| Other books by Eric Scigliano |
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| Love, War, and Circuses: The Age-Old Relationship Between Elephants and Humans Houghton Mifflin, 2002 358 pages plus 16 photo pages. Hardback, $25 “An extraordinary, fresh, and insightful book. Eric Scigliano writes brilliantly, viewing all possible information about elephants with reason and clarity.” —Elizabeth Marshall Thomas, author of The Hidden Life of Dogs and The Tribe of Tiger “An impressive historical and cultural study that takes the genre of science writing to a level where passion, research, and reportage converge to create literature.” —Stephen J. Lyons, The Christian Science Monitor |
“A remarkable book for anyone who has ever been stirred by the up-close sight of these remarkable fellow creatures.” —Bill McKibben, author of The End of Nature A “wild trek through the epic history of 'elephantkind'. . . . The crossover points between our own history and that of the elephant are numerous and always enlightening.” — Hephzibah Anderson, Daily Mail “An unbeatably thorough history of what has been, and a grim warning of what might lie in store if poaching continues at its present rate.” —John Preston, Sunday Telegraph “An unsurpassed history of the relationship between elephants and people….[The writing] is lucid and makes for easy reading.” —Dr. S. Keith Eltringham, author of Elephants and professor of zoology at the University of Cambridge “When Eric Scigliano saw his first elephants at the Saigon Zoo as a child, he ‘tapped into a fascination that goes back thousands of years, through paths as diverse as Hindu worship and Roman blood sport.’ This delightful book, scientifically literate and packed with anecdotes and lively digressions, is the happy result.” —Stephen Bodio, Minneapolis Star-Tribune “In this clear and enjoyable work, Scigliano nicely balances this complex relationship using anecdotes from science and history, personal experience and research; he presents the many arguments of fight for elephants’ survival, spelling out the various positions taken by both supporters and detractors.” —Publishers Weekly “Written in a warm, smooth, and gently humorous style. . . . dates, numbers and nuggets of information are presented in a thoroughly unfussy way that intrigues and informs rather than overwhelms. . . . There is wonderful stuff here.” —Adrian Barnett, New Scientist “A wonderful fusion of science, history and passion. . . . The proverb about elephants never forgetting also appears to be true. One day, when scientists work out how to communicate directly with them, we shall hear their long-remembered side of the story. Until then, we have this able and eloquent account to remind us of their contribution to civilisation. —Anthony Sattin, Sunday Times “Elephants have fascinated journalist Eric Scigliano since he encountered them in Vietnam as a child. This book is the culmination of that life-long interest, and it shows. “Scigliano's research is meticulous and the raw material of this book is fascinating, from efforts to retro-breed the woolly mammoth to the elephant as a political symbol.” — Beth Pearson, The Herald (Glasgow) “Eric Scigliano appears to have interviewed every living enthusiast available, is naturally an enthusiast himself, and has produced a book exhaustive in scope but utterly entertaining to read. He achieves this by including everything we expect from elephants: the marvellous, the spectacular, the larger than (human) life. No misconception or speculation is too wild to be considered before it is gently dismissed.” — Bill Saunders, The Independenton Sunday “What a brilliant subject for a wide-ranging cultural study. There is something here for everyone: from archaeology to advertising, gods to battles, the politics of status symbols to the politics of endangered species, mythology to marketing, "white gold" to circuses, and Hannibal to Attenborough. “Along with art, legend, poetry, intrigue and murder there is the sheer beauty of the creature itself. . . . This book is enjoyable and instructive from first to last.” —James Sullivan, Financial Times “Thank you for writing, and for writing from an obvious place of passion and intelligence. It is the single most encompassing and informative book about the Elephant, as a member of Earth’s sociobiology, that I have read…. Love, War, and Circuses is an immeasurable gift to us all.” —Ron Chandler, president, Conservation Initiative for the Asian Elephant |
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| Seeing the Elephant: The Ties that Bind Elephants and Humans Love, War, and Circuses rebooted—updated, with a snazzy new cover and my preferred title, in paperback from Bloomsbury. Available January 2006 in the British Commonwealth. |
| Puget Sound: Sea Between the Mountains Graphic Arts Center Publishing Company Photographs by Tim Thompson 112 pages. Hardback, $14.95 list. “Seldom do I find myself seduced by a picture book, but I’m prepared to make an exception for Puget Sound. [Tim Thompson’s] awesome shots are the next best thing to being there, especially when paired with Eric Scigliano’s poetic text.” —Jean Godden, Seattle Times “Here is one way the story goes, though like all such tales it is told in many ways. Once there was a man, a sort of Native American Rip Van Winkle, who seemed a hopeless slacker, always lost in reverie. His mother-in-law harped on him to get out and catch fish, kill game, cut wood—to do the things a man should do. Finally, weary of the nagging, he set out to prove he wasn’t such a layabout after all. He snuck off to a fatal shore, now abandoned, where no one went because those who did disappeared....” |
| Seattle From the Air Graphic Arts Center Publishing Company, 2002 Photographs by Russ Heinl 112 pages. Hardback, $19.95 list. “Perspective comes naturally in Seattle. In the most literal sense, you rise above it all almost every day in our town. However you cross the city, by foot or car or bus or—especially—bicycle, you are confronted by its sheer verticality. Even on land, you find yourself soaring on top of the world, or toiling up a Sisyphean hill to get there....” |
© 2005 Eric Scigliano
© 2005 Eric Scigliano