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Product Description
Review
'Brilliant'
(Patrick Leigh Fermor, Daily Telegraph )'There can be few more fascinating subjects, or few authors better qualified to write about it'
(Fitzroy Maclean, Independent )'Immensely readable and magisterially detached. A gripping and impressive narrative of adventure and war'
(Financial Times )'Hopkirk's brilliant and engrossing account remains the classic text on how to handle the various and often dangerous people who inhabit the region, fill of tips and warnings for the Game's current players.'
(BBC History Magazine )'Fans of political history and adventure are in for a treat as publishing house John Murray reissues its Peter Hopkirk series'
(Siân Gibson, Geographical Magazine )Product Description
For nearly a century the two most powerful nations on earth, Victorian Britain and Tsarist Russia, fought a secret war in the lonely passes and deserts of Central Asia. Those engaged in this shadowy struggle called it 'The Great Game', a phrase immortalized by Kipling. When play first began the two rival empires lay nearly 2,000 miles apart. By the end, some Russian outposts were within 20 miles of India. This classic book tells the story of the Great Game through the exploits of the young officers, both British and Russian, who risked their lives playing it. Disguised as holy men or native horse-traders, they mapped secret passes, gathered intelligence and sought the allegiance of powerful khans. Some never returned. The violent repercussions of the Great Game are still convulsing Central Asia today.
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First Sentence
You could smell them coming, it was said, even before you heard the thunder of their hooves. Read the first page
Front Cover | Copyright | Table of Contents | Excerpt | Index | Back Cover
You could smell them coming, it was said, even before you heard the thunder of their hooves. Read the first page
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Browse Sample PagesConcordance
Front Cover | Copyright | Table of Contents | Excerpt | Index | Back Cover
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Customer Reviews
Most Helpful Customer Reviews
54 of 55 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback
An excellent book. I first came across it a few years ago, and since then I've read a large amount on central Asia - including most of Hopkirk's books on the subject.
The history of the Great Game itself is extraordinary. A mix of low cunning with unbelievable naivete, astounding stupidity with phenomenal intelligence, great luck with unexpected disasters, courage with cowardice...It is a Boy's Own story come to life, and Hopkirk effortlessly conveys this.
Although sometimes a little carried away by events, generally Hopkirk has written an extremely readable, highly informative work. I've recommended it to many friends. Even for those with no particular interest in the region, it is a fine exercise in power politics and the development of empires.
Although this is Hopkirk's best work, I can also recommend his accounts of the impact of the Great War and the intrigues against the Bolsheviks.
And I left my last copy on the bus, so it's time to get a new copy...
17 of 17 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback
This is a wonderful yarn - well written history that is a real page turner. The story has tremendous momentun with suspense, intrigues, vilans and heros ... reading this broght me back to my youth reading comics like the Victor or such like except in this case this was the historical foundation for many a plucky comic book hero.
40 of 43 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback
Peter Hopkirk's book 'The Great Game: The Struggle for Empire in Central Asia' is a great historical account and a very enjoyable book to read. It is very rare nowadays to find a book that holds your attention throughout, without finding one boring section, this is one of those books. In over 560 pages (paperback edition) Peter Hopkirk tells the amazing stories of a number of early British and Russian officers and men involved in the great imperial struggle for supremacy in Central Asia.
I found myself reading late into the morning, at times I couldn't put the book down. Most of the time I had heard of the places and people involved but a lot of this story was new to me. The narrative read like a novel, gripping but informative, never boring and full of information, breathing life into history in a way that is hard to find now-a-days.
This is a great book and I fully agree with the quote on the front cover of the book by Jan Morris "Peter Hopkirk is truly the laureate of the Great Game." If you ever wanted to learn something about this large and remote area then this is the book to start with. If you enjoy military history then this book has it, if you enjoy historical accounts of exploration then this book has it, if you just enjoy good history then this book has it all.
The story of Britain and Russia carving out their Empires in India, Afghanistan and the surrounding areas is truly fascinating and I was amazed at the brave and resourceful men who carved their name in history during this period. Most people have heard of the Khyber Pass and places like Chitral however I had never heard of the Pamirs and Karakorams mountain ranges or of the Kerman and Helmund deserts nor of some of the fierce and warlike tribes that lived in these areas.
After reading this book I yearn for more information about this region and I intend to buy the rest of Peter Hopkirk's books. I would rate this book one of the better ones I have read this year...
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Most Recent Customer Reviews
The Great Game
Excellent book that knits together a lot of history not taught in UK schools (or I suspect anywhere else). Read more
Published 3 days ago by Edward Jr Seville
The Greatest Book for The Great Game.
Although Peter Hopkirk is a master of easily accesible historical books, never diluted in professional research or contributory explanations. Read more
Published 14 days ago by Crafter
Fascinating story
As would be expected of Peter Hopkirk, this book is well researched and well written. It reads like a continuous story and therefore keeps the reader engaged and it flows well from... Read more
Published 2 months ago by RMCT
The Great Game
The Great Game by Peter Hopkirk is an outstanding historical account of Victorian Britain and Tsarist Russia vying for influence in Central Asia. Read more
Published 4 months ago by am561
Stunning
This brilliant book leaves one wondering why our own former Prime Minister, Tony Blair, and his red necked chum, G.W part 2., weren't forwarded a copy. Read more
Published 12 months ago by PARomanov
Sadly, a very apt title...
Peter Hopkirk, a British journalist and historian, wrote this well-researched account, twenty years ago, of the struggle between two vast empires, the British and the Russian, for... Read more
Published 14 months ago by John P. Jones III
The Great Game story
This is a true adventure story and is beautifully written.
I knew a little of the troubles between Great Britain and Russia over the deserts and kingdoms North of India and... Read more
I knew a little of the troubles between Great Britain and Russia over the deserts and kingdoms North of India and... Read more
Published 14 months ago by JCT Richards
A collection of true adventure stories - it beats fiction
This is the classic well researched study of the 19th century struggle for tactical supremacy in Central Asia and Afghanistan between the British Empire and expansionist Tsarist... Read more
Published 15 months ago by Neil Kernohan
A must read!
This is quite simply a brilliant bueatifully written book, which really took me by surprise. It is a big subject and could of been a very meandering book, but Hopkirk keeps his... Read more
Published 15 months ago by JC Wiltshire
When will we ever learn
A very absorbing and informative read; well researched and relatively well choreographed in terms of the sequence of events. Read more
Published 17 months ago by Mr. S. Mcmanus
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