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Jim Corbett Omnibus - Vol. 1
Jim Corbett’s tales of tiger hunts are legendary. Mostly alone, he would traverse the hills and jungles of India, hunting his quarry using blood trails, examining pug marks and following broken twigs and branches, often putting himself at risk. Later, he became a conservationist, taking up the cause of the endangered royal Bengal tiger.
This comprehensive volume contains some of Jim Corbett’s best-known books and short stories, from The Man-eating Leopard of Rudraprayag, a gripping tale of a notorious leopard, to the fascinating stories in Man-eaters of Kumaon and The Temple Tiger. Showcasing Corbett’s acute awareness of jungle sights and sounds and enlivened by his descriptions of village life, this is a must-read for those interested in wildlife and tiger tales.
This comprehensive volume contains some of Jim Corbett’s best-known books and short stories, from The Man-eating Leopard of Rudraprayag, a gripping tale of a notorious leopard, to the fascinating stories in Man-eaters of Kumaon and The Temple Tiger. Showcasing Corbett’s acute awareness of jungle sights and sounds and enlivened by his descriptions of village life, this is a must-read for those interested in wildlife and tiger tales.
456 pages, Paperback
First published July 25, 1975
174 people are currently reading
218 people want to read
About the author
Jim Corbett
107 books292 followersEdward James "Jim" Corbett was a British hunter, turned conservationist, author and naturalist, famous for hunting a large number of man-eaters in India.
Corbett held the rank of colonel in the British Indian Army and was frequently called upon by the government of the United Provinces, now the Indian states of Uttar Pradesh and Uttarakhand, to kill man-eating tigers and leopards that were harassing people in the nearby villages of the Garhwal and Kumaon region. His hunting successes earned him a long-held respect and fame amongst the people residing in the villages of Kumaon. Some even claim that he was considered to be a sadhu (saint) by the locals.
Corbett was an avid photographer and after his retirement, authored the Man-Eaters of Kumaon, Jungle Lore, and other books recounting his hunts and experiences, which enjoyed much critical acclaim and commercial success. Later on in life, Corbett spoke out for the need to protect India's wildlife from extermination and played a key role in creating a national reserve for the endangered Bengal tiger by using his influence to persuade the provincial government to establish it. The national park was renamed Jim Corbett National Park in his honour in 1957 after his death in 1955.
Corbett held the rank of colonel in the British Indian Army and was frequently called upon by the government of the United Provinces, now the Indian states of Uttar Pradesh and Uttarakhand, to kill man-eating tigers and leopards that were harassing people in the nearby villages of the Garhwal and Kumaon region. His hunting successes earned him a long-held respect and fame amongst the people residing in the villages of Kumaon. Some even claim that he was considered to be a sadhu (saint) by the locals.
Corbett was an avid photographer and after his retirement, authored the Man-Eaters of Kumaon, Jungle Lore, and other books recounting his hunts and experiences, which enjoyed much critical acclaim and commercial success. Later on in life, Corbett spoke out for the need to protect India's wildlife from extermination and played a key role in creating a national reserve for the endangered Bengal tiger by using his influence to persuade the provincial government to establish it. The national park was renamed Jim Corbett National Park in his honour in 1957 after his death in 1955.
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Displaying 1 - 17 of 17 reviews
November 8, 2018
About this particular publication :
Few printing mistakes regarding the mentioned year and also this book completely omits the sketches that are present in the individual books of the stories
Now to what I think :
Honestly, this book is beyond any review simply because once you start a story, the only moment you are back to this world is when you have finished that !
What strikes most is the simple un-ornamented way in which the stories are written showing, the writer only had the intention on sharing his life experiences and not writing a story just to write.
The experiences, in themselves, are so marvelous that they sell themselves and are beyond critics or reviews.
This book restores my faith on people irrespective of who they are ! There is no one who, while reading this book would not wonder how much connected and down to earth Jim Corbett was at a time when the country was being ransacked by the-then rulers.
