About the Author

Jacob Shell  is a professor of geography and urban studies at Temple University. He lives in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.

Reviews

"... thought-provoking study..."
*Nature*

"Never truly domesticated, many elephants in South East Asia worked for humans during the day yet were let go at night to forage in the forest. Jacob Shell discusses this age-old pact between two brainy species. Even if our view of the human-animal relation is changing, the awe in which we hold elephants is amply fed by the stories and history in this fascinating book, especially those in which elephants appear to use their own judgment to solve problems in the field."
*Frans de Waal, author of the New York Times bestseller Are We Smart Enough to Know How Smart Animals Are? and Mama’s Last Hug; Animal Emotions and What They Tell Us about Ourselves*

"In the end, Giants of the Monsoon Forest offers an absorbing look at the dual world of semicaptive Asian elephants and convincingly argues for the interdependence of elephants and forest protection."
*Science*

"Giants of the Monsoon Forest makes a powerfully, though subtly, persuasive case for elephants to continue as working animals. Highly readable, it should appeal to a wide audience, just as the writing of Elephant Bill did in an earlier generation."
*Times Literary Supplement*