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The Great Game: The Struggle for Empire in Central Asia (Kodansha Globe)
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Binding: Paperback
Dewey Decimal Number: 320.958
EAN: 9781568360225
ISBN: 1568360223
Label: Kodansha International
Manufacturer: Kodansha International
Number Of Items: 1
Number Of Pages: 564
Publication Date: May 15, 1992
Publisher: Kodansha International
Studio: Kodansha International
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Editorial Review:
In a phrase coined by Captain Arthur Connolly of the East India Company before he was beheaded in Bokhara for spying in 1842, a "Great Game" was played between Tsarist Russia and Victorian England for supremacy in Central Asia. At stake was the security of India, key to the wealth of the British Empire. When play began early in the 19th century, the frontiers of the two imperial powers lay two thousand miles apart, across vast deserts and almost impassable mountain ranges; by the end, only 20 miles separated the two rivals.
Peter Hopkirk, a former reporter for The Times of London with wide experience of the region, tells an extraordinary story of ambition, intrigue, and military adventure. His sensational narrative moves at breakneck pace, yet even as he paints his colorful characters--tribal chieftains, generals, spies, Queen Victoria herself--he skillfully provides a clear overview of the geographical and diplomatic framework. The Great Game was Russia's version of America's "Manifest Destiny" to dominate a continent, and Hopkirk is careful to explain Russian viewpoints as fully as those of the British. The story ends with the fall of Tsarist Russia in 1917, but the demise of the Soviet Empire (hastened by a decade of bloody fighting in Afghanistan) gives it new relevance, as world peace and stability are again threatened by tensions in this volatile region of great mineral wealth and strategic significance. --John Stevenson
THE GREATGAME: THE EPIC STORY BEHIND TODAY'S HEADLINES
Peter Hopkirk's spellbinding account of the great imperial struggle for supremacy in Central Asoa has been hailed as essential reading with that era's legacy playing itself out today.
The Great Game between Victorian Britain and Tsarist Russia was fought across desolate terrain from the Caucasus to China, over the lonely passes of the Parmirs and Karakorams, in the blazing Kerman and Helmund deserts, and through the caravan towns of the old Silk Road-both powers scrambling to control access to the riches of India and the East. When play first began, the frontiers of Russia and British India lay 2000 miles apart; by the end, this distance had shrunk to twenty miles at some points. Now, in the vacuum left by the disintegration of the Soviet Union, there is once again talk of Russian soldiers "dipping their toes in the Indian Ocean."
The Washington Post has said that "every story Peter Hopkirk touches is totally engrossing." In this gripping narrative he recounts a breathtaking tale of espionage and treachery through the actual experiences of its colorful characters. Based on meticulous scholarship and on-the-spot research, this is the history at the core of today's geopolitics.
Customer Reviews
Average Rating: 
Rating:  - A fascinating read... truth is stranger than fiction...
Colonialism was not paternalism neither was benevolent... but if ever it was a "tempered" colonialism imbued by the precept "of doing the decent thing" it probably the British "empire" was...
All empires have menacing "borders" where their influence is contested... this is one of the most fascinating reads on the subject by far... an History page turner in fact... sometimes you want to laugh at some folly... or are deeply moved by pure unselfish heroism (I know today this sounds absurd... but ... Read More
Rating: - The Great Game --- The Nineteenth Century's Cold War
Interesting subject, interesting book. And interesting author. Peter Hopkirk has somehow got himself unofficially elected as the world's leading Great Game aficionado.
So what is the "Great Game?" The term, coined by Rudyard Kipling in his book "Kim," describes the competition between Russia and Great Britain for control of Central Asia. It was, in a way, the "Cold War" of the Nineteenth Century. My first real introduction to the Great Game was in 2005, when I traveled to Kashgar ... Read More
Rating: - The most exciting history book.
It is hard to find a history book that you literally can't put down once start reading. This one is by far my favorite. Absolutely fascinating. Through the stories in it the history of India and of the world politics of the period comes alive. It reads like a thriller... But in this case reality is million times more exciting than any fiction one could possibly come up with.
Rating: - The BEST of the best!
Peter Hopkirk is the best and most exciting writer on the "Great Game!" You cannot find any book on this, or any other subject, more exciting or interesting. I would whole-heartedly recommend this book to anyone interested in British imperialism. I would also recommend two other books on this topic: one, a terrific book of fiction by Fraser entitled "Flashman and the Great Game", and Tournament of Shadows by Brysac. The former is great fun and a quick read, the latter is a very interesting and somewhat ... Read More
Rating: - Definitely history come alive...
I won't repeat too much of the praise already heaped upon this book, other than to say it is well deserved. Hopkirk has a very engaging writing style that makes it very difficult to put the book down.
Just a few notes:
- Hopkirk does a good job of staying on topic in a book that encompasses many regions and personalities. Often this means he has choosen to not take certain stories to their conclusion or lay all the groundwork for certain narratives. It can leave you wanting more ... Read More
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