Being born and brought up in British India with the hill-folks, Jim Corbett was one of them and one of us. The patience, the sympathy, the mutual respect of the differences in belief & culture that Corbett shows is beyond imagination from any of the English men in those times.
Corbett, in these stories, was no less than a detective and none of us need be a hunter to enjoy these stories !
A true Samaritan !
Few printing mistakes regarding the mentioned year and also this book completely omits the sketches that are present in the individual books of the stories
Now to what I think :
Honestly, this book is beyond any review simply because once you start a story, the only moment you are back to this world is when you have finished that !
What strikes most is the simple un-ornamented way in which the stories are written showing, the writer only had the intention on sharing his life experiences and not writing a story just to write.
The experiences, in themselves, are so marvelous that they sell themselves and are beyond critics or reviews.
This book restores my faith on people irrespective of who they are ! There is no one who, while reading this book would not wonder how much connected and down to earth Jim Corbett was at a time when the country was being ransacked by the-then rulers.
Being born and brought up in British India with the hill-folks, Jim Corbett was one of them and one of us. The patience, the sympathy, the mutual respect of the differences in belief & culture that Corbett shows is beyond imagination from any of the English men in those times.
Corbett, in these stories, was no less than a detective and none of us need be a hunter to enjoy these stories !
A true Samaritan !
October 10, 2023
Hunting for sports is one thing. Hunting a desperate man-eater to prevent further miseries and tragedies of the local residents is a different thing.
Fascinating tales of Jim Corbett's encounters with many man-eating tigers and leopards and how he overcame the terror and odds to relieve the people of Garhwal from these 'evil spirits'.
Fascinating tales of Jim Corbett's encounters with many man-eating tigers and leopards and how he overcame the terror and odds to relieve the people of Garhwal from these 'evil spirits'.
April 27, 2024
Circumstantial privilege wielded a hard, gritty, upright hunter from a forest-wandering Garhwal boy but he never shed his compassion for the wild beasts and later vigorously stood up for their conservation.
These stories are not only suspenseful chase dramas played between
hunters and hunted but they, in a fascinating manner capture the snippets of a colonial India with all its highs and sighs.
Happy reading.
These stories are not only suspenseful chase dramas played between
hunters and hunted but they, in a fascinating manner capture the snippets of a colonial India with all its highs and sighs.
Happy reading.
February 7, 2023
In the introduction Ruskin Bond writes " Corbett's exploits brought him fame as a hunter. His books turned him into a legend. "
Growing up I always heard Corbett's name, the once legendary almost mythical hunter but never had the opportunity to know about his adventures and why was he considered such great. This book tells you that, the majesty of the man who brought relief to thousands of people in the Kumaon-Gharwal region. From the Champawat tiger that has claimed over 400lives to the infamous man eating leopard of Rudraprayag. The courage and heart of a sahib to walk on foot with nothing but a rifle at hand in the man eater's territory.
The book gifts you an adventure, a near perfect description of the hilly areas of Uttarakhand, the emotions of people having lost a near one to a man eater, someone's son, someone's father. The vivid visualisation of chasing a man eater, getting outsmarted by it, looking into the eyes of the animal 5m away, sitting over a kill at midnight in heavy rail with nothing but a knife, being followed by the man eater back to the camp, everything about this book makes the hair at the back of your neck stand up.
And yet the human side of things, the emotions Corbett felt throughout his journeys, when he failed to kill the animal on multiple tries and yet the people showered him with their confidence, when the wailing cries of a son lost mother shakes his core, or when people brought flowers and placed those on his feet for freeing them from the clutches of monster they lived in fear off all these years. And yet Corbett stayed humble.
18years after killing the leopard of Rudraprayag, Corbett meets a returning soldier who was a young boy back then and now is estatic to meet with the man who gave freedom to the people of Gharwal from the man eater leopard.
