Trees of India

Customer Reviews:

A celebration of India's trees.......2001-11-20

This beautiful book has earned a permanent spot on my coffee table. I originally saw a copy at a book trade show and was immediately enthralled with it. The book is really a celebration of the popular trees of India, where trees can be great objects of reverence as well as having numerous practical uses. I justified the purchase as a background reference work for writing my historical novels set in India (India Treasures and India Fortunes). But this is so much more than just a pictorial textbook. The photos are pieces of art worth admiring in themselves, and the narrative often describes the mythological/religious, medicinal, and historical importance of the trees.

Average customer rating:

With over 200 color, specially commissioned photos
Excellent book for nature lovers

The Vanishing Tiger
V. R. P. Sinha
Manufacturer: Salamander
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

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ASIN: 1840654414

Book Description

Featuring 200 dramatic color photographs, The Vanishing Tiger documents the history and lifestyle of this magnificent and endangered creature.

Customer Reviews:

With over 200 color, specially commissioned photos.......2004-03-10

This comprehensive history and guide to the lifestyle of the tiger blends folklore and myths with over 200 color, specially commissioned photos of the Bengal Tiger, plus images of its co-predators and prey. Perhaps the most valuable sections of the book lie in its details on the habitat and range of all tigers in the world. Highly recommended as the definitive tiger guide.

Excellent book for nature lovers.......2003-12-24

Its an excellent book for all nature lovers. The pictures are just awesome. Must buy for all wildlife fans.

Average customer rating:

If elephants weep, it may be because of this book...
A disappointment
A Great Book to About Assam and About Elephant Hunting
What a Strangely Pleasant Book,in a Grizzly Way
Real life travel/adventure story reads like a novel

To the Elephant Graveyard
Tarquin Hall
Manufacturer: Atlantic Monthly Pr
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

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ASIN: 0871138174

Book Description

In To the Elephant Graveyard, journalist Tarquin Hall does more than chronicle the daring, adventure-filled search for a killer elephant -- he creates a vivid account of the people in an isolated area of India whose culture is intimately connected to the region's elephants and, like the elephants, is quickly dying out. In Assam it is not unusual to see signposts in villages saying where domesticated elephants should be hitched. The Khasi tribe, whom Hall joins in the elephant hunt, lives intimately with the elephants, riding on their bare backs, caring for them, talking to them, and praying to them. But amid the peaceful coexistence of man and beast, there is trouble: a killer elephant is on the rampage, stalking Assam's paddy-fields, murdering dozens of farmers and leaving behind their mutilated and crushed bodies. When Hall travels to Assam to join in the hunt for the killer elephant, he meets a cast of colorful and surprising characters. Among them are Dinesh Choudhury, one of India's last licensed elephant hunters, and Churchill, a member of the Khasi tribe who befriends Hall and teaches him to ride an elephant. Initially, Hall is convinced that no elephant could be guilty of the grisly crimes of which the rogue is accused. But his preconceived ideas soon begin to unravel. To the Elephant Graveyard is a compelling account of the search for a killer in a region of India rife with insurgency, rich in folklore and superstition, and whose ancient ways are fast disappearing along with the ever-shrinking forest. "Thoroughly enjoyable." -- Frederick Forsyth; "This highly entertaining book proves that a really determined young man . . . can still go out into the world in search of adventure, find it, and even make it his career." -- Peter Hopkirk.

Customer Reviews:

If elephants weep, it may be because of this book..........2006-11-18

Let me say first of all that I'm really fond of elephants, India and travel writing, separately or together, and quite frankly this book is an affront to all three. It's one of the worst books I've read recently, both for style as well as content.

Mr. Hall's narrative suffers from "Dr. Watson Syndrome." No matter how trivial or well-known a piece of information is ("Yes, elephants can swim"), he responds with the stunned equivalent of "Holmes, you astound me!" Upon catching sight of the rogue elephant and seeing a broken chain still on one of its legs, he is absolutely stumped for any explanation at all until his companion tells him the animal obviously used to be captive. ("Holmes...!)

