Man-Eaters of Kumaon

By Jim Corbett,

Book cover of Man-Eaters of Kumaon

Book description

Her tracks now–as she carried away the girl–led into the wilderness of rocks, some acres in extent, where the going was both difficult and dangerous. The cracks and chasms in between the rocks were masked with ferns, blackberry vines, and a false step, which might easily have resulted in a…

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Why read it?

2 authors picked Man-Eaters of Kumaon as one of their favorite books. Why do they recommend it?

Published 80 years ago and based on the author’s experiences hunting man-eating tigers and leopards in northern India, I read this book repeatedly. Well and sensitively written, it is not a book of boasting, hunting, and bravado but a nuanced account of efforts to protect local people from the ravages of seriously dangerous wildlife.

Corbett, part of the British occupation machinery in India, projects a love of the people of northern India and the wildlife. He is deeply committed to both and laments the need to kill tigers but accepts that protecting ordinary people is the priority.

He provides a…

A book about hunting tigers might seem an odd choice, but I never tire of reading Jim Corbett’s first-hand account of tracking down man-eaters in India in the early 1900s. Corbett’s tracking and jungle skills were second to none, and his writing is both clear and richly descriptive.

His empathy for the rural poor of India, his respect for tigers, and his love of landscape come through so loudly it is as if you can hear him talking right at you. Corbett’s job was to kill problem tigers, and he was very good at his job. But he did a…

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