Elephant (science book)

Infobox Book |
name = Elephant
title_orig =
translator =


image_caption = Cover of "Elephant"
author = L. Sprague de Camp
illustrator =
cover_artist =
country = United States
language = English
series =
subject = Zoology
publisher = Pyramid Books
release_date = 1964
english_release_date =
media_type = Print (Paperback)
pages = 179 pp
isbn = NA
preceded_by =
followed_by =

"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.

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 elephants.

References

*cite book | last=Laughlin | first=Charlotte | coauthors=Daniel J. H. Levack | title=De Camp: An L. Sprague de Camp Bibliography | location=San Francisco | publisher=Underwood/Miller | pages=23 | date=1983