On the other hand, he swallows whole the most blatant bunk: "I can turn myself into a tiger (for 800 rupees)!" "Sure, there's an elephant graveyard! I'll take you there right now!" "Yes, I saw the elephant run away from my house carrying a whole case of my Scotch!" In one passage, Mr. Hall reports that the footprint of the rogue elephant, measured right in front of him, is over four feet in diameter! That would make the poor animal about the size of a Seismosaurus! (Perhaps he misunderstood his informant, who might have been referring to length of stride.) I got the distinct impression, though, that many of his companions on this journey were having some fun with him at his expense, as when a mahout encouraged him to come climb aboard a kneeling trained elephant. During the process, the elephant mysteriously stands up, leaving the author dangling from its side with both hands painfully snarled in the rope harness. I suspect the mahout -and possibly the elephant - worked that one out beforehand. And I don't blame them.

I say that because Mr. Hall's "gee whiz" style is not the only problem here. For the most part, he shows contempt for most of the Indians he meets. "Plump Punjabi aunties with flabby midriffs bulging from their polyester saris gobbled down ...chicken as their undisciplined children chased each other..." They're filthy, their food is disgusting. One of them, born with the wrong number of toes on one foot, is "hideously deformed." And one of the most egregious passages in the book: "I guessed that he was a Marawari, a term used to describe businessmen...who are said to own half of India. ...Indians despise them as a class for their ...materialism and legendary stinginess. They are...the Jews of India."

I did enjoy some examples of his prose style because they were unintentionally comical: "An old mahout...was preparing an herbal mixture for the wounded elephant in the pot over the fire." How do you suppose they got the elephant into that little pot?

In short, if you love elephants and books about elephants, please do not choose this one. Mr. Hall's motivation may have been of the very best (his Author's Note, on the last two pages, is the only worthwhile part of the book), but it's poorly written and fairly offensive, plus it insults your intelligence. There are many beautifully written, informative books, such as "When Elephants Weep," by Masson and McCarthy, and "Elephant Memories" by Cynthia Moss. Please enjoy them!

A disappointment.......2005-11-30

This is the kind of book I usually love, where a writer brings you into intimate contact with another human culture, and at the same time acquaints you with the behavior of a fascinating animal.

However, like other reviewers here, I found the prose clunky, shallow, and rather egotistical and condescending. Maybe that's due to the youth of the author.

There are occasional bright spots, where Hall weaves in information about Asian elephants, and historical and cultural information about the Assam region of India.

A Great Book to About Assam and About Elephant Hunting.......2005-02-06

It is a great travel book that, as one review says, 'wonderfully hits on all cylinders'; and I, being from the sate of Assam, can vouch for that. Mr Hall ventured into Assam, the remote North-East corner of India, and accompanied Mr Chaudhury, the Assamese Elephant Hunter in his wild journey across the roads and paddy fields of Assam. In the process, Mr. Hall not only gave a gripping portrayal of his close encounter with elephant hunting in Assam, a state famous for elephants from ancient days, but he also described about Assamese life and culture. He narrates his meeting with Mr Gaela, the greatest elephant catcher (bor-phendi) of Assam, in whose house he ate authentic Assamese dish, 'patot-diya-mas'(fish cooked in banana leaf). He also described his brief encounter with the some ULFA insurgents of Assam in its reality. Mr Hall did not forget to capture the scinic beauty of Assam. I liked his following narative which seem to capture Assam in its totality:
"Despite the staggering beauty and rich folklore, India's North-East is a part of the world avoided by even the most intrepid backpackers. As such there was little in my guidebook about Assam: it has been off-limits to tourists for many years. However it did say thay that the word Assam is derived from the Sanskrit word 'asama' meaning 'peerless'. or 'unequalled'. It was so named by the Thai or Shan invaders called the Ahoms who conquered the valley in the thirteenth century and loved it so much that they never left. I was beginning to appreciate why. Whenever I looked, the landscape was lush and green. Rickety wooden bridges spanned streams and brooks whose surfaces were covered with sweet smelling water lilly blossoms. Peepul trees, their branches straining under flocks of white birds that suddenly lifted intothe air at the sound of our approach, lined the road. In the distance, hills bristling with jungle rose up above the fields, mist crawling across the foliage and pouring down into the valley like amoke brimming off a witch's cauldron,"

