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Elephant (science book)
Encyclopedia
Elephant is a 1964 science book
by L. Sprague de Camp
, published by Pyramid Books
as part of The Worlds of Science
series.
The book treats its subject comprehensively, covering elephants in captivity and the wild, their use in ancient warfare, modern conflicts between elephants and farmers, and preservation efforts, among other topics. It is "[d]esigned for the general reader and student, about the various aspects of the world's largest land animal, from fossils to captive elephants."
While a decent study, the book is important more for its insight into the mind of the author than in its own right, elephants being a lifelong interest of de Camp's that figures in many of his other literary works. In his early time travel novel Lest Darkness Fall
his protagonist Martin Padway pens a similar monograph, while in his historical novel An Elephant for Aristotle
details the difficulties in transporting an elephant from India
to Greece
during ancient times. De Camp also wrote a number of articles about elephant
s, a few of which appeared, together with a chapter selected from the present work, in his later collection The Fringe of the Unknown
(1983).
Science book
A science book is a work of nonfiction, usually written by a scientist, researcher, or professor like Stephen Hawking , or sometimes by a non-scientist such as Bill Bryson...
by L. Sprague de Camp
L. Sprague de Camp
Lyon Sprague de Camp was an American author of science fiction and fantasy books, non-fiction and biography. In a writing career spanning 60 years, he wrote over 100 books, including novels and notable works of non-fiction, including biographies of other important fantasy authors...
, published by Pyramid Books
Pyramid Books
Jove Books, formerly Pyramid Books, is a paperback publishing company, founded in 1949 by Almat Magazine Publishers . The company was sold to the Walter Reade Organization in the late 1960s. It was acquired in 1974 by Harcourt Brace which renamed it to Jove in 1977 and continued the line as an...
as part of The Worlds of Science
The Worlds of Science
The Worlds of Science is a series of science book paperbacks by various authors published by Pyramid Books in the 1960s. The series included both reprints of works originally published independently and new works written especially for the series. Prominent contributors included Isaac Asimov and L...
series.
The book treats its subject comprehensively, covering elephants in captivity and the wild, their use in ancient warfare, modern conflicts between elephants and farmers, and preservation efforts, among other topics. It is "[d]esigned for the general reader and student, about the various aspects of the world's largest land animal, from fossils to captive elephants."
While a decent study, the book is important more for its insight into the mind of the author than in its own right, elephants being a lifelong interest of de Camp's that figures in many of his other literary works. In his early time travel novel Lest Darkness Fall
Lest Darkness Fall
Lest Darkness Fall is an alternate history science fiction novel written in 1939 by author L. Sprague de Camp. The book is often considered one of the best examples of the alternate history genre; it is certainly one of the most influential...
his protagonist Martin Padway pens a similar monograph, while in his historical novel An Elephant for Aristotle
An Elephant for Aristotle
An Elephant for Aristotle, is a 1958 historical novel by L. Sprague de Camp. It was first published in hardback by Doubleday, and in paperback by Curtis in 1971...
details the difficulties in transporting an elephant from India
India
India , officially the Republic of India , is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by geographical area, the second-most populous country with over 1.2 billion people, and the most populous democracy in the world...
to Greece
Greece
Greece , officially the Hellenic Republic , and historically Hellas or the Republic of Greece in English, is a country in southeastern Europe....
during ancient times. De Camp also wrote a number of articles about elephant
Elephant
Elephants are large land mammals in two extant genera of the family Elephantidae: Elephas and Loxodonta, with the third genus Mammuthus extinct...
s, a few of which appeared, together with a chapter selected from the present work, in his later collection The Fringe of the Unknown
The Fringe of the Unknown
The Fringe of the Unknown is a 1983 science book by L. Sprague de Camp, published by Prometheus Books.The book is a collection of articles that constitute a "study .....
(1983).