My Kumaon: Uncollected Writings

A must for Jim Corbett fans. This volume didn't exist yet when I first read Corbett, back in 1965 or so. I now own all of his published writings.

Many surprises in this book, never before read letters that give you insights into Jim Corbett's mind as he hunted his man eaters and lived his life.

This little book offers some additional insights into the life and times of Jim Corbett. Corbett is best known for his pursuit of man-eating Tigers and Leopards in the Kumaon district of India and more specifically for the books he wrote detailing those adventures. Corbett's books, first published in the 1940s and 50s, are still in print and well worth reading. Safari Press has a complete boxed set of reasonably priced hardcovers. "Man-Eaters of Kumaon" is the first and best known of his works and is widely available in the used book market. The other volumes are less common. I would recommend "The Man-eating Leopard of Rudraprayag" the most highly among the others.

Jim Corbett's writing is always a joy to read. He takes you to the jungle and you become a part of the situation.

True stories of hunting man-eating tigers and leopards in India. Do not read on a dark and stormy night.

Jim Corbett through his writings is a phenomenon in India. He hunted down Tigers that become Maneaters.

The remain bits of Jim Corbett's writing, that are well worth reading for his fans around the world.

Excellent. Corbett was a very good man.

A series of letters from Jim to his sister Maggie, while out man eater hunting, gives some additional fascinating glimpse(s) into the stories we have learnt to love in his extraordinary tales on Jungles,people and the man-eaters. Not recommended for those who have not read Corbet's books.

Today I finished my copy of the new Jim Corbett book, 'My Kumaon - Uncollected Writings' published by Oxford University Press 2012. It's 142 pages long and only took the day to read. As the book title suggests it is a collection of previously un-published writings, so not as concise as Corbett's previous books it is more of a scrapbook of work and makes a great companion piece to his first 5 books. The book contains 15 photographs of Corbett (excluding a few images of book covers and memorial sites), only 6 of these photos have been previously published. There are some pencil sketch illustrations at the start of each chapter, these break up the page nicely but are a long way from the quality of the original Raymond Sheppard artwork. In regards to the writing content there are 2 main sections. One part is dedicated to the influence of Corbett's work - including fan letters and critical reviews. The main body of the book is dedicated to un-published writings by Corbett himself. A lot of these are in the form of letters Corbett wrote to relatives and Oxford Press, covering subjects such as the hunt for the Rudraprayag Leopard, the development of his book My India and others. But the main highlight for me was three actual stories written by Corbett previously un-published. One of which he explains his writing method by recounting a story about a Night Jars nest, the other two recount the period during World War II in which he taught soldiers Jungle skills. A must for any Corbett fans

AS always Corbett is a winner. Wonderful read. Wonderful print quality.

If you love Jim Corbett, you'll enjoy this book. It's not hunting stories, but you learn a lot of interesting stuff about the man behind the hunt.

If you are a nature lover then this book is a treat. Mr.Corbett shows the side of the human brain that can rival any ace predator and how he tuned his. Great book.