Page "Gerald Durrell" Paragraph 10

With encouragement and assistance from Jacquie, and advice from elder brother Lawrence, Gerald Durrell started writing humorous autobiographical accounts to raise money, initially because he and Jacquie were broke after their wedding and Durrell didn't have a source of income, and then later to fund his expeditions and conservation efforts.

His first book — The Overloaded Ark — was a huge success, causing Durrell to follow up with other such accounts.

While Durrell only made £ 50 from British rights ( Faber and Faber ), he obtained £ 500 from the United States rights ( Viking Press ) for the book, and thus managed to raise money for a fourth expedition to South America in 1954.

This, however, was undertaken during a political coup d ' etat in Paraguay and was unsuccessful.