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The Great Game: On Secret Service in High Asia (Paperback)

by Peter Hopkirk (Author) "You could smell them coming, it was said, even before you heard the thunder of their hooves ..." (more)
4.9 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (28 customer reviews)

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Product details

  • Paperback: 576 pages
  • Publisher: Oxford University Press; New Ed edition (12 Jul 2001)
  • Language English
  • ISBN-10: 0192802321
  • ISBN-13: 978-0192802323
  • Product Dimensions: 19.2 x 13 x 3.2 cm
  • Average Customer Review: 4.9 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (28 customer reviews)
  • Amazon.co.uk Sales Rank: 174,921 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

    Popular in this category:

    #32 in  Books > History > Europe > Russia > Russian Heads of State

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Product Description

Book 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 in Kipling's Kim. 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 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 horsetraders, they mapped secret passes, gathered intelligence, and sought the allegiance of powerful khans. Some never returned.



About the Author

Peter Hopkirk has travelled widely over many years in the regions where his six books are set - Central Asia, the Caucasus, China, India and Pakistan, Iran, and Eastern Turkey. Before turning full-time author, he was an ITN reporter and newscaster for two years, the New York correspondent of the Daily Express, and worked for nearly twenty years on TheTimes: five as its chief reporter, and latterly as a Middle andd Far East specialist. In the 1950s he edited the West
African news magazine Drum, sister-paper to its legendary South African namesake. Before entering Fleet Street he served as a subaltern in the King's African Rifles - in the same battalion as lance-corporal Idi Amin, later to emerge as the Ugandan tyrant. No stranger to misadventure, Hopkirk has twice been held in secret police cells - in Cuba and the Middle East - and has also been hijacked by Arab terrorists. His works have been translated into thirteen languages.
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Customer Reviews

28 Reviews
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Average Customer Review
4.9 out of 5 stars (28 customer reviews)
 
 
 
 
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Most Helpful Customer Reviews

 
24 of 25 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars Excellent - how history should be, 11 Jan 2002
By A Customer
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...

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31 of 33 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars A Great Story - A Great Read, 30 Dec 2001
By Aussie Reader ""Rick"" (Canberra, Australia) - See all my reviews
(TOP 1000 REVIEWER)   
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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16 of 17 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars An enjoyable book on an interesting topic, 14 May 2003
By A Customer
The Great Game is an enjoyable history book that is well worth reading. The secret war in Central Asia between the British and Russian Empires during the 19th century is a somewhat obscure but fascinating historical topic. It is particularly timely given the recent invasions of Afghanistan and Iraq to replace undesirable regimes in those countries. Hopkirk covers the events in great detail and despite its length the book is never boring. The story of "the Great Game" provides insight into a number of larger historical topics such as the British Empire (particularly in India) and the origins of the Russian Revolution. The book is largely factual and objective, but I particularly liked Hopkirk's occasional commments about the events and players and his observations on connections to the present day (including a map of "The New Great Game", which to some extent is still taking place today). The maps in the book are good but I think the book would have benefited from more maps. Overall, highly recommended.
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