JOHN M. KISTLER is Acquisitions Librarian at Utah State University. He received his mahout certificate from the Elephant Conservation Center in Thailand while assisting consultants on Oliver Stone's film Alexander.

This work tells the largely forgotten tale of war elephants. Elephants have fought in human armies for more than three thousand years. Asian powers boasted of their pachyderm power, while the Romans fielded elephants alongside their legendary legions but were, perhaps, too proud to admit that mere animals contributed to victory. Elephants have gored, stomped, and sliced their way through infantry and cavalry with great success. They were used as tanks, bulldozers, and cargo trucks long before such vehicles existed. They have also been cut, speared, bombed, and napalmed for their efforts. Although some believe that elephants were mere gimmicks of warfare, Kistler discredits that notion. His book sets out to give elephants the credit they deserve for the sacrifices they have endured. Elephants have long fought for and served human masters, but it is now the elephants themselves that must be protected. This is the story of their largely forgotten role in the history of warfare.