Corbett ends the book with a note on this incident:
"A cripple, on the threshold of manhood, returning from the wars with a broken body, with no thought of telling of brave deeds done, but only eager to tell his father that with his own eyes he had seen the man who years ago he had not had the opportunity of seeing, a man whose only claim to remembrance was that he had fired one accurate shot.
A typical son of Garhwal, of that simple and hardy hill-folk; and of that greater India, whose sons only those few who live among them are privileged to know. It is these big-hearted sons of the soil, no matter what their caste or creed, who will one day weld the contending factions into a composite whole, and make of India as a great nation."
Jim Corbett, a once ordinary man, who rose to the ranks of a savior and lives on as a near mythical character who once graced the lives of people in the Kumaon-Gharwal region.
Growing up I always heard Corbett's name, the once legendary almost mythical hunter but never had the opportunity to know about his adventures and why was he considered such great. This book tells you that, the majesty of the man who brought relief to thousands of people in the Kumaon-Gharwal region. From the Champawat tiger that has claimed over 400lives to the infamous man eating leopard of Rudraprayag. The courage and heart of a sahib to walk on foot with nothing but a rifle at hand in the man eater's territory.
The book gifts you an adventure, a near perfect description of the hilly areas of Uttarakhand, the emotions of people having lost a near one to a man eater, someone's son, someone's father. The vivid visualisation of chasing a man eater, getting outsmarted by it, looking into the eyes of the animal 5m away, sitting over a kill at midnight in heavy rail with nothing but a knife, being followed by the man eater back to the camp, everything about this book makes the hair at the back of your neck stand up.
And yet the human side of things, the emotions Corbett felt throughout his journeys, when he failed to kill the animal on multiple tries and yet the people showered him with their confidence, when the wailing cries of a son lost mother shakes his core, or when people brought flowers and placed those on his feet for freeing them from the clutches of monster they lived in fear off all these years. And yet Corbett stayed humble.
18years after killing the leopard of Rudraprayag, Corbett meets a returning soldier who was a young boy back then and now is estatic to meet with the man who gave freedom to the people of Gharwal from the man eater leopard.
Corbett ends the book with a note on this incident:
"A cripple, on the threshold of manhood, returning from the wars with a broken body, with no thought of telling of brave deeds done, but only eager to tell his father that with his own eyes he had seen the man who years ago he had not had the opportunity of seeing, a man whose only claim to remembrance was that he had fired one accurate shot.
A typical son of Garhwal, of that simple and hardy hill-folk; and of that greater India, whose sons only those few who live among them are privileged to know. It is these big-hearted sons of the soil, no matter what their caste or creed, who will one day weld the contending factions into a composite whole, and make of India as a great nation."
Jim Corbett, a once ordinary man, who rose to the ranks of a savior and lives on as a near mythical character who once graced the lives of people in the Kumaon-Gharwal region.
July 3, 2023
A very fluently written book which introduced me to a whole new vocabulary and dialect from the jungles. Initially I was not sure if the book has the content to keep me hooked with it, but once you dive into it, there is no looking back. Corbette not only writes in a simple and flowing language, but also inadvertently brings the thrill of his real life adventures in front of us without making much fuss about anything. In the end, you never feel like you are reading a “saahib”‘s tale of how he valiantly fought man eaters of the Himalayas for benefit of his poor and illiterate colonial subjects, but are rather looking at a frank and authentic biographical take on life of a boy and a man who grew up in the midst of colonial provinces, who is rooted deep in the culture and fabric of society that existed during that time, and who enjoyed walking alone in those otherwise fearsome jungles, while shooting a game or too without necessarily demeaning them and who is fully integrated into the beliefs and faiths of the people he felt being part of. Some of the descriptions used by Corbett in the book are surprisingly simple and yet they convey exactly what he wanted us to see. He also has a knack for nature abs beauty of it, he understand the calls made by different animals and birds and introduces them to us gently without again making fuss about it. I really liked the book because it doesn’t sound like a typical hunters tale but rather a well written account of a sensitive, brave and witty human being who has brilliant narration capabilities and incredible detailing and memory.
