Nature's Great Masterpiece: A History of Elephants in Britain

Although mammoths and straight-tusked elephants once roamed Britain before extinction, and there is reference to Roman war elephants being used in Britain, the first elephant explicitly recorded arrived in 1255 as a gift to King Henry III. The creature was kept in the Tower of London and was a source of wonder and entertainment: the role the elephant would play in Britain from that time on.

In A History of Elephants in Britain, author Barclay Price takes the reader on a fascinating explorati...