Author Guide · Travel & History
Books Written by
Sophy Roberts spent years travelling across Siberia, through eight time zones, looking for pianos: instruments hauled east by sledge in the nineteenth century, played in prison camps and in exile, and still sitting, out of tune, in village halls and kitchens. For her second book she followed four elephants that set out from India in 1879 for a scheme of King Leopold II of Belgium to train African elephants. This guide covers both of her books, and where to start.
By Lisanne Swart · 2 books · Travel and history · 2020–2025 · Updated October 2026
ClickTap a spine to jump to that book below.
Quick answer
Sophy Roberts has published two books: The Lost Pianos of Siberia (2020), a Sunday Times book of the year, about her search for the pianos scattered across Siberia; and A Training School for Elephants (2025), about a forgotten colonial expedition that marched four Indian elephants towards the Congo, shortlisted for the Wainwright Prize. Both use one strange object or episode to open up a whole history.
Where to Start with Sophy Roberts
If you want the famous one
→ The Lost Pianos of Siberia (2020).
If you want the most recent
→ A Training School for Elephants (2025).
All 2 Sophy Roberts Books, in Order
The Lost Pianos of Siberia
From the pianos Catherine the Great's court embraced to the instruments carried into the camps of the Gulag, Roberts follows a trail of pianos across Siberia, with the piano tuners, teachers and musicians who still keep them alive. It was a Sunday Times book of the year in 2020 and has been published in eight more languages.
A Training School for Elephants
In 1879 four tame elephants were shipped from India to the East African coast and marched inland towards the Congo, part of a plan by King Leopold II of Belgium to train African elephants. Roberts follows their route through India, Iraq, Tanzania, the Congo and Belgium. It was shortlisted for the Wainwright Prize for Writing on Conservation and was a Financial Times best book of 2025.
How Many Books Did Sophy Roberts Write?
Two books, in 2020 and 2025.
- Travel and history — The Lost Pianos of Siberia (2020) and A Training School for Elephants (2025). Read the entries →
In What Order to Read Sophy Roberts
The two books stand alone but share a method: each begins with a single object or episode and travels outwards from it into history.
A reading path
1. The Lost Pianos of Siberia (2020)
2. A Training School for Elephants (2025)
Quick facts about Sophy Roberts
- Nationality
- British
- Lives
- West Dorset
- Education
- Oxford; MS in Journalism, Columbia University
- Early career
- Assistant to the writer Jessica Mitford
- Writes for
- FT Weekend
- Books
- 2, The Lost Pianos of Siberia (2020) and A Training School for Elephants (2025)
How Sophy Roberts Writes: Travelling Slowly
Roberts travels slowly and knocks on doors. Her books follow a thread of history, a piano's serial number or an old expedition route, and she lets the people she meets along the way carry the story: she has said that people are more interesting than places.
She combines archival research with long journeys through remote country, weaving the past and the present together chapter by chapter.
Frequently asked questions about Sophy Roberts's books
How many books has Sophy Roberts written?
Sophy Roberts has published two books: The Lost Pianos of Siberia (2020) and A Training School for Elephants (2025).
What is The Lost Pianos of Siberia about?
The Lost Pianos of Siberia (2020) is about Roberts's search for the pianos that found their way across Siberia over two centuries, and the people and history connected to them.
What is A Training School for Elephants about?
A Training School for Elephants (2025) retraces an 1879 expedition that took four elephants from India to East Africa, as part of King Leopold II's colonial ambitions in the Congo.
Footnotes
- A Training School for Elephants — Grove Atlantic
- The Lost Pianos of Siberia — Penguin
- How I wrote it: Sophy Roberts — Penguin
Bibliography last verified 1 October 2026.
This list was not put together by a machine.
The notes are all mine,
and the books are all hers.
Lisanne x
Written by Lisanne Swart, who has curated reading lists and author guides at lisanneswart.com since 2021.
See more on her personal bookshelf.
If this shelf interested you, the full bookshelf has more: reading lists by theme, author guides, and notes on what is actually worth your time.
Browse the full bookshelf Get book recommendations