February 20, 2020
The Man-Eaters of Kumaon by Jim Corbett was the first non-fiction book that I read more than 15 years ago, and it is still a book that I re-read regularly. Jim Corbett was a hunter and naturalist, who is well-known for his wildlife conservation efforts and saving countless people in North India by killing man-eating tigers and leopards. In fact, the oldest national park in India is named after him: Jim Corbett National Park. The Jim Corbett Omnibus contains three of his books, including the Man-Eaters of Kumaon. His books have his first-person account of his exploits, and every page rings with his love for India, her people, and her flora and fauna. From the very first page, his tone is so honest and without any guile or pretense and he paints such a painstakingly accurate picture of the terrain and circumstances that you cannot help but feel that you are accompanying him on his adventures. His books gave me a new appreciation for our national animal, the tiger, and I cannot recommend his books enough.
May 8, 2020
An incredible thriller. If you haven't heard of Jim Corbett I highly suggest looking him up. One of the scariest books I've ever read, made more so by the fact that it true. A retelling of actual events from the man who was enlisted to combat man eating tigers and leopards in northern india. I dare you to read it at night.
May 19, 2025
The bookbis a time travel machine to colonial India. It is rustic and shares insights of life before advent og Google maps and mobile phones. It takes one very close to fauna & flora without ever needing do dorne a boot.
September 7, 2017
My appetite for so many killings of animals is gone. I remember reading these books 40 years ago and not feeling nauseated when he kills animals between finding the man eaters
April 14, 2023
Such an amazing life. He was well ahead of his times.
July 6, 2025
Great for those who enjoy the thrill of the wild.
July 12, 2020
Breathtaking!
One of the best read I've ever had.
One of the best read I've ever had.
December 9, 2016
Purchased this while boarding flight. Was good read while traveling on bus to office for long time.
This is an Omnibus edition comprising of 3 books.
Since I am interested in wildlife and anything related to nature, liked this book very much. This book gives idea of different India of era gone by with plenty of forests abundant flora and fauna. In those times hunting was legal and basically there was no law for wildlife protection. Even if there was hunting at those times, there was abundance of wildlife.
Compare that to current situation, the forest cover is limited. It's sad that stupid western culture of hunting season was tried out in this country this year. Even in the tough times, when man-eaters were in prowl in certain areas, people were tolerant with tigers and leopards that did not harm them or thier cattle. But currently most people have lost the knowledge of living in harmony with nature and tolerance towards the wild beast, regularly request forest departments to kill the beast at mere sighting of it and also killing it without informing forest departments. Good thing is that there are still some regions in country where people are tolerant like mentioned in the book.
People who claim that hunting is required are just claiming it for personal desires not giving a damn about current situation of disappearing forest cover and wildlife. It was same mentality with hunters then and inspite of abundant times, Corbett realized importance of conservation and reformed from game hunting to killing man-eaters only.
No doubt that his hunting ground is declared as National Park/Tiger Reserve at Uttarakhand as Corbett Tiger Reserve. And sighting(instead of hunting) tiger or leopard in that forest is the game for those who loved reading his book usually while growing up.
This is an Omnibus edition comprising of 3 books.
Since I am interested in wildlife and anything related to nature, liked this book very much. This book gives idea of different India of era gone by with plenty of forests abundant flora and fauna. In those times hunting was legal and basically there was no law for wildlife protection. Even if there was hunting at those times, there was abundance of wildlife.
Compare that to current situation, the forest cover is limited. It's sad that stupid western culture of hunting season was tried out in this country this year. Even in the tough times, when man-eaters were in prowl in certain areas, people were tolerant with tigers and leopards that did not harm them or thier cattle. But currently most people have lost the knowledge of living in harmony with nature and tolerance towards the wild beast, regularly request forest departments to kill the beast at mere sighting of it and also killing it without informing forest departments. Good thing is that there are still some regions in country where people are tolerant like mentioned in the book.