Mr Hall is also keen to catch a lively conversation with Rudra, the betel nut chewing driver as noted in the following excerpt:
"Rudra, the driver of the Hindusthan Ambassador, had been chewing paan all night. He kept his stash in a stainless steel dabha, an Indian lunch box, in his glove compartment and periodically would ask me to take it out and open it for him. Keeping an eye on the road, he would first extract a lump of lime paste with index finger and smear it into the space between his teeeth and his bottom lip. He would then pop one or two choice chunksof betel nut into his mouth. Finally, uttering a satisfied grunt, he would start to chew.....By Indian stadrds, Rudra was a good driver - that is to say, we only came close to death once during more than six hours on the road....
By now, I was in no mood for conversation. All I wanted to do was sleep. I tried conveying this to Rudra, but even when I closed my eyes and pretended to snore, he kept up his one sided, tedius conversation. His main interest in life, apart from betel nut and playing chicken with oncoming heavt vehicles, was the vital statistics of Bombay's Hindi film actresses. The latest goddess to grace the Indian screen, Karishma Kapoor, had won a special place in his heart - and, no doubt in his fantacies.
"She is the most beautiful pearl of our continent!" he boasted, pushing the Ambassador into fourth gear around a tight bend.
He slapped me hard on the thigh and guffawed, grunting and breathing through his nose and mouth simultaneously, a feat that would have been remarkable had it not been so revolting.
"You should see her dance! Her legs go all the way up! And for her breasts - they are big! As big as mangoes!"
I reccommend this book to anyone who wants to know about Assam or wants to travel to Assam.

Rajen Barua, Houston, Texas

What a Strangely Pleasant Book,in a Grizzly Way.......2004-10-05

A horrifing serial killer is loose in the north Indian state of Assam. He has claimed 38 victims. Horrible murders, all have literally been beat into pulp. Additionally,some are impaled-some receive a final crushed head. The killer is most cunning. He lays ambushes, he is even capable of tracking a victim to his home,destroying the house to make his kill. For some he will bury his evidence,others are left to rot so others will see what may await them. The populace is powerless to stop the killer and demand relief. The government decides that these killings will end. There will be no need for a trial. An execution contract is put out for bid. Who steps forward but India's greatest elephant hunter- Dinesh Choudhury. Elephant hunter? Yes, that's right, our serial killer is a terribly cunning and dangerous rogue elephant! Choudhury assembles a seasoned team including a war decorated Gurkha tracker and elephant professionals-mahouts- with their own trained elephants. While Choudhury has accepted the execution contract,he is not sure he will complete the killing. He wonders why the rogue is bent on this road of human destruction? Is it possible to reform the rogue..to separate him into the wild? If not, will he have the strength to finish the rogue before the elephant can kill him?Choudhury endeavors to learn the elephant's story and move toward a final decision all the while closing in on the killer. You see not only is Choudhury India's greatest elephant hunter but he also deeply loves and respects them all. To this strange crime story comes a British journalist-Tarquin Hall- our author. Indeed a strange tale,but true none the less. As the mystery unfolds,Hall fills in the atmosphere of the crime scene. He tells of Northern India, it's people,sights,history..just like a good traveloge. He also tells us much about elephants and what they mean to north Indians,so there's a little zoology. There it is.... a zoological traveloge murder mystery hunting book. I can't say I've ever read such an odd mix of ideas. But it all melds well and in the end it's a surprisingly pleasant read.

Real life travel/adventure story reads like a novel.......2002-10-31

As you can tell from my moniker, I am a lover of elephants. So it was with some trepidation that I bought this book (against my wife's advice) to read about a modern version of George Orwell's short story "Shooting an Elephant." Here, it seems that a rogue elephant has gone berserk in India and is killing a number of Indians for no apparent reason.

The narrator, an AP reporter, catches up with the hunter who has been retained by the local government to kill the elephant. The hunter, Mr. Chowdhury, is, strangely, a lover of animals, especially elephants. There is some nice discussion of why he nevertheless takes tasks like this one.

The book takes Hall (the narrator), Chowdhury, and others (mostly elephant riders) on a hunt for the rogue throughout northeastern India. They have a number of interludes, some of which are funny, others tragic, until the final confrontation. Along the way, we learn a bit about why the elephant was going berserk.

