THE HOUR OF THE LEOPARD

Old stories of Jim Corbett under a new title (Man-eating Leopard of Rudraprayag etc. Etc.). Quite misleading. I thought it was a seperate book.

Many years ago I read this author books, now after almost 30 years, again I experienced the same feeling of intrest to complete this book. He narrated it in a natural way ,for it was his own experince.

Hey readers it’s a Good read. It is from one of the best hunter & told in a very interesting way.

Tales of the hills, jungles, and the wild have always appealed to the reader in me, and what better thing in the world than to add history to this delectable mix?The Himalayas have also had an equal if not greater appeal, which is why Ruskin Bond and his writings, most of which are based in the Himalayan region, have always been one of my guilty pleasures.In my endeavour to read more such writings from the region, I stumbled upon Jim Corbett’s book The Hour of the Leopard, and having previously read the author’s The Man-Eating Leopard of Rudraprayag, I knew I wouldn’t be disappointed.But before we delve into the book, let’s talk about the author. Jim Corbett was a prominent British-Indian naturalist, hunter, and conservationist who lived from 1875 to 1955.Corbett’s intimate knowledge of the jungle and its inhabitants, combined with his expertise in tracking, made him one of the most successful hunters of his time. However, Corbett’s legacy goes beyond his hunting prowess.Approximately 200 pages in length, the book consists of 3 pieces of Jim’s writings about leopards. These three pieces include – My First Leopard which is taken from his book Jungle Lore (published 1953), The Man-Eating Leopard of Rudraprayag which was published as a book in 1947, and The Panar Man-Eater which was included in the book The Temple Tiger and More Man-eaters of Kumaon (published 1954).The best part of the book is the keen observations that the author makes use of in his writing and his understanding of not just the beasts, but also their natural environments, the jungles, the town folk, the village folk, etc.The part which talks specifically of the man-eater is particularly long as that’s one beast who beats the author every time with its cunning and sheer luck. Just how difficult it was to accomplish the mission of hunting the man-eater of Rudraprayag is known by the multitude of attempts that Mr. Corbett and his companion Mr. Ibbotson made for its hunting.The beautiful and careful descriptions of the area and the Himalayas are another thing to look forward to. The book is also a treasure for those who love to read about a bygone era and how things used to be 100 years ago.