"In this fresh and vivid account of the intricacies of Carolingian relations with Muslim powers, Sam Ottewill-Soulsby shows his mettle as a historian navigating the difficult terrain between the medieval Latin Christian and Islamic worlds. His book is capacious in its geographical reach and fine-grained in its analysis of the complex reasons why exchanges occurred, incorporating the freewheeling activities of border lords in Spain, Italy and North Africa alongside the better-known emperors, amirs and caliphs involved. Both rich in scholarship and highly readable, this book offers something to medievalists of all stripes." -- Amira Bennison, University of Cambridge "This engaging and pathbreaking book challenges simplistic notions of Charlemagne's relations with the Muslim world. Drawing on a fresh and critical reading of a wide range of western and eastern sources in Latin and Arabic, the book offers new perspectives on the ever-changing contexts and circumstances in which rulers operated, and a wonderfully nuanced interpretation of how 'prestige' and 'frontier' diplomacy, communications, perceptions of cultural difference and political imperatives interacted in a wider world in which people, objects and ideas were already moving."-- Rosamond McKitterick, University of Cambridge "This terrific book opens up a fresh perspective on the relations between Charlemagne and his dynasty and the Islamic world. Including North Africa and southern Italy as well as al-Andalus and the Caliphate in his scope, Ottewill-Soulsby has given us an eye-opening and elegantly written work, brimming with insight." -- Charles West, University of Edinburgh "A history of diplomatic contacts between the Carolingian Empire and the Islamic world in the eighth and ninth centuries, The Emperor and the Elephant addresses a subject that has been curiously understudied as a whole, and argues persuasively that these interactions, far from being mere sideshows or distractions, were often of fundamental significance for internal political reasons.

This is a very good book." --Jamie Wood, University of Lincoln "There have been many studies of the relationships between the Carolingians and the Muslim world, but Ottewill-Soulsby brings new light to the subject and his lively and well-written account will surely be the first port of call for scholars and students alike." --Hugh Kennedy, School of Oriental and African Studies.