What do you think?
Rate this book
Three Essays: Cannibalism, The Kumbh Mela, The Legacy of Arab Science
Tahir Shah's collection of three essays considers aspects of human society and culture that help us to understand both the world around us and ourselves.
An extraordinary thought-provoking essay, CANNIBALISM: IT’S ONLY MEAT is certain to horrify a great many readers, and will leave all who reach the end with a sense of revelation at what is the last taboo.
THE KUMBH MELA: GREATEST SHOW ON EARTH considers why so many people stake so much to get to the Kumbh Mela in India, and pledge devotion. He considers the logistical triumph of the vast makeshift tent city, speaks to sadhus, gurus, and to plenty of ordinary folk, and reflects on the role of the Kumbh Mela in the modern world.
In his fascinating essay THE LEGACY OF ARAB SCIENCE, Shah discusses the often-forgotten contribution of the Arabs of the Abbasid Age, reflecting on how their breakthroughs helped shape the world in which we live.
The three essays range in length from just under 5,000 words to over 6,700 each.
An extraordinary thought-provoking essay, CANNIBALISM: IT’S ONLY MEAT is certain to horrify a great many readers, and will leave all who reach the end with a sense of revelation at what is the last taboo.
THE KUMBH MELA: GREATEST SHOW ON EARTH considers why so many people stake so much to get to the Kumbh Mela in India, and pledge devotion. He considers the logistical triumph of the vast makeshift tent city, speaks to sadhus, gurus, and to plenty of ordinary folk, and reflects on the role of the Kumbh Mela in the modern world.
In his fascinating essay THE LEGACY OF ARAB SCIENCE, Shah discusses the often-forgotten contribution of the Arabs of the Abbasid Age, reflecting on how their breakthroughs helped shape the world in which we live.
The three essays range in length from just under 5,000 words to over 6,700 each.
- GenresNonfiction
102 pages, Kindle Edition
First published May 29, 2013
1 person is currently reading
45 people want to read
About the author
Tahir Shah
162 books633 followersTahir Shah was born in London, and raised primarily at the family’s home, Langton House, in the English countryside – where founder of the Boy Scouts, Lord Baden Powell was also brought up.
Along with his twin and elder sisters, Tahir was continually coaxed to regard the world around him through Oriental eyes. This included being exposed from early childhood to Eastern stories, and to the back-to-front humour of the wise fool, Nasrudin.
Having studied at a leading public school, Bryanston, Tahir took a degree in International Relations, his particular interest being in African dictatorships of the mid-1980s. His research in this area led him to travel alone through a wide number of failing African states, including Uganda, Sierra Leone, and Zaire.
After university, Tahir embarked on a plethora of widespread travels through the Indian subcontinent, Latin America, and Africa, drawing them together in his first travelogue, Beyond the Devil’s Teeth. In the years that followed, he published more than a dozen works of travel. These quests – for lost cities, treasure, Indian magic, and for the secrets of the so-called Birdmen of Peru – led to what is surely one of the most extraordinary bodies of travel work ever published.
In the early 2000s, with two small children, Tahir moved his young family from an apartment in London’s East End to a supposedly haunted mansion in the middle of a Casablanca shantytown. The tale of the adventure was published in his bestselling book, The Caliph’s House.
In recent years, Tahir Shah has released a cornucopia of work, embracing travel, fiction, and literary criticism. He has also made documentaries for National Geographic TV and the History Channel, and published hundreds of articles in leading magazines, newspapers, and journals. His oeuvre is regarded as exceptionally original and, as an author, he is considered as a champion of the new face of publishing.
www.tahirshah.com
www.twitter.com/humanstew
www.facebook.com/TahirShahAuthor
http://www.youtube.com/user/tahirshah999
www.pinterest.com/tahirshah
Along with his twin and elder sisters, Tahir was continually coaxed to regard the world around him through Oriental eyes. This included being exposed from early childhood to Eastern stories, and to the back-to-front humour of the wise fool, Nasrudin.
