When Elephants Come to Town

“Through this extraordinary selection of photographs and accompanying text, we follow elephants on their journey from Ancient Rome to Coney Island and beyond. Across battlefields and city bridges, in railroad cars and circus rings, adored, applauded and at times brutally mistreated, elephants have truly come to town.” – James Attlee. This book captures the ‘soul’ of the pachyderm and man’s timeless fascination with the elephant. The joy and excitement this friendly giant always arouses when it makes an appearance are brought to life in a remarkable and memorable way in these images. Elephants parade through the streets and perform tricks in circuses or shows. In times of war they were often used to help their human companions to perform hard labour. There is also space for mechanical elephants in this collection of photographs. Iconic photos are interspersed with unknown, original archive material. This is not a series of contemporary photographs of nature, but rather a collection of exceptional images of elephants from around the world, taken in days gone by, often by anonymous photographers. In an introductory essay, the well-known British author James Attlee describes his personal experiences with elephants and outlines the broader context of the relationship between man and pachyderm through the ages. In exploring that relationship, he does not shy away from highlighting the poor living conditions under which elephants in captivity are often kept. This book would make a splendid festive season gift for anyone who cannot get enough of these appealing and sympathetic giants. 106 b/w and 7 colour illustrations