Hall has a nice, unobtrusive writing style. It's not flashy, and he knows enough to let the narrative momentum carry the book, although he throws in occasional travel- or history-related discussions of the local Indian culture. For example, he recounts the myth of why the Indian god Ganesh has the head of an elephant. (The gods had to replace his head after an accident, and an elephant was the first creature they saw.)

Book Description

Veerappan: poacher, smuggler, killer -- a fugitive who for more than three decades has sustained a crime frenzy as action packed and outlandish as anything Hollywood (or evenBollywood) could conjure.

Determined to escape the crushing poverty of his childhood village, Veerappan was lured to a life of crime in his adolescence and eventually amassed a gang with as many as 150 members. He has kidnapped wealthy men, poached precious resources, and viciously ambushed police, killing more than a hundred. He stole such great quantities of explosives from nearby granite operations that the government ordered the industry to shut down. Yet to this day he has eluded capture, despite the government's creation of a special task force, the sole purpose of which is to stop him.

The impenetrable Indian jungle provides him with shelter and refuge, while villagers, whether from fear or admiration, protect him from the police, so that year after year he has grown bolder and more power hungry. His most audacious act to date -- the kidnapping of India's biggest film star -- caused nationwide public upheaval and brought the film industry to a halt, while his demands for ransom presented the government with a crippling legal dilemma.

Investigative journalist Sunaad Raghuram's meticulously researched report follows Veerappan's violent progression from a small-time poacher to the bloodthirsty criminal who has flouted the entire Indian police force and government for decades. Using the personal testimony of Veerappan's family members and closest associates, Raghuram recounts this outlaw's crimes and examines his personal life as well, including a surprisingly touching first person account of what Veerappan's wife has endured. Veerappan: India's Most Wanted Man details the methods and madness of a man alternately hailed as a messiah and condemned as a murderer.

Customer Reviews:

Very good book.. must read.........2004-11-02

as a veerappan fan i found this book very good. Author sunaad did not fall in either veerappan side or on police side. He mentioned atrocities of both sides. There are few not clear or false items but other than that book is very good and a must read for all south indian news followers. as veerappan got killed by police recently. i am really interested if the same author can write a book regarding his death. i am sure veerappan did not get killed by police encounter and police is not telling the truth.

My god rest Verappan's soul.

A long pending desire fulfilled!.......2003-12-02

I was so terribly curious to know more about this bandit called Veerappan. And finally, my desire to understand the man and his methods has been fulfilled by this gripping book.

This is a book for all India-watchers who have the inclination to know the country beyond its computer software credentials! It is amazing how one man, the bandit in question, can do all the things that he has done.

The author, Sunaad, deserves a pat on the back for having recreated the entire story without once slacking in the narration.

All in all, a fine read, this book!

It was time someone did it!.......2003-11-06

Well, I always wondered why anyone had not attempted a biography of a man who had taken a whole country's imagination with him for so long. And boy, was the wait worth it!

Sunaad Raghuram has achieved what not one other journalist on the trail of the bandit has. And how does he do it? With style, aplomb, finesse and authenticity.

Starting by detailing the history of crime in Veerappan's part of the world and going on to describe vividly the many chilling incidents in the bandit's story, Sunaad does a fine job of unravelling the whole scene layer by layer.
This is a book which will remain in memory long after it has been closed. More so for readers of Indian origin who would probably know a thing or two of the story's setting.

A highly credible account in the face of media exagerration!.......2003-03-12

This book by Sunaad Raghuram tells us the real story of Veerappan, sifitng so perfectly the wheat from the chaff, as it were. Handling a subject which is essentially given to hyperbole and exagerration-as indulged by vast sections of the media- is definitely not easy.

But Sunaad Raghuram does it with professional ease and gives us a remarkably believable account of the brigand who has been bestowed with almost super-human abilitites.

His writing style is direct, to the point, without any frills and throrougly riveting. An exhaustive work; one which leaves you with almost everything that you always wanted to know about the bandit who has been like none other in the world's history of crime.

A great piece of journalistic work.......2003-03-06

This book is all about how a hard-nosed journalist has gone about unravelling the story of one of the most intriguing men in the world of crime today.

Book Description

Tracking the many moods of the tiger, this book traces the progress of efforts to save the magnificent animal in India. Documenting tiger watching in Ranthambhore from the 1970s to the late 1990s, the second, enhanced edition discusses the tiger tragedy of winter-spring 2004-5 and argues for new and more radical initiatives to protect the animal and, by extension, wilderness itself. An impassioned plea for greater involvement of administrators and general public alike, this book is a must read for tiger enthusiasts, animal lovers, environmentalists, and the general reader.