Having studied at a leading public school, Bryanston, Tahir took a degree in International Relations, his particular interest being in African dictatorships of the mid-1980s. His research in this area led him to travel alone through a wide number of failing African states, including Uganda, Sierra Leone, and Zaire.
After university, Tahir embarked on a plethora of widespread travels through the Indian subcontinent, Latin America, and Africa, drawing them together in his first travelogue, Beyond the Devil’s Teeth. In the years that followed, he published more than a dozen works of travel. These quests – for lost cities, treasure, Indian magic, and for the secrets of the so-called Birdmen of Peru – led to what is surely one of the most extraordinary bodies of travel work ever published.
In the early 2000s, with two small children, Tahir moved his young family from an apartment in London’s East End to a supposedly haunted mansion in the middle of a Casablanca shantytown. The tale of the adventure was published in his bestselling book, The Caliph’s House.
In recent years, Tahir Shah has released a cornucopia of work, embracing travel, fiction, and literary criticism. He has also made documentaries for National Geographic TV and the History Channel, and published hundreds of articles in leading magazines, newspapers, and journals. His oeuvre is regarded as exceptionally original and, as an author, he is considered as a champion of the new face of publishing.
www.tahirshah.com
www.twitter.com/humanstew
www.facebook.com/TahirShahAuthor
http://www.youtube.com/user/tahirshah999
www.pinterest.com/tahirshah
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews
June 4, 2013
I thoroughly enjoyed these three essays. They were interesting, informative, and thought provoking. Cannibalism is the perfect companion to Tahir Shah's latest novel Eye Spy, as it explores the great taboo that is the focal point of the novel. Kumbh Mela is equally fascinating, and explores the author's journey to the Maha Kumbh Mela, a Hindu event that occurs only once every 144 years. As with all of his travel writing, the focus is more on deep connections with the people he meets than with superficial descriptions of the event itself. The final essay, the Legacy of Arab Science, is truly captivating, as it details the scientific advances during the Abbasid period.
I highly recommend these essays, whether you're already familiar with the author's work or whether you're new to his writing. They'll take you on a brief and thought-provoking journey to three very different places.
Disclaimer: I know the author personally and work with him through my company, Tribal Publishing, which helps authors build their online platform using social media. I was a reader of this author's books before working with him, and our professional relationship did not affect this honest review.
I highly recommend these essays, whether you're already familiar with the author's work or whether you're new to his writing. They'll take you on a brief and thought-provoking journey to three very different places.
Disclaimer: I know the author personally and work with him through my company, Tribal Publishing, which helps authors build their online platform using social media. I was a reader of this author's books before working with him, and our professional relationship did not affect this honest review.
August 21, 2013
A quick, easy and interesting read.
The three essays (already described well in the overview) each cover dramatically different areas, and are well researched and written.
I was only let down by the length. Each essay is pretty much equal in size and the book comes in at 67 pages. I found this a bit of a let down as it doesn't allow him much space to delve into the subject area, so the cannibalism and science essays feel like an all too brief skim over a matter which promised to be a revelation and breathtaking.
It gives it the feeling of being an add-on to Tahir's fantastic 'Travels with Myself' collection, but at currently a tiny fraction of the length for a higher price.
The three essays (already described well in the overview) each cover dramatically different areas, and are well researched and written.
I was only let down by the length. Each essay is pretty much equal in size and the book comes in at 67 pages. I found this a bit of a let down as it doesn't allow him much space to delve into the subject area, so the cannibalism and science essays feel like an all too brief skim over a matter which promised to be a revelation and breathtaking.
It gives it the feeling of being an add-on to Tahir's fantastic 'Travels with Myself' collection, but at currently a tiny fraction of the length for a higher price.
May 10, 2015
This unassuming little book is both fascinating and eye-opening. I love to read about things that are off the beaten path, and that’s just what these essays cover. One is on cannibalism and another is on Indian religious festival that regularly has millions of Hindus converging on a single location. But my favorite is the essay on the legacy of Arab science, which challenges our assumptions about the origins of so many of the things we take for granted today. This is a most interesting book, and I strongly recommend it to anyone who has a sense of curiosity.
Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews