Man-Eaters of Kumaon

Excellent account of one of the great hunters of all time in the taking of animals who had ended many lives. Great detail and a compelling story teller!

Sometimes stuffy victorian-ish prose, but Corbett is even now well regarded in northern india....it's an exciting read even if a little dated in parts

Jim Corbet's writing is stellar. It would have been nice if the publisher had added a few photos, such as other editions have.

First, I must say this is a beautifully published book in every respect, as are all the books in the Adventure Library - the binding is actually sewn, the endpapers are very nice, the type is clear and easy on the eyes, and the illustrations throughout are magnificent. It is just a pleasure to hold and read this book. In an age where hardcover bindings are glued in and crack after one reading and the average book is rushed to press before the typos are weeded out, this book reminds us that a book itself can be an object of art.This book contains the writings of Jim Corbett, a civil servant in British India who happened to be a crack shot and game tracker. Mr. Corbett was hired by the Government on several occasions to dispose of man eating leopards and tigers. What makes Jim Corbett's writings so noteworthy is their direct honesty and utter sense of humanity. Let me say upfront that I love tales of big game hunting, and I bought this book because, among big-game hunting literature, Jim Corbett's books are considered classics, along with the writings of more traditional hunters like Walter Bell and Frederick Courteney Selous. Among these big game hunting classics, Corbett's writings are unique in that, unlike most big game hunters, Corbett didn't seem to derive any "thrill of the hunt." He was doing a job he was very good at to save innocent lives, pure and simple. He had love and sympathy for the animals he was killing, and he became committed to killing them reluctantly. This feeling of respect for the animal and reluctance in its destruction is most evident in The Man-Eating Leopard of Rudraprayag.Once committed, however, Corbett seemed to take personal responsibility for every individual the man-eating leopard killed, and his sense of depression and guilt over each fresh kill done on his watch is palpable in these pages. This particular leopard stalked travelers and towns along the pilgrim's road that led to the shrines in Kedernath and Badrinath, often selecting children or the aged. Reading Corbett's plain, effective prose, the deadly situation takes on a religious significance. Corbett is defeated several times, each failure resulting in more pilgrims killed, and the pilgrims and people in the towns came to believe that the leopard was an evil spirit that had taken on material form.Let me wrap up by saying that Corbett was a man to be admired for his basic, down-to-earth humanity and his complete lack of self-congratulation. He was simply a man of high character and wrote plainly about being exhausted, disgusted with his failings, and just flat scared. He was also a very humble man and always seemed embarrassed by the extreme expressions of gratitude given him upon his ultimate success in bagging the man-eater.The final scene, where villagers come to the bazaar where the leopard is on display, is extremely moving. The people came in droves and one-by-one showered Corbett's feet with flowers while reciting tales of their children or loved ones that had been killed by the man-eater. Suffice to say this is one of the most simple and beautifully rendered scenes I have read in any book.Of all the big game hunting books I have read, Corbett's writings hold a special place for me. His skill as a hunter saved hundreds of lives, ending the suffering of more hundreds, perhaps thousands. Yet he never thought himself a hero.Perhaps that was the very quality that made him heroic.

Great first person account of hunting tigers in the 1920’s.

Absolutely, the best book I’ve read to date. Jim Corbett has an engaging way of narrating the page turner. All are true stories which are to this day remembered by second generation Gharwalis’ grandparents and great grandparents , who actually saw or lived through these terrorizing times. I also read the Maneaters of Tsavo. It’s so evident by reading both books that Jim Corbett is truly the great shikari risking his life again and again to help local villagers out. He helped people with no personal gain and his hunting skills and aim seems to be far superior and shows that he’s an excellent sportsman. Amazing book. I present Jim Corbett’s books to my friends as well. Wonderfully written first accounts by Jim Corbett, gives a good picture of the scenery, the people, the culture and simple life of the villagers in India at that time too. Must read for sure!

Detailed auto biography of a man who thought nothing of sleeping in trees to kill man eating tigers and leopards I’m the 1920’s and 30’s in India.

I know this book got a lot of very favorable reviews however, I found the stories just to keep repeating again and again, and honestly after about the third of the book I just kinda got tired of the same story, but just a different scenario

An enthralling collection of true man-eater hunting stories by Jim Corbett - I read the paper book when I was about twelve years old, lost it on moving from house to house and found it again sixty-odd years later on Kindle's list. Jim was a great hunter turned conservationist, and his stories well show his respect for these magnificent beasts turned assassins which he was compelled to hunt down to preserve human lives.

Jim Corbett was equally a great story teller as he was hunter. This book outlines stories of him hunting man-eating tigers during 20s-30s in India

Jim Corbett müsste viel bekannter sein. Der Autor beschreibt bescheiden u sympathisch seinen wahrhaft helden haften Einsatz im Kampf gegen menschenfressende Tiger in Indien, die ganze Dörfer terrorisiert und viele arme Dörfler getötet haben. Man bekommt - ganz im Gegensatz zu der vom WWF vermittelten Großkatzen-Kuschelromantik - einen realistischen Einblick was es für die armen Menschen in entlegenen Dörfern bedeutete einem Tiger ausgesetzt zu sein. Sie waren überglücklich wenn Jim Corbett, nachdem sie ihn um Hilfe angefleht hatten, sich daran machte den Tiger zu jagen. Und er tat es unentgeltlich, tlw. in seinem Urlaub, während er von Malaria und einmal sogar einem Abszess im Ohr geplagt wurde. Kaum vorstellbar was dieser Mann auf sich genommen hat.Das Buch ist ungeheuer spannend, man hält buchstäblich den Atem an und spürt förmlich den heißen Atem des Tigers im Nacken. Außerdem gibt es faszinierende Fakten über die Lebens- und Jagdweise der Großkatze.Und man erfährt im Nachruf, dass man sogar einen Nationalpark nach Jim Corbett benannt hat.Kurz: Ein großartiges Buch!

You would think Mr. Corbett was contemporary the way he wrote the book. His language is articulate and the book keeps you excited to continue reading. He does not take pleasure in killing the beasts, but takes pride in relieving villages of the terrorism of a man-eater. Makes you wonder if Indians would really want more tigers around!

An excellent story of the nerve wracking experience of hunting man-eating tigers. The village conditions, the animals, the jungle and the scenery are described to such an extent that the reader expects to look up from the story and see just such a sight before them.