HERO OF KUMAON: THE LIFE OF JIM CORBETT. By Duff Hart-Davis.

2021 1st edition. 8vo (140 x 222mm). Pp271ads. B/w vignette, bibliography. Brown boards, spine titled in gilt.

This a new biography of Jim Corbett which gives a detailed account of his life, with much information on the background to the events Corbett describes in his books. Jim Corbett was the son of the Postmaster in Nainital, where he was born in 1875. Corbett "taught himself as a barefoot boy in his local jungle to become, in his spare time, one of the most skilled trackers of his day ...patient beyond endurance, exceedingly brave and an excellent shot." Corbett's home area was subject to the repeated attentions of tigers and leopards which had taken to attacking people and cattle. He was frequently asked to deal with these animals and these experiences, usually tragic, became the foundational material of most of his writing. Corbett was an expert naturalist, closely in touch with his home surroundings and a leading figure in the Indian conservation movement. Chapters include: Introduction; Barefoot boy; The Champawat man-eater; Beyond nature; The Muktesar man-eater; The Panar man-eater; The Temple Tiger; Going to war; Into business; The Man-Eating Leopard of Rudraprayag; The Talla-Des man-eater; The Chowgarh tigers; The Bachelor of Powalgarh; The Mohan man-eater; The Kanda man-eater; Hosting the viceroy; Conservation with a camera; The Chuka man-eater; The Thak man-eater; At war again; Author; Africa; Royal assignment; The legacy.