News

Prosenjit Dasgupta reviews Undiscovered Corbett by Ian Douglas

“Undiscovered Corbett” by Ian Douglas is a notable contribution to popular knowledge about Jim Corbett, that renowned hunter of man-eating tigers in Kumaon in early 20th century and the widely-read author of stories of Indian wildlife. No doubt there have been earlier books on Corbett, but Douglas has broken new ground in providing many more interesting details about Corbett’s life and times with the Bengal and North-Western Railways at Mokameh Ghat, as in-charge of a Labour Corps in World War I and later in Waziristan. Of particular interest is the reproduction of letters written by Corbett to Maggie, his elder sister and to others, as well as press reports, which serve to corroborate the hair-raising experiences of Corbett in pursuing man-eaters such as the Chowgarh maneater and the Thank man-eater. Douglas’ narration of his simulation of a one-handed handling of the .275 Rigby rifle as Corbett had done in shooting the Chowgarh tigress is most interesting. The book provides useful information about Corbett’s role in training troops for jungle warfare during World War II as also about Corbett’s assistance in organizing hunts for Lord Linlithgow (Viceroy of India, 1937 to 1943) and his family. The photographs and personal notes by Lady Doreen Hope (daughter of the Viceroy) in the book provide important pointers to Corbett’s personality and jungle skills. The book has the benefit of many new, hitherto unpublished photographs that Douglas was able to obtain from the Corbett’s Archives available with the Oxford University Press, who were the publishers of Corbett’s books, as well as from members of the Linlithgow family and others. Well-annotated and attractively produced, “Undiscovered Corbett” should be a welcome read to fans of Corbett’s hunting tales.

Richard Barrett shares his tips based on extensive experience travelling around the globe in search of iconic wildlife to photograph.

With his book, Wild World, you not only gain valuable insight into what a trip entails, but also knowledge of how to capture the subject on camera and use your camera to come back with a photo album to be proud of!

Use code 'WILD15' to get this book at half price in June. Just £15, a Great Gift for Fathers Day!

🫶🔥 To celebrate the new edition of "Venison The Game Larder by game expert @wild_food_boy we've teamed up with game suppliers @leanandwild to give you 25% discount off a @ckbk premium subscription!🔥🔥 The new edition of José Souto's cookbook includes a summer barbecue recipe section.Venison is experiencing an unprecedented growth in popularity with the British public as a delicious, healthy and increasingly available dish.In this new edition are over 50 recipes from Senior chef/Lecturer in Culinary Arts at @westminster_capitalcitycollege where José Souto gives masterclasses on preparation and game cookery to other chefs worldwide, as well as teaching a new generation of student chefs how to cook venison.🫶🫶 José...