Man-Eaters of Kumaon

It's refreshing to read the memoirs of someone who was so famous yet so humble. He killed more than a dozen of the worst man-eating leopards and tigers in India in the early part of last century but never beats his chest or commits an unethical act. He was a true hunter and outdoorsman of the highest order and his stories reflect that.
You won't get any fluff or exaggeration with Jim Corbett. He was the REAL DEAL and his chess matches against these infamous man-eaters are legendary. From the 50 mile roadmarches to the 2 day stakeouts to the high suspense tracking of wounded killers, this man was tough as nails.
This book is one of his best and a must for any hunting/adventure collection.

I suppose the book is mostly procedural drama, but that's my fascination. But suddenly, without you noticing it, the book has grabbed your heart and wrung it out like a washcloth. The drama and tension and love and fear all crash in on you in a most pleasant way. Plus, the chapters are self-contained stories, so the pace never bogs.

This is the most popular of Jim Corbett's books and has fascinating real life stories of the man-eating tigers, in the foothill of the Himalayas in northern India, and Jim Corbett's encounters with them. The basic theme of most of the stories is the same: a tiger or a tigress turns man-eater and kills a number of people, completely terrorizing the entire population in the surrounding villages; Jim Corbett is called upon to track and kill the man-eater(s), which he does every time using his amazing knowledge of the Jungle and the animals there in; and his unbelievable courage and determination.

Jim Corbett's knowledge of the jungle was surpassed only by his compassion for the people he was trying to save, and the animal he was trying to hunt. In the Author's notes, he famously describes the tiger as "a large hearted gentleman with boundless courage", and warns against the indiscriminate hunting of tigers, which if not controlled would eventually deprive India of the finest of her fauna. His skills as a writer were no less admirable, as evident in this book where he describes his encounters with the man-eating tigers in the wild in blood-curdling details. Overall a very enjoyable book. Highly recommended.

This is the most popular of Jim Corbett's books and has fascinating real life stories of the man-eating tigers, in the foothill of the Himalayas in northern India, and Jim Corbett's encounters with them. The basic theme of most of the stories is the same: a tiger or a tigress turns man-eater and kills a number of people, completely terrorizing the entire population in the surrounding villages; Jim Corbett is called upon to track and kill the man-eater(s), which he does every time using his amazing knowledge of the Jungle and the animals there in; and his unbelievable courage and determination.

Jim Corbett's knowledge of the jungle was surpassed only by his compassion for the people he was trying to save, and the animal he was trying to hunt. In the Author's notes, he famously describes the tiger as "a large hearted gentleman with boundless courage", and warns against the indiscriminate hunting of tigers, which if not controlled would eventually deprive India of the finest of her fauna. His skills as a writer were no less admirable, as evident in this book where he describes his encounters with the man-eating tigers in the wild in blood-curdling details. Overall a very enjoyable book. Highly recommended.

While first published quite a while back, that's done nothing to dispel the fear and horror of being eaten by a wild animal. Gentleman Jim Corbett, as he's been called, gives you his firsthand accounts of finding and killing man-eating tigers and leopards in India. While the author actually down-plays his own role in ending the deprivations of these much-to-be-feared killers, the animals will still give you cold chills when you realize that all too often the hunter becomes the hunted. The intelligence and thought processes of the killers will stop all scoffing that they're just ""beautiful animals", as they backtrack, lie in wait, and set up ambushes of their own on any unwary passers-by. The author himself admits that he loves them for the craft and wisdom that they display, along with his frank admiration for them as the top of the food chain. Definitely highly recommended.

Its a book that gives most wonderful picture of the beauty of the jungle and adventures of Jim Corbette. He is definately an expert environmentalist,naturalist and a very good narrator.Finally, the book takes you on an exciting journey into the deep woods and gives closer view of the life there.

This was a great book to receive I was so happy to be be able to purchase it. When my husband was a child his mother use to read this to him and his brother at night and he has never forgotten this for 67 years often talking about this great book. I brought six copies so all our grandchildren could have the same experience of having their parents read to them and hopefully have this closeness with their parent that their grandfather experienced as a child.

Very well written with understated British (Indian) wit. This book must have caused quite a stir when published, as some Tigers killed & terrorized the area for years & years. One Tigress killed some hundreds of villagers. Corbett paraded the slain animals for a few hours before skinning to let as many people behold the object of their terror as possible. Some villagers had multiple family members slain by the predators, whom were usually injured in some way to cause them to turn to man eating. Very captivating.

This was one of the most fascinating books that I have ever read. Corbett is not as dry as other British authors of the time period and he does an outstanding job of drawing you into the story. As he explains the terrain and circumstances surrounding his hunts you can almost picture the ground as it was and the locations of each character. His descriptions of actually killing the Man-Eaters are somewhat understated which adds a great deal to the respect that I have for this author. He is not trying to tell everyone about how great he is or shock them with mental images of gore; he is simply telling the story of what happened.

Unlike most British colonists of the day, Corbett seems to have a great deal of respect and care for the local people he came in contact with during his hunts. On many occasions he shows great empathy for the locals and he always talks about the effect that the Man-Eater is having on the local populace. Because he was born and raised in India, he is much more a part of the area's culture than many of the British writers of Africa were. He was not just an adventurer passing through or doing a job and leaving; he was a local who knew the area and knew the people. Perhaps his connection to the people explains his extraordinary courage and his devotion to stopping the Man-Eaters of Kumaon. He does not display the elitism often seen in British authors of this time period.

I would not hesitate to recommend this book to anyone. It is of particular interest to outdoorsmen, historians, and those who are interested in the local history of Eastern India.

Man-eaters of Kumaon is a memoir by Jim Corbett of his hunting years in India. Man-eaters, both tigers and leopards, were not a rare occurrence in the region of Kumaon and he was asked several times to rid the country-side of these threats to both humans and livestock. His exploits took place in a different time and place. Some of his actions might be condemned as ruthless and inhumane now in a time of conservation and threats of extinction to both of the big cats found in India. But without him, many more people would have died.

Corbett's narration of his exploits is straight forward and clear. He does not hate his prey, and he does admire them. He also understands them as few men have. Whether one thinks of him as a hero or a villain, his stamina and strength, both of will and body, seem amazing to modern readers. Staying in a machan (a platform in a tree sometimes consisting only of ropes tied together) at times for twelve hours or more is certainly beyond my abilities or even willingness.

Hunting these cats was very dangerous, especially when one knows that they had killed dozens of people. Under the circumstances they had lost their fear of humans. And they certainly knew the territory better than Corbett did. His adventures as told in this book are interesting, historical, and are told in a calm and humble way. To the villagers whose lives were spent in fear, his ability to find and kill these animals was met with gratitude. Times may have changed, but it is still interesting to read about the courage and abilities of men such as Jim Corbett.