People who claim that hunting is required are just claiming it for personal desires not giving a damn about current situation of disappearing forest cover and wildlife. It was same mentality with hunters then and inspite of abundant times, Corbett realized importance of conservation and reformed from game hunting to killing man-eaters only.
No doubt that his hunting ground is declared as National Park/Tiger Reserve at Uttarakhand as Corbett Tiger Reserve. And sighting(instead of hunting) tiger or leopard in that forest is the game for those who loved reading his book usually while growing up.
January 16, 2017
Since I am interested in wildlife and anything related to nature, liked this book very much. This book gives idea of different India of era gone by with plenty of forests abundant flora and fauna. In those times hunting was legal and basically there was no law for wildlife protection. Even if there was hunting at those times, there was abundance of wildlife.
Compare that to current situation, the forest cover is limited. It's sad that stupid western culture of hunting season was tried out in this country this year. Even in the tough times, when man-eaters were in prowl in certain areas, people were tolerant with tigers and leopards that did not harm them or thier cattle. But currently most people have lost the knowledge of living in harmony with nature and tolerance towards the wild beast, regularly request forest departments to kill the beast at mere sighting of it and also killing it without informing forest departments. Good thing is that there are still some regions in country where people are tolerant like mentioned in the book.
People who claim that hunting is required are just claiming it for personal desires not giving a damn about current situation of disappearing forest cover and wildlife. It was same mentality with hunters then and inspite of abundant times, Corbett realized importance of conservation and reformed from game hunting to killing man-eaters only.
No doubt that his hunting ground is declared as National Park/Tiger Reserve at Uttarakhand as Corbett Tiger Reserve. And sighting(instead of hunting) tiger or leopard in that forest is the game for those who loved reading his book usually while growing up.
Compare that to current situation, the forest cover is limited. It's sad that stupid western culture of hunting season was tried out in this country this year. Even in the tough times, when man-eaters were in prowl in certain areas, people were tolerant with tigers and leopards that did not harm them or thier cattle. But currently most people have lost the knowledge of living in harmony with nature and tolerance towards the wild beast, regularly request forest departments to kill the beast at mere sighting of it and also killing it without informing forest departments. Good thing is that there are still some regions in country where people are tolerant like mentioned in the book.
People who claim that hunting is required are just claiming it for personal desires not giving a damn about current situation of disappearing forest cover and wildlife. It was same mentality with hunters then and inspite of abundant times, Corbett realized importance of conservation and reformed from game hunting to killing man-eaters only.
No doubt that his hunting ground is declared as National Park/Tiger Reserve at Uttarakhand as Corbett Tiger Reserve. And sighting(instead of hunting) tiger or leopard in that forest is the game for those who loved reading his book usually while growing up.
December 22, 2016
Jim Corbett has been my hero since I started reading about him in recent years. His style of writing is as inspiring as his hunting skills, which after much discussion with fellows I've concluded to be somewhat too exciting to be true but this kind of liberty to the author is allowed as it only makes the book more interesting.
This book is a compilation of all his works and he doesn't fail to impress.
Truly worth a read.
This book is a compilation of all his works and he doesn't fail to impress.
Truly worth a read.
September 14, 2022
Jim corbett's adventures of killing maneaters of Kumaon and Garhwal. Jim corbett known as the hunter made a legend by his books, a spine chilling narration that will leave you with a feeling of having witnessed these events as if you were there first hand.
"There is no more terrible thing than to live and have one’s being under the shadow of a man-eater."
"There is no more terrible thing than to live and have one’s being under the shadow of a man-eater."
September 18, 2022
Loved the tiger tales as always. Jim Corbett never bored me.
Displaying 1 - 17 of 17 reviews