Vicki Constantine Croke "The Lady and the Panda"

One of the most famous animals ever brought to an American zoo came here from Tibet in 1936, but not as a result of the exploits of any travel-hardened, macho big-game hunter. The first giant panda in America was captured and brought here by a woman: Ruth Harkness, a Manhattan socialite and dress designer whose husband was the adventurer. Her story is told in Vicki Constantine Croke's book The Lady and the Panda.