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Goodreads helps you keep track of books you want to read. Want to Read saving…. Want to Read Currently Reading Read. Other editions. Enlarge cover. Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Open Preview See a Problem? Details if other :. Thanks for telling us about the problem. Return to Book Page. Preview — Bugles and a Tiger by John Masters. John Masters was a soldier before he became a bestselling novelist. He went to Sandhurst in at the age of eighteen and was commissioned into the 4th Gurkha Rifles in time to take part in some of the last campaigns on the turbulent north-west frontier of India. John Masters joined a Gurhka regiment on receiving his commission, and his depiction of garrison life and cam John Masters was a soldier before he became a bestselling novelist. John Masters joined a Gurhka regiment on receiving his commission, and his depiction of garrison life and campaigning on the North-West Frontier has never been surpassed. Still very much the army depicted by Kipling, it stands on the threshold of a war that will transform the world. Bugles and a Tiger: My Life in the Gurkhas book is the first of three volumes of autobiography that touched a chord in the post-war world. Get A Copy. Paperbackpages. Published January 1st by Orion Publishing Group first published More Details Original Title. Masters Autobiography Trilogy 1. Other Editions 7. Friend Reviews. To see what your friends thought of this book, please sign up. To ask other Bugles and a Tiger: My Life in the Gurkhas questions about Bugles and a Tigerplease sign up. Lists with This Book. Community Reviews. Showing Average rating 4. Rating details. More filters. Sort order. Gurkhas came to northern India from Nepal. After the Anglo-Nepalese War ofthe East India Company recognized their fighting mettle and initiated regular recruitment for service with the colonial army, a tradition continued when the Brits instituted government control of the Raj under a Viceroy after the Sepoy Revolt. These legendary regiments of Gurkhas keep showing up in hot spots in my reading of British military campaigns, such as in Africa and Gallipoli battles in WW1 and, in WW2, in tough battles in North Africa and sometimes alongside Lawrence of Arabia in the Middle East. Masters comes off as quite lonely through his youth and early career, speaking very little of family or friends. By tradition, children of colonial military families are sent back to the mother ship for schooling to be instilled with the proper class consciousness, moral deportment, and loyalty to the empire. Awkward and shy, he took to literature for escape and achievement in the Wellington Bugles and a Tiger: My Life in the Gurkhas school and at Sandhurst used his smarts to compensate for modest physical prowess and manly grit. When it came time to pick a permanent placement, he already knew he wanted to serve with an Indian regiment instead of a regular British unit. I was charmed by his regard and respect for these people: Though there are, of course, exceptions, the distinguishing marks of the Gurkha are usually a Mongolian appearance, short stature, a merry disposition, and an indefinable quality that is hard to pin down with one word. Straightness, honesty, naturalness, loyalty, courage—all these are near it, but none is quite right, for the quality embraces all of these. Desertions were unheard of …There were no excuses, no grumbling, no shirking, no lying. There was no intrigue, no apple-polishing, and no servility. The perfect man—or, at the least, the perfect soldier? Not quite. The Gurkha was slow at book-learning, and he liked gambling, rum, and women; and, in his own home, he was apt to be unkempt. But these large generalizations are vague and patronizing. It is impossible to give an idea of the Gurkha by such mean, because each Gurkha is a separate man. He seems to be born with the ability to see the heart of a problem regardless of distracting circumstances, red herrings, or conflicting advice. He does not think, cogitate—he will tell you shyly that he is not clever enough for that—but he bends facts, arguments, and logic to fit what he somehow knows is right. Masters is aware of the potential of contributing to a whitewash of the inequities of British colonialism. For most of his tour, his regiment served in the North West Frontier region now Pakistan adjacent to Afghanistan with a duty mainly to quell tribal conflicts and bandit raids across the border. After experiencing their merciless practice of torturing, killing, and mutilation of captives, Masters suggests that examples of payback brutality were not uncommon. The hit and run guerilla tactics