NEW DELHI: A new book, "The Corbett Papers", has brought together lesser known parts of the famous naturalist-hunter Jim Corbett's life through unpublished letters, documents and a privately-published book.
Published by Hachette India, the book has been co-edited by educator Akshay Shah and writer Stephen Alter.
Corbett, born in Nainital in 1875, was known for tracking and hunting down a number of man-eating tigers and leopards in different parts of North India.
The annals of his adventures were written by him in a series of books, the most famous of which is "Man-Eaters of Kumaon" (1944).
He also played an important role in establishing Hailey National Park, India's first national park in 1936.
It was later named after the naturalist in 1956, a year after his death.
According to the publishing house, the entire text of a privately published and long vanished book, "Jungle Stories", is reproduced in the latest book, along with papers that Corbett's first biographer, DC Kala, acquired during his research.
The book was written and printed by Corbett for a small group of friends in Nainital with only a hundred copies that never went into commercial circulation and disappeared with time.
Alter contributed the complete text of Corbett's first book, "Jungle Stories", which was self-published in Nainital in 1935.
"The Corbett Papers" also includes the unpublished reminiscences of Corbett by his sister Maggie, and rare extracts from a forgotten work, "The Taming of the Jungle", by his half-brother Charles Doyle.
"DC Kala's writings from the mid-1950s describing what is now the Corbett Park appear here too, as do extracts from 'Memoirs of the Raj' by GR Kala, a government official and contemporary of Corbett posted in the Kumaon regions where the hunter was most active," the publishers said.
The full text of Corbett's last will and testament is also reproduced, affording new insights into his character and state of mind at the end of his life.
"The Corbett Papers" is currently available for sale across offline and online stores.