The Jim Corbett Omnibus {Srishti's Review}

Jim Corbett's riveting accounts of shikar in the Himalayan foothills have kept generations of readers enthralled. The Jim Corbett Omnibus includes three enduring tales of Corbett's encounters with man-eaters.
Man-eaters of Kumaon contains fascinating stories of tracking and shooting of man-eaters in the Indian Himalayas during the early years of the last century. The stories in The Temple Tiger display Corbett's acute awareness of sights, sounds, and life in the Indian forests, as well as his love for the human beings living in the hunting terrain. Finally, perhaps the most exciting of all of Corbett's jungle tales, The Man-eating Leopard of Rudraprayag is a gripping narrative of a notorious leopard which spread terror in the hills of the colonial United Provinces.
Dramatic yet reflective, Corbett's writings are coloured by his deep concern and sympathy for the natural world as well as the local people and their traditions and customs. This vividly illustrated collection will appeal equally to Corbett lovers and to those concerned with the environment and wildlife.

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My rating: 4/5 

I have talked about this book before but have never written a review about it. So here we go. If I had to pick a word to describe this book it would be: FASCINATING, and yes capitals! Of course like many books this one is not for everybody. It is manly about wildlife and a single person's adventure. It contains many stories about 'man-eaters'.  Which are: 

Man-eaters of Kumaon

• The Champawat Man-eaters
• Robin
• The Chowgarh Tigers
• The Bachelor of Powalgarh
• The Mohan Man-eater
• The Fish of My Dream
• The Kanda Man-eater
• The Pipal Pani Tiger
• The Thak Man-eater
• Just Tigers
• The Temple Tiger and More Man-eaters of Kumaon
• The Temple Tiger
• The Muktesar Man-eater
• The Panar Man-eater
• The Chuka Man-eater

And many more. Man-eaters are tigers, leopards, etc that have been used to eating and therefore killing humans. Jim Corbett's job is to track them and get rid of them. The stories this book contains are all true which is even more fascinating. Jim Corbett puts into words his adventures meticulously. The situations are so detailed it seems that we are there which makes it an exquisite work of literature. I would recommend it to all fans of nature and adventure. The anecdotes in the book are funny and a bit shocking. 

Jim Corbett was a British hunter and author turned conservationist born in India. He is most famously known for killing various man-eaters. He also has a national park in India named after him. During his life, Jim Corbett was one of the best hunters in India. He studied and knew his areas very well. He had very good understanding of the wildlife, especially the man-eaters and had the pleasure share his experience with us.                                                                                                                                                             While reading his adventures we learn that the reason the tigers turn into man-eaters are because they have to. He his, as I have said before, very meticulous with his writing. It is flowing and very very detailed, for example he will tell you if he walked on a rock or the colour of his shoes. You might think this kind of writing is too much or maybe a bit to heavy but the writing style is so simple and flowing you won't notice it. It is quite refreshing and you feel as if you are there next to him. 

What pleased me so much about this book is how much we learn. I have learned so much about animals, I have laughed and been terrorized by them multiple times it scares me. I have learned that leopards are smarter than tigers and I feel myself shaking. Thank god I don't live in the jungle! The book contains many different stories and I still feel like I don't have enough. My dad read it first before me and has given it to me, he absolutely loved it. He works in the nature kind of department and the fact that he really liked it encouraged me to read as I was a bit hesitant. Another part of the book I love is the fact that it is so lighthearted and impressive you can tell the stories to everyone. And I love storytelling time! 

Like I have mentioned so many many times the book is very shocking. The fact that a single animal has created so much fear as making the villager not go out of their town is so shocking. What is shocking too is the fact that the animals are arrogant and even more aggressive then we can imagine. They are majestic and scary. Corbett doesn't only talk about the man-eaters but also about the people living in India. He express his love for them and the way they cultivate their culture it makes me want to be there with him. And that is saying a lot as I am terrified of his job. I have also found a liking for his dog that seems so nice and cute and adorable and cute! He kinds of remind me of Snowy on the Tintin series expect he doesn't drink and all that.

Overall, I loved this book and recommend it to everyone, especially animal lovers. I loved Jim Corbett's simple writing and efficient details. I hope you read it in the meantime! 

Lots of love,
Srishti

"A typical son of Garhwal, of that simple and hardy hill-folk; and of that greater India, whose sons only those few who live among them are privileged to know. It is these big-hearted sons of the soil, no matter what their caste or creed, who will one day weld the contending factions into a composite whole, and make of India a great nation".