Elephant (Animal) - Softcover

Wylie, Dan

Softcover

ISBN 10: 1861893973 ISBN 13: 9781861893970

Publisher: Reaktion Books, 2009

Synopsis

Aristotle characterized the elephant as “the beast which passeth all others in wit and mind” and the animal has long figured in cultural artifacts, even on continents it has never inhabited. Now Elephant provides an engaging look at the elephant’s long legacy.
The image of the elephant can be found throughout world cultures as a symbol of intelligence, strength, and loyalty. Wylie draws on a rich array of examples to document that symbolic power, ranging from symbols of the Hindu god of wisdom, Ganesh, to the beloved children’s works Dumbo and Babar the Elephant.
Turning to the elephant’s biological history, Wylie describes the three remaining species—the African Bush Elephant, African Forest Elephant, and the Asian Elephant—and the controversial efforts for elephant conservation. With ivory poaching and human encroachment into the animal’s natural habitats, Wylie argues that we face a uniquely poignant conservation crisis in which elephants and humans both unsustainably consume limited natural resources.
A compelling new entry in the Animal series, Elephant will be necessary for every animal lover’s bookshelf. 

About this title

About the Author:

Dan Wylie is associate professor of English at Rhodes University in Zimbabwe. He is the author of several books, including Myth of Iron: Shaka in History and Toxic Belonging?: Identity and Ecology in Southern Africa. 

Review:

'Readers of Elephant may be surprised at the huge amount of fascinating history, biology, and generally little-known information that can be packed into such a small book. But this is not unusual for the Reaktion series of monographs on animals, many of which, including this one, are surely destined to become classics. Elephant excels in presenting a masterly combination of historical and literary knowledge about elephants with up-to-date facts and figures on the efforts of conservationists to prevent the decline and probable extinction of the living species in Africa and Asia.' - Anthrozoos 'Broken up into clear sections on taxonomy, physiology, representation of elephants, human use of elephants and conservation and illustrated throughout with 99 different plates, the book give a great overview for someone wanting to learn more about the world's largest land mammal and how their history has been intertwined with our own.' - Captive Animal Protection Society

About this edition

• Publisher: Reaktion Books
• Publication date: 2009
• ISBN 10: 1861893973
• ISBN 13: 9781861893970
• Binding: Paperback
• Number of pages: 224