broadway; First Edition edition (March 10, 2009)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0767932307
• ISBN-13: 978-0767932301
• Product Dimensions: 7.6 x 5 x 1.2 inches
• Shipping Weight: 13.6 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.7 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (69 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #4,126 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

  Popular in these categories: (What's this?)

  #1 in	Books > Outdoors & Nature > Ecology > Animals > Mammals
  #5 in	Books > Outdoors & Nature > Fauna > Wildlife
  #9 in	Books > Home & Garden > Animal Care & Pets > Essays

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

53 of 55 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Moving and Inspiring Read!!, March 11, 2009

By	t22684 (Orlando, Florida) - See all my reviews

I was introduced to this story when I saw the Youtube video of the reunion between Christian and his original caretakers and was moved to tears- amazing moment! I did not even know a book had already been released shortly after the reunion with Christian in 1971. So when this rerelease was brought to my attention, I scooped it up on day 1. I read it in one sitting and was so deeply moved by this story. I cried, I laughed and most of all, I walked away with such a deep admiration for conservation workers who rehabilitate animals to their natural habitats. The love the 2 caretakers felt for Christian and his mutual affection is very touching!! If we could all show the same love and admiration for all animals, we could make enormous progress in ensuring their health, safety and well-being. Everyone should sit down and read this incredible story and hopefully walk away as inspired as I was :-)

57 of 62 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars AND SO IT GOES....., March 10, 2009

By	Tidewatergal (Virginia) - See all my reviews

And so it goes that after falling in love with the 2008 video of the lion named Christian, reuniting with the men that saved him from Herrod's dept store, that I FINALLY have A Lion Called Christian, in my hands. The impact of Christian's story on one's heart has been universally quite profound. I was just merrily going along in my life and WOW--I met up with this story on You Tube. I sobbed for months! I really thought I was losing it for a while. My heart had been torn wide open. I read everything (found on wonderful Ebay and still available through Ebay)I could find on Bourke and Rendall, then George and Joy Adamson, then the Born Free series, then every book written by George Adamson, then some on Kenya, joined www.africam.com and spent much time savoring ALL the fabulous information on www.fatheroflions.com. I emailed Mr. Rendall twice, I watched every 2008 TV interview and lastly, I am now a donating member of Born Free USA due solely to Christian's story. Had I the money, I would have boarded a plane for Africa with my entire family to visit Campi Ya Simba in Kenya and Elsa's grave. After all of this, I meet up with the original book, A Lion Called Christian. This book will change your heart, take you away, wake you up, make you sob, make you rejoice, make you grieve for the wild animals in a circus/zoos/hidden in homes, give you heroes, (Bourke, Rendall, Travers, McKenna, GEORGE ADAMSON, JOY ADAMSON and all the people in between, like the gal doing "wheelbarrows" with Christian)propel you, if you have doubted, into seeing only God could create such a fabulous animal and an experience like this for everyone involved. Let the power in this story take you to your own place. Then consider the closing thought of the authors, "If all of us touched by Christian's story came together to address some of the issues faced by the global community, what could we achieve together in the spirit of Christian's love and love of life?" In closing, I dare say--we could do momentous things to help the animal kingdom, momentous things. Please find a way to donate even a consistent dollar to keeping wild animals in the wild.

26 of 26 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Awww....., March 25, 2009

By	Ryan C. Holiday (Los Angeles, California) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

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I'll write this from a slightly different perspective. Everyone who has seen and enjoyed the video (but didn't cry or weep or have some other strange reaction) is probably wondering: ok, but is the book any good?

The answer is yes. It is well organized, fun, interesting and wonderfully written. Rendall and Rourke are also surprisingly self-aware. They admit numerous times that owning a lion was a dangerous, one-in-a-lifetime decision that they were lucky to escape positively.

Their story is one that is so strangely fascinating that it's shocking to think it happened as recently as the 1970s. They were selling lions in department stores back then? It feels like a different world. This is probably why the book is so fun to read - it is a rare mix of exotic animals, nostalgia, British and Hollywood glamour and a love story.

Again, for the skeptical or the curious, this book is worth reading and will be enjoyed. Just keep the anticipation to the minimum as A Lion Called Christian is a short read that you'll burn through quickly.It's better if you can appreciate that moment than be disappointed by its brevity.