Books by Thomas R. Trautmann

Because of their enormous size, elephants have long been irresistible for kings as symbols of their eminence. The author traces the history of the war elephant in India and the spread of the institution to the West, where elephants took part in some of the greatest wars of antiquity.

Shows that 'Aryan,' a word that today evokes images of racial hatred and atrocity, was first used by Europeans to suggest bonds of kinship. This book features the history of British Orientalism and the ethnology of India.