The best books describing the Great Game

Riaz Dean Author Of Mapping the Great Game: Explorers, Spies and Maps in 19th-Century Asia
By Riaz Dean

Who am I?

I have travelled much of the area described in this book, including the two halves of what was once Turkestan, and on the Roof of the World which divides them. I collect old maps and books (including historical fiction titles) about the exploration of the region and the machinations of the Great Game. My book is the result of four years of research and writing.

I wrote...

Mapping the Great Game: Explorers, Spies and Maps in 19th-Century Asia

By Riaz Dean

Book cover of Mapping the Great Game: Explorers, Spies and Maps in 19th-Century Asia

What is my book about?

The first need of an army in a strange land is a reliable map. So, when Great Britain and Imperial Russia faced off in Central Asia during the 19th century, it became a top priority to chart parts of the region previously left blank on maps. This book follows the explorers, spies and map-makers who braved the dangers of travel and terrain in order to create maps of Afghanistan, Turkestan and Tibet; thus enabling the Great Game to be played. The five informative maps and many images contained in the book help bring their true story to life.

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The Books I Picked & Why

The Great Game: On Secret Service in High Asia

By Peter Hopkirk

Book cover of The Great Game: On Secret Service in High Asia

Why this book?

This is one of the best popular history books describing the Great Game and is regularly referenced by later writers, including more serious works of history. Written in a truly engaging and exciting style by a former journalist turned accomplished author, it is also very thorough (562 pages) and covers the full historical spectrum as the game played itself out. It is a beautifully produced book with five hand-drawn maps and many illustrations and photographs.

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Playing the Great Game: A Victorian Cold War

By Michael Edwardes

Book cover of Playing the Great Game: A Victorian Cold War

Why this book?

This is a shorter book by a well-established historian, who nevertheless writes in an accessible manner for the general reader. It is a good introductory text to the Great Game and contains a good map of the region and several illustrations and photographs.

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Anglo-Russian Rivalry in Central Asia 1810-1895

By Gerald Morgan

Book cover of Anglo-Russian Rivalry in Central Asia 1810-1895

Why this book?

This is a medium-length book by another well-established historian, who writes in a reasonably accessible manner. His is a more in-depth treatment of the Great Game, aided by Geoffrey Wheeler, an expert on Central Asia, who wrote the book’s Epilogue. It contains three maps and appendices (but no illustrations).

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Kim (1901) by: Rudyard Kipling

By Rudyard Kipling

Book cover of Kim (1901) by: Rudyard Kipling

Why this book?

Winner of the Nobel Prize in Literature in 1907, Kipling immortalized the phrase ‘the Great Game’ in what was a masterpiece of writing and surely one of the best-loved English language novels of all time. His fictional portrayal of the Great Game forever touched it with a flavor of imperial romance.

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Flashman

By George MacDonald Fraser

Book cover of Flashman

Why this book?

This often-hilarious bestseller, which went on to spawn a dozen Flashman novels in total, is a thoroughly enjoyable read. It represents historical fiction at its best, covering the Great Game, the region (India and Central Asia), and the era (British Raj).

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