SKU: 8664388331

A Thing in Disguise

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Description

A Thing in DisguiseA brilliantly conceived biography of Joseph Paxton, horticulturist to the Duke & Duchess of Devonshire at Chatsworth, architect of the Crystal Palace at the Great Exhibition of 1851 and one of the greatest unsung heroes of the Victorian Age In the nineteenth century, which witnessed a revolution in horticulture and urban planning and architecture, Joseph Paxton, a man with no formal education, strode like a colossus. Head gardener at Chatsworth by the

A brilliantly conceived biography of Joseph Paxton, horticulturist to the Duke & Duchess of Devonshire at Chatsworth, architect of the Crystal Palace at the Great Exhibition of 1851 and one of the greatest unsung heroes of the Victorian Age

In the nineteenth century, which witnessed a revolution in horticulture and urban planning and architecture, Joseph Paxton, a man with no formal education, strode like a colossus. Head gardener at Chatsworth by the age of twenty-three, and encouraged by the sixth Duke of Devonshire whose patronage soon flourished into the defining friendship of his life, Paxton set about transforming this Derbyshire estate into the greatest garden in England. Visitors there were astonished by the enormous glasshouses and ambitious waterworks he built, the collection of orchids, the largest in all England, the dwarf bananas and the gargantuan lily, the trees and plants brought back from all over the world. Queen Victoria came to marvel and, increasingly, with the development of the railway in which Paxton was also involved, daytrippers from all over the country.

It was the Crystal Palace, home of the Great Exhibition in 1851, that secured Paxton's fame. His design, initially doodled on a piece of blotting paper, was the architectural triumph of its time. Two thousand men worked for eight months to complete it. It was six times the size of St Paul's Cathedral, enclosed a space of 18 acres, and entertained six million visitors. By the time of his death fourteen years later, 'the busiest man in England' according to Dickens, was friends with Brunel and Stevenson and in constant demand to design public parks and gardens. His last, seemingly most eccentric project was for a Great Boulevard under glass, a crystal arcade that would connect all the main railway termini in London.

Drawing on exclusive access to Paxton's personal letters, Kate Colquhouns's remarkable biography is a compelling story of a man who typifies the Victorian ideal of self-improvement and a touching portrait of one of that era's great heroes.



Binding Type: Paperback
Publisher: Harper Perennial
Published: 09/11/2009
ISBN: 9780007143542
Pages: 320
Weight: 0.81lbs
Size: 8.00h x 5.00w x 0.76d
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SKU: 8664388331

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Jessica S.
Carnegie, US
★★★★★ 5
Great fun for dogs!
Color: Orange
Two of our dogs really love this! It caused a lot of barking and chasing and running around trying to grab it. It's really funny to use the remote to control it (and especially make it stop when things get a little too chaotic!) It feels durable even when pawed and bumped into and stepped on. The battery life seems good. I plugged it in overnight to charge so not sure how long it took to charge, but it has lasted quite a while with the dogs playing with it and still doesn't need a charge. It's easy to screw off one side of the ball to plug it in to charge. The size is a little bigger than a tennis ball I would say and has a soft texture.
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Reviewed in the United States on January 6, 2026
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Kathy Stefanski
Waukegan, US
★★★★★ 1
It doesn't work.
Color: Blue
The two halves of the ball shell come apart again and again when the dog plays with them. When it is time to recharge the core, it will not take a charge. The dog loves it, but it's unsafe to play with.
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Reviewed in the United States on January 15, 2026
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Mary Roberts
Lowell, US
★★★★★ 2
It doesn’t do what is supposed to do
Color: Blue
Wasn’t impressed..,all the ball does is vibrate. It doesn’t really bounce
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Reviewed in the United States on March 6, 2026
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Brittany Manos
Houston, US
★★★★★ 5
My dogs fight over it
Color: Orange, Color: Orange
Easy to use, durable, and has a great battery love. At first my dogs were curious and unsure about it, now its become one of their favorite toys. They'll stare at it while its being charged and impatiently wait for it so they can have fun again. Perfect size for most breeds.
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Reviewed in the United States on January 3, 2026
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J. Rogers
Pawtucket, US
★★★★★ 5
This is a great ball for high energy dogs.
Color: Blue
I have a Belgian Malinois, so you can imagine the Maligator jaws. Just opened this today and let her play with it indoors. She LOVES IT. It wore her out and it’s a toy she can really stay focused on without needing me to throw or roll for her. It moves on its own! I supervised her play. I was hoping it was too big to get under the couch, but no. It goes right under it. I had to block off the gap so I didn’t have to keep getting it out from under for her. The outter “shell” is very durable! When she had resting moments, she chewed it pretty good - I could hear the material squeaking against her teeth. I was worried she was tearing it up, but nope! Not a mark on it. It’s easy to set up and operate. It needed charging before play. After hours of play, she was able to somehow unscrew the outter shell. This concerned me bc the smaller, inner ball mechanism came out but I saw it right away and was able to put it back together. So, make sure it’s screwed together tightly (which I thought I had done without breaking it) and check it from time to time to make sure it hasn’t loosened. This is a great ball for her incredible high energy drive. It gives her the work and fun play she needs to get tired, which I love. This toy is on the expensive end, but so far it’s worth it. Now we’ll see how long it lasts!
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Reviewed in the United States on October 7, 2025

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