Synopses & Reviews
As a child in South Africa, spending summers exploring the wild with his boyhood friends, Lyall Watson came face to face with his first elephant. This "entertaining and enchanting" work () chronicles how Watson's fascination grew into a lifelong quest to understand the nature and behavior of this impressive creature. From that moment on, Watson's fascination grew into a lifelong obsession with understanding the nature and behavior of this impressive creature. Around the world, the elephant--at once a symbol of spiritual power and physical endurance--has been worshipped as a god and hunted for sport. "Watson's insights and speculations are dazzling, but what lends them power is his extraordinary knowledge of evolutionary biology and animal behavior, ethnography and South African history" (Wade Davis, ). "Like a shaman, Watson conjures up the spirit of the massive beast" (), documents the animal's wide-ranging capabilities to remember and to mourn, and reminds us of its rich mythic origins, its evolution, and its devastation in recent history. Part meditation on an elusive animal, part evocation of the power of place, presents an alluring mix of the mysteries of nature and the wonders of childhood.
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"Watson is at his peak literary style....impressive." Midwest Book Review
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"Readers need not share Watson's level of fascination to find this book interesting....entertaining and enchanting." Midwest Book Review
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Provide[s] great insight into the majestic creatures and the moving impression they often make on humans. (Portland Oregonian, Sarah Gianelli, 20 July 2003)
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"This compelling book is filled with warmth, wisdom and depth.... I could not imagine a better introduction to these mysterious and wondrous creatures, than this fine and loving book." Jeffrey Masson, author of When Elephants Weep
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"An absorbing, beautifully written memoir focusing on one of the most amazing animals that has ever lived." Desmond Morris, author of The Naked Ape
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" is above all a celebration of scientific and intuitive wonder, a work of mystery and delight." Wade Davis, author of One River
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"Much more evocatively than any zoologist has ever managed, Watson makes the elephant a force of nature..." Kirkus Reviews
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"[R]econnects us to something old and fundamental inside ourselves: a wordless brotherhood with the nonhuman, a lost intuitive understanding." National Geographic Adventure
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"[P]rovides a wonderful overview of creatures that remember, mourn, and even draw pictures." Science News
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"Watson is at his peak literary style....impressive." B. A. Brittingham
Synopsis
From that moment on, Watson's fascination grew into a lifelong obsession with understanding the nature and behavior of this impressive creature. Around the world, the elephant at once a symbol of spiritual power and physical endurance has been worshipped as a god and hunted for sport "Watson's insights and speculations are dazzling, but what lends them power is his extraordinary knowledge of evolutionary biology and animal behavior, ethnography and South African history" (Wade Davis, National Geographic Society). "Like a shaman, Watson conjures up the spirit of the massive beast" (Publishers Weekly), documents the animal's wide-ranging capabilities to remember and to mourn, and reminds us of its rich mythic origins, its evolution, and its devastation in recent history. Part meditation on an elusive animal, part evocation of the power of place, Elephantoms presents an alluring mix of the mysteries of nature and the wonders of childhood. "
Synopsis
A scientific safari and personal memoir celebrating the enigmatic dignity of the world's largest land animal.
About the Author
Lyall Watson is a naturalist and the author of over twenty books, including Jacobson's Organ. He is based in a cottage on the West Coast of Ireland.