Carpet Sahib: A Life of Jim Corbett (Oxford Lives) [Paperback]

Martin Booth (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: November 28, 1991 | Series: Oxford Lives

Jim Corbett's classic stories of hunting the man-eating tigers of India have thrilled generations of readers and made him famous world-wide. Born in India in 1875, Corbett was at home in the jungles from an early age, killing his first leopard when he was only eight. Tigers were his most sought after prey but, in time, he began to turn toward conservation. From the mid-1920s he stopped shooting tigers for sport, only killing the man-eaters that plagued many Indian villages. In 1936 Corbett was instrumental in creating India's first tiger reserve--perhaps the world's first "big-game park"--and was a devoted conservationist for the remainder of his years.
The Carpet Sahib is the story of this remarkable man. Martin Booth, who spent ten years of research on this definitive biography, follows Corbett's footsteps through the Himalayan jungles and foothills that provided the backdrop for some of his most hair-raising adventures. Booth brings to life a man of inestimable courage and integrity whose love for India, her people, and her natural treasures was intense. Today, Jim Corbett is revered in Northern India as the legendary holy figure who fought the devil in his disguise as a man-eating big cat, and by those who have so enjoyed his gripping collections of tales. This is the first book to reveal the man behind the myth.

Editorial Reviews

About the Author

About the Author:
Martin Booth is a novelist and film writer. His most recent novel is Hiroshima Joe.

Product Details

• Paperback: 288 pages
• Publisher: Oxford University Press, USA (November 28, 1991)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0192828592
• ISBN-13: 978-0192828590
• Product Dimensions: 7.8 x 4.9 x 0.9 inches
• Shipping Weight: 8.8 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 2.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (6 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #2,900,322 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

10 of 11 people found the following review helpful:

1.0 out of 5 stars A Splendid Job, January 5, 2002

By 

Nigel Stewart (California, USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Carpet Sahib: A Life of Jim Corbett (Oxford Lives) (Paperback)

Author Martin Booth has done a splendid job in his attempt to tarnish the image of Jim Corbett, slayer of man eaters, author, naturalist and philanthropist through the book titled "Carpet Sahib". The author used much of his imagination in the book, rather than trying to do some hard research. The book is filled with contradictions and accusations without base. Booth believes
that grapefruit grow on vines! The hardcover edition of this book came out in 1986 as a tie in with the broadcasting of "Man eaters of kumaon" a BBC docudrama which was also scripted poorly by Booth, painting him with a 'chi-chi accent' whatever that might be. Corbett was not a reward hunter according to other biographers, but according to the script Corbett was 'amply rewarded'. Again the imagination from a fiction writer took over
the entire book, mixing facts with fiction! The paper back edition is cheaply made without any photographs and an actor's cartoon on the cover, instead of a Corbett portrait! The first biography of Corbett by D.C.Kala (1979)is much better than this, Booth borrowed material from this book without bothering to acknowledge it.

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

2.0 out of 5 stars Corbett's writing is superb, this biography is boring., August 10, 2005

By 

Charles Hall (Raleigh, NC USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Carpet sahib: A life of Jim Corbett (Hardcover)

The author has done an amazing job of making an exciting subject boring. He appears to have done his homework, digging into the family history back several generations. This, in fact, is the problem with the book; he's done too much research and can't bear to edit any of it out. The first half of the book passes without any tiger being stalked, and that is all Corbett is famous for. The only portions of the book with any drama are those hunting tales he re-tells from Corbett's own books.

He also spins in a tremendous amount of speculation about the motivations of Corbett and his family members and friends. He tries to support these speculations with his research, but it's largely unconvincing.

Don't waste your time on this book.

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

1.0 out of 5 stars Too many contradictions??, March 20, 1999

By A Customer

This review is from: Carpet sahib: A life of Jim Corbett (Hardcover)

Good job in gathering some of the photographs published in the book, butthere are far too many contradictions in the text, a sign of writig in haste.The cover design for the original hard cover was good, but the Oxford reprint, the paperback edition, without any illustrations, looked pathetic!