First published in 2004, this book has now been reprinted. Gerrards were the second biggest London taxidermists. famous for their models and preparations of skeletons. but they also did a wide range of taxidermy. This varied from excellent to spectacularly bad. One chapter describes their speciality – making ‘animal furniture‘, bizarre objects including a drinks cabinet made from a rhino head. lt’s amazing how many things they could make from a dead hippo! In another chapter, the work of Gerrard Hire Ltd is described. renting out old taxidermy specimens for parties and stage productions, with some animals appearing on famous TV programmes.