Post type: Book review, Date: 30-April-2019, Language: English

Author: Jim Corbett

This was an excellent read considering the fact that the author, the legendary Jim Corbett, was not a renowned litterateur. A very lucid description of the anecdotes from his hunting expeditions, each story is compelling and gripping. The description of the jungle and the details involved in pursuit of a man-eater was absolutely engaging. The stories of the people who lived in fear of the lurking man-eater in their villages were conveyed with great empathy. Although I felt his using of the word “sport” for hunting down man-eating tigers a bit inconsiderate, the act itself was justified since the tigers had made life miserable in many of the hill-villages. The mention of superstitions among people involved in his “sport” was a very curious thing indeed. The only place where I felt the author had wronged, not in writing, but in his action, was that he killed a hamadryad (a cobra) just to satisfy his superstitious belief. An argument that the snake was dangerous can be put forth, but the snake was retreating as it sensed that the human was not going to harm it. In contrast, the care and sympathy that he had for the villagers (in more than one cases) who were grievously injured after being mauled by man-eaters, is also notable. In total, this book was like a visit to the jungles of Kumaon with Jim Corbett, being a part of all his thrilling adventures.