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The Life and Lore of the Elephant (DISCOVERIES
An illustrated inquiry into one of the most fascinating creatures on Earth answers many questions about the elephant, including how they evolved, how they communicate, how they have been treated by humans, and much more.
191 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 1990
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Displaying 1 - 8 of 8 reviews
January 28, 2023
We know that African elephants are different to their Asian counterparts.
African pachyderms have much larger ears, longer tusks and are heavier. Furthermore, Asian elephants are by nature more docile, less fiery, have been used for heavy work for centuries in Asian forests and jungles, in contrast to Africa, where transport and work needs in relatively more open topography were more easily met by smaller beasts such as the buffalo.
Of course, most famously, African elephants were used as war machines by Hannibal and others, although the evidence suggests that they were hard to manoeuvre, easily spooked and a burden to feed, house and maintain, so their value may have been simply to create shock and awe.
The author takes us through the history of the elephant from the age of the woolly mammoth; cold climate creatures in icy regions whose accumulated bones and ivory have become most valuable long after extinction, to the present day, particularly since the ban on live ivory trade.
The physiology of the elephant is particularly interesting; for example the trunk is fascinating, at once a powerful mass of muscle and a sensitive delicate instrument.
Legends, deities and stories abound, from Ganesh to King Babar: there are true tales as well; including the story of Kandakoran, an enormous elephant trapped, then sold to the temple of Subramania in Travancore, in Kerala. Kandakoran, sweet tempered unless bumped by a riverboat, which he promptly destroyed, was never tied up or chained, content just to find spot to sleep, and ready for his costume as the primary temple elephant.
The book was written in 1992, and Robert Delort makes much of the predations of ivory poachers which were decimating populations in Africa at the time, but I believe the situation has improved somewhat since that time.
There are copious illustrations: from ancient documents, murals, miniatures and coins, drawn mainly from museums and galleries, plus photographs. It is a richly varied and illuminating selection. But they are too small to view easily as a result of the modest dimensions of the book. The superior content warrants more of a coffee table format.
African pachyderms have much larger ears, longer tusks and are heavier. Furthermore, Asian elephants are by nature more docile, less fiery, have been used for heavy work for centuries in Asian forests and jungles, in contrast to Africa, where transport and work needs in relatively more open topography were more easily met by smaller beasts such as the buffalo.
Of course, most famously, African elephants were used as war machines by Hannibal and others, although the evidence suggests that they were hard to manoeuvre, easily spooked and a burden to feed, house and maintain, so their value may have been simply to create shock and awe.
The author takes us through the history of the elephant from the age of the woolly mammoth; cold climate creatures in icy regions whose accumulated bones and ivory have become most valuable long after extinction, to the present day, particularly since the ban on live ivory trade.
The physiology of the elephant is particularly interesting; for example the trunk is fascinating, at once a powerful mass of muscle and a sensitive delicate instrument.
Legends, deities and stories abound, from Ganesh to King Babar: there are true tales as well; including the story of Kandakoran, an enormous elephant trapped, then sold to the temple of Subramania in Travancore, in Kerala. Kandakoran, sweet tempered unless bumped by a riverboat, which he promptly destroyed, was never tied up or chained, content just to find spot to sleep, and ready for his costume as the primary temple elephant.
The book was written in 1992, and Robert Delort makes much of the predations of ivory poachers which were decimating populations in Africa at the time, but I believe the situation has improved somewhat since that time.
There are copious illustrations: from ancient documents, murals, miniatures and coins, drawn mainly from museums and galleries, plus photographs. It is a richly varied and illuminating selection. But they are too small to view easily as a result of the modest dimensions of the book. The superior content warrants more of a coffee table format.
December 26, 2019
Interesting for its (1990) analysis of the history and fate of the elephant. Beautiful plates of illustration and critical as well as colonial text. A mixed bag with no polemic, gruesome in its depiction of barbaric slaughter, but highly informative.
July 27, 2022
This book has a lot of little factoids about elephants and nice colourful images, but has little structure or flow to really bind things together.
December 9, 2022
A weird little book; repetitive, disorganized, unbalanced. I've read worse.
August 7, 2025
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December 17, 2011
I liked this book until some of the timing and history started being questionable. Then on page 73, there is a quote from 1979 by Walt Disney, almost 20 years after he died.
It was at this point in the book that the author started breaking up fact and history with the authors own opinion on ivory and elephant hunters.
It was at this point in the book that the author started breaking up fact and history with the authors own opinion on ivory and elephant hunters.
April 30, 2011
Elephants > All other animals (except Dallas Lease)
October 23, 2016
L'Occident a retenu la force, la sagesse, la bienveillance légendaire de cet animal. Mais depuis toujours, l'éléphant connaît une malédiction : l'ivoire.
Displaying 1 - 8 of 8 reviews