The Black Hole of Calcutta [Hardcover]

Noel Barber (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: December 1989

A bare, low-ceilinged dungeon with two barred air-holes, the cell known as the Black Hole prison, in the British East India Company’s Fort William, was intended to hold at most a couple of prisoners. But on the terrible night of June 20, 1756, at the end of a four-day battle of astonishing ferocity which saw a vast Indian horde overwhelm the Fort’s defenders, 145 men and one woman were cruelly herded into the Black Hole. Only twenty-three survived the ten horriÞc hours till their release at dawn. The siege of Calcutta and the night of the Black Hole together comprise one of the most dramatic episodes of British Imperial history, and Noel Barber’s detailed “reconstruction” is so gripping and well-written that I do not hesitate to class his book as history at its compellingly readable best.

--This text refers to the Paperback edition.

Editorial Reviews

About the Author

Noel Barber (born 1909) is the author of among other titles, The Sultans, The White Desert and A Sinister Twilight. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

Product Details

• Hardcover: 254 pages
• Publisher: Dorset Pr (December 1989)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0880294213
• ISBN-13: 978-0880294218
• Product Dimensions: 8.3 x 5.7 x 1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.3 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (3 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #3,378,673 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

12 of 14 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Reconstruction of a Nightmare, May 23, 2000

By 

Willard C. Smith (Aurora, Illinois United States) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: The Black Hole of Calcutta: A Reconstruction (Paperback)

Noel Barber describes this history as a reconstruction. What he means is that he has had to take all the conflicting accounts and piece together a reasonable description of the events that led to the capture of Calcutta in 1756 by the NaBob, and the nightmarish situation where 146 British subjects were crammed into a 14 foot by 18 foot room. Only 23 people were still alive 10 hours later.

This book describes miscalculations taken by the British and by the Indian Ruler, the bravery, the cowardary, the ignorance, and the brutal attitudes taken by all sides.

Noel Barber does not mince words: the nightmare of the Black Hole could have been avoided over and over again, but the head of the British India Company and the Military Head mismanaged at every turn. They deserted their posts, and even when they had the means of saving the other members of the Fort (without risk to themselves), they refused.

The chapter covering the Night of the Black Hole was disturbing enough that I lost sleep that night. The situation has an unreal aspect to it that makes one wonder about the people who stood on either side of the barred windows that night. Captives and captors exhibited both the best and worst of human nature.

I suppose one would be tempted to claim that the entire story is a type of microcosm of our present world. I pray not.

5 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A great read!, June 4, 2000

By 

Israel Galindo (Richmond, VA USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: The Black Hole of Calcutta: A Reconstruction (Paperback)

I really didn't have time to read this book, given that I was in the middle of several projects. But once I started, I couldn't put it down. Good descriptive writing. Fascinating character studies pieced together from contemporary sources. Makes an interesting study of leadership (or the lack of it) and human nature. Dark and intriguing, especially because of its historicity.

4.0 out of 5 stars Creepy as all get-out, May 4, 2002

By 

Klarenka - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Black Hole of Calcutta: A Reconstruction (Paperback)

I'd only heard the phrase "the black hole of Calcutta" before as "it's as dark as the black hole of Calcutta in here," never in connection with the real story. I didn't even know it was a real place! Anyways, the true events detailed in this book are enough to raise the hair on the back of your neck--the stupid decisions by the British military and the night spent in the Black Hole especially.