Those of us on the Tufts campus have had the pleasure of the having the heart-wrenching story of Jumbo, who died saving his mini-elephant friend Tom Thumb on a train track, told to us ... again, and again, and again. But for the not-so-lucky rest of the world, there's "Jumbo: This Being The True Story Of The Greatest Elephant In The World." (Is there really a lot of competition? How many other elephants are there in the running for this title, anyway?)

Author Paul Chambers, though, has a very different story of Jumbo than the one we've heard ... and it's far more scandalous. Gone entirely is Jumbo's magnanimous death and little Tom Thumb, and in his place is "Scott," a random alcoholic who raised Jumbo from a ...  whatever baby elephants are called. From an article previewing the book in the Daily Express (check Lexis Nexis to get it):

"Jumbo developed a temper which sometimes turned violent. The rages always occurred at night and were kept secret but on several occasions the steel-plated doors to his den were left hanging off their hinges. Bartlett ordered a large gun in case Jumbo should ever go berserk in public but Scott's behavior was also a cause for concern. Scott had started to use his power over Jumbo to blackmail Bartlett. Should any request by Scott be refused then Jumbo would mysteriously go on strike or act in a threatening manner."

Now that's a story to tell on campus tours!