Tiger Forest: A Visual Study Of Ranthambhore Park

Average customer rating:

Stunning photographs of wild tigers! Great Book!

Tiger Forest: A Visual Study Of Ranthambhore Park
Chris Brunskill
Manufacturer: Cheltenham
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

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ASIN: 1920785221

Customer Reviews:

Stunning photographs of wild tigers! Great Book!.......2004-11-17

Tiger Forest - A Visual Study of Ranthambhore National is a very beautiful book containing some stunning photographs of wild tigers in their natural setting. Unlike many other books on tigers, Tiger Forest features only images taken in the wild and this clearly shows, as there are so many glorious pictures of tigers in open landscapes, around lakes and in deep forest. The forest of Ranthambhore is also revealed in exceptional detail, illustrating the Chris Brunskill's versatility as a photographer. This book will appeal to anyone interested in wild tigers, it really is a superb volume of photographs.

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The Tiger's Destiny
Valmik Thapar , Fateh Singh Rathore , and Mahipal Singh
Manufacturer: Trafalgar Square
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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ASIN: 1856261425

Battling for Survival: India's Wilderness over Two Centuries

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Battling for Survival: India's Wilderness over Two Centuries

Manufacturer: Oxford University Press, USA
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

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ASIN: 0195662938

Book Description

Illustrated with rare pictures, this book explores some remarkable efforts to save the forest. In doing so it looks at the governance of wildlife and forests and some of the greatest defenders of wildlife in India. Alexander Gibson, S.P. Sahi, A.T.L. Dodsworth, F.W. Champion, Jim Corbett, S.H.
Prater, Salim Ali, R.W. Burton, George Schaller, E.P. Gee, Kailash Sankhala, Billy Arjan Singh, M. Krishnan who battled for the future of India s wildlife. Thapar also examines the evolution of wildlife governance in India over two centuries including the Supreme Court s initiatives, recent court
decisions, and loopholes in existing legislation. He also explores the amazing efforts of organizations like the Bombay Natural History Society as an institution dedicated to conservation in the last century. Will attract a wide range of readers including wildlife enthusiasts, environmentalists,
planners, policy makers, forest officials, NGOs and activists fighting for wildlife protection

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

Average customer rating:

Corbett's writing is superb, this biography is boring.
Carpet Sahib - A Legend Indeed!
A Splendid Job
A fine work
Too many contradictions??

Carpet Sahib: A Life of Jim Corbett (Oxford Lives)
Martin Booth
Manufacturer: Oxford University Press, USA
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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ASIN: 0192828592

Book Description

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.

Customer Reviews:

Corbett's writing is superb, this biography is boring........2005-08-11

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.

Carpet Sahib - A Legend Indeed!.......2005-06-17

Booth, I believe has done a very good job in writing this biography. He has very articulately brought Jim Corbett's strenghts and weaknesses to the reader. Jim Corbett was a brilliant hunter, a practical man and an enterprising business man. This book is definitely a treat for people who have read Jim Corbett earlier. He was fiercely patriotic and loyal to the Crown but also very much in love with India. Its just amazing to how brave and agile this man was. A true legend indeed.

I got this book as a gift from my brother, with whom I have enjoyed reading Corbett stories as little boys. Without any doubt - Corbett; through Booth is still as refreshing as Corbett in his own words.

A Splendid Job.......2002-01-06

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.

A fine work.......1999-08-19

I think Booth has done a marvellous job with Carpet Sahib. Anyone who has ever travelled to northern India - and Kumaon in particular - will appreciate Booth's vivid and sympathetic portrayal of the subject, the people of the hills and terai, and the tigers and leopards which roamed them so freely. Sadly, that world is no more. Kumaon today is a very different place. Luckily, I managed to see a tiger when I visited Corbett National Park in Uttar Pradesh, and reading this book in my cabin while hyenas sniffed and scratched outside my window was a magical experience. Carpet Sahib is a fine book and one of the few available on this fascinating individual and the wilderness of northern India.

Too many contradictions??.......1999-03-20

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!

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