Jim Corbett (1) (1875–1955)

First read and enjoyed when I was 12 years old (it was the first American edition, published in 1946, with the wonderful dust jacket shown here). A re-read so much later (in an unadorned tan cover, 1944) and I am less accepting of the style. Corbett was meticulous in describing the scenery and the villagers where the rogue tigers caused problems ~ descriptions invaluable in setting the story in its day. However, the author repeatedly disrupts the flow of the adventures with backstory sometimes of little relevance in the middle of tracking the animals, to the point of confusing the reader.

My Indian edition carried a few photographs, which were perhaps acceptable in 1944, but by 2022, the blurry greyscale images are useless in helping illustrate the subject. Despite these criticisms, Corbett was a thoughtful conservationist and explains the reasons for having to hunt down these tigers who've lost their fear of humans largely due to the human population's effects on the tiger's habitat.… (més)