of their foe was hard to counter. As with so many armies that have faced rebels in these mountainous regions from Alexander on down, the limitations of traditional ways of waging war go out the window. A saving grace of the narrative is plenty of self- deprecation and comic interludes. He also provides plenty of examples of the Gurkha sense of humor. The memory of these ungainly beasts, starting forward, the expression on their faces changing from pompous omniscience to alarmed outrage, has often made me wish to introduce Dhansing among a roomful of literary critics. I am sure he would see the resemblance. All along the way in this tale there are some colorful or comic adaptations of British officers to the limited access to appropriate women. With so few British officers with wives in residence, the taboo against adultery gets regularly assailed. Ours was a one-sexed society, with the women hanging on to the edges. Married or unmarried, their status was really that of camp followers. And a few homosexuals followed their secret star with comparative comfort in that large and easy-going country, where there are so many sins that there is no sin, except inhospitality. Throughout this read I wondered what the proper level Bugles and a Tiger: My Life in the Gurkhas sympathy I should be feeling for Masters, who Bugles and a Tiger: My Life in the Gurkhas all was acting as the instrument of imperialism. As with Kipling, I recognize his love of the place and the people and appreciate his art in conveying them in a multidimensional portrait. Wiki tells me that Masters was sometimes defensive about having Indian blood and later had to accommodate to the discovery that it was true. View all 9 comments. It's Lost Bugles and a Tiger: My Life in the Gurkhas in reading about the military elements again Recommend for readers interested in subject area. India-historys Suggest reading some of the following quotes for the travel flavor. In years gone by, Masters' novels were among those that provided my perspective on India. Readers of the new historical fiction series set in India by Mukherjee might appreciate the India Masters reveals in Bugles Need to return ILL before ordering another. These mountains extend four hundred miles from the Khyber Pass in the north to the Bolan Pass in the deserts of Baluchistan to the south. They are raw and bare, and a proudly independent people lives in them. These people, Semitic in origin, Moslem in religion, Pushtu in speech, are the Pathans. The name is pronounced 'P'tahn,' except by British soldiers, who use 'Paythan. Not only do different members of the same tribe live on opposite sides of the international boundary, but the Bugles and a Tiger: My Life in the Gurkhas family or subtribe may own winter fields on the Indian side and summer grazing on the Afghan side. In all historical time the Pathans have kept themselves alive by a combination of nomad life, half-hearted tillage of the barren Bugles and a Tiger: My Life in the Gurkhas, armed raids into the settled farmlands of the plains, and levying tolls on the commercial traffic that must use the few routes through their hills. The government actually administered the country as far as a line known as the Administrative Border. West of this, in a belt varying from ten to a hundred miles in Bugles and a Tiger: My Life in the Gurkhas, was Tribal Territory. Here the Pathans could govern themselves as they Bugles and a Tiger: My Life in the Gurkhas Here, on a plateau feet above sea level, secluded behind a triple circle of barbed wire and arc lights, had sprung up an unnatural town with a population of ten thousand men and three thousand mules At night, as we made our rounds of duty, the stars gleamed on the bayonets of the silent sentries along the wall. At dawn we awoke to the shrill, sweet call of the mountain artillery trumpets blowing a long reveille. I was determined to go to Bugles and a Tiger: My Life in the Gurkhas. The soldiers had to use oil on them, and any attempt to burn them clean with methylated spirits, as we had done at Sandhurst, would have ended in a court martial. Literally, I knew that where the blinding white road ended the narrow-gauge railway would begin. A little locomotive would chuff across the burning desert to the Indus at ten miles an hours. That train was called the Heatstroke Express, and it would rumble over the dark red girders of the Indus Bridge, and there on the other side would be the broad-gauge train. On, slowly north along the arid left bank of the Indus, in the Punjab now--two changes, two days, and I'd arrive at railhead. From there, another mountain road, another Indian bus. At last the red roofs of Bakloh, a little military colony crouched on a narrow, forested ridge in the foothills of the Himalaya. Bakloh was the home of my regiment, and my regiment was to be my home for as long as I, a young man, could foresee. Bugles and a Tiger: My life in the Gurkhas by John Masters - Books - Hachette Australia

John Masters was a soldier before he became a bestselling novelist. He went to Sandhurst in at the age of eighteen and was commissioned into the 4th Gurkha Rifles in time to take part in some of the last campaigns on the turbulent north-west frontier of India. John Masters joined a Gurhka regiment on receiving his commission, and his depiction of garrison life and campaigning on the North-West Frontier has Bugles and a Tiger: My Life in the Gurkhas been surpassed. Still very much the army depicted by Kipling, it stands on the threshold of a war that will transform the world. This book is the first of three volumes of autobiography that touched a chord in the post-war world. Please sign in to write a review. If you have changed your email address then contact us and we will update your details. Would you like to proceed to the App store to download the Waterstones App? We have recently updated our Privacy Policy. The site uses cookies to offer you a better experience. By continuing to browse the site you accept our Cookie Policy, you can change your settings at any time. Not available This product is currently unavailable. Email me when available Stay one step ahead and let us notify you when this item is next available to order. Notify me. Thank you We will contact you when this item is next available to order. Added to basket. Instructions for British Servicemen in Germany, Badges and Uniforms of the Royal Air Force. Malcolm Hobart. Tim Newark. John Nichol. Mark Urban. Forgotten Voices of the Victoria Cross. Roderick Bailey. British Military Badges and Buttons. Robert Wilkinson- Latham. Rene Chartrand. National Service. Richard Vinen. Instructions for American Servicemen in Australia, Letter To An Unknown Soldier. Kate Pullinger. Richard Holmes. Illustrated Encyclopedia of Uniforms of the Napoleonic Wars. Digby Smith. Instructions for American Servicemen in Britain, The Junior Officers' Reading Club. Patrick Hennessey. Instructions for British Servicemen in France, Your review has been submitted successfully. Not registered? Remember me? Forgotten password Please enter your Bugles and a Tiger: My Life in the Gurkhas address below and we'll send you a link to reset your password. Not you? Reset password. Download Now Dismiss. Simply reserve online and pay at the counter when you collect. Available in shop from just two hours, subject to availability. Your order is now being processed and we have sent a confirmation email to you at. This item can be requested from the shops shown below. If this item isn't available to be reserved nearby, add the item to your basket instead and select 'Deliver to my local shop' at the checkout, to be able to collect it from there at a later date. Preferred contact method Email Text message. When will my order be ready to collect? Following the initial email, you will be contacted by the shop to confirm that your item is available for collection. Call us on or send us an email at. Unfortunately there has been a problem with your order. Please try again or alternatively you can contact your Bugles and a Tiger: My Life in the Gurkhas shop on or send us an email at. Bugles and a Tiger: My Life in the Gurkhas by John Masters

He went to Sandhurst in at the age of eighteen and was commissioned into the 4th Gurkha Rifles in time to take part in some of the last campaigns on the turbulent north-west frontier of India. John Masters joined a Gurhka regiment on receiving his commission, and his depiction of garrison life and campaigning on the North-West Frontier has never been surpassed. Still very much the army depicted by Kipling, it stands on the threshold of a war that will transform the world. This book is the first of three volumes of autobiography that touched a chord in the post-war world. Focusing on key episodes in Afghanistan's long history of conflict with foreign forces from the early nineteenth century to the present, this book sheds new light on the Afghan "Way of War. From the dynastic struggles and popular resistance movements of the nineteenth century to the ideological confrontations of recent decades, Afghans have long resisted political coercion, military intervention, and foreign influence. To do so, they have developed sophisticated strategic approaches to deal with both internal unrest and foreign intrusion, while at the tactical level outthinking Bugles and a Tiger: My Life in the Gurkhas outfighting their opponents at every step. The final part of the book, which deals with how the Taliban has contested Western intervention by borrowing from traditions in Afghan history and culture, will be of considerable topical interest in light of the ongoing conflict in Afghanistan. The Deer and the Tiger is Schaller's detailed account of the ecology and behavior of Bengal tigers and four species of the hoofed mammals on which they prey, based on his observations in India's Kanha National Park. Excellent phoographs accompany the text. Enders, American Scientist "The one book that has been my greatest source of inspiration is The Deer and the Tiger by George Schaller, based on the first ever scientific field study of the tiger. This book is written by a scientist, but speaks from the heart. It reveals startling information on feeding habitats, territorial behaviour, and the nuances that make up the language of the forest; you become totally immersed in the world of the tiger. For all of us who work in tiger conservation, this book is the bible. Drawing on previously untouched Soviet archival sources, Dominic Lieven here probes into the lives and politics of the most important members of Tsar Nicholas II's government - the men appointed by Nicholas to his State Council. Lieven's book tells us a great deal about the last ruling elite of Russia, about the balance of power between bureaucrats and their monarchs, about the role and personality of Nicholas II, and about the coming of the Russian Revolution. How can people in the West make sense of contemporary unrest in the Muslim world? Is Islamic fundamentalism to be understood purely in religious terms? Ahmed, illuminates what is happening in the Muslim world today and assesses the underlying causes. He does this by telling the dramatic story of the revolt of the Mullah of Waziristan in northwest Pakistan and by placing it within the context of other movements occurring elsewhere in the Islamic world. He also examines the social structure and operative principles in Muslim society and scrutinizes the influence of religion in a society that is undergoing modernization. Till now, there has been little available literature Bugles and a Tiger: My Life in the Gurkhas this topic. This book, written by an eminent scholar with an international reputation fills this gap, giving Bugles and a Tiger: My Life in the Gurkhas of politics, sociology and Asian studies a revealing examination of the Muslim world today. Globalization, the war on terror, and Islamic fundamentalism— followed closely by a rise in Islamophobia—have escalated tensions between Western nations and the Muslim world. Yet internationally renowned Islamic scholar Akbar Ahmed believes that through dialogue and understanding, these cultures can coexist peacefully and respectfully. That hope and belief result in an extraordinary journey. Journey into Islam: The Crisis of Globalization Bugles and a Tiger: My Life in the Gurkhas the riveting story of his search for common ground. His absorbing narrative and personal photos bring the reader on a tour of Islam and its peoples. Ahmed sought to understand the experiences and perceptions of ordinary Muslims. Visiting mosques, madrassahs, and universities, he met with people ranging from Pakastan President Pervez Musharraf to prime ministers, princes, sheikhs, professors, and students. He observed, listened, and asked them questions. For example, who inspires them? What are they reading? How do the Internet and international media impact their lives? How do they view America, the West, and changes in society? Ahmed's anthropological expedition enjoyed extensive access to women and youths, revealing unique information on large yet often misunderstood Bugles and a Tiger: My Life in the Gurkhas. Lamentably, he found high levels of anti-Americanism and anti-Semitism and a widespread perception that Islam is under attack from the West. But he also brought back reason for hope. He returned from his groundbreaking travels both impressed with the concerned, kind nature of the individuals he encountered and invigorated with the vitality and passion they displayed. Journey into Islam makes a powerful plea for forming friendships across religion, race, and tradition to create lasting peace between Islam and the West. Naipaul has produced his finest novel to date, a bleakly resonant study of the fraudulent bargains that make up an identity. The son of a Brahmin ascetic and his lower-caste wife, Willie Chandran grows up sensing the hollowness at the core of his father's self-denial and vowing to live more authentically. That search takes him to the immigrant and literary bohemias of s London, to a facile and unsatisfying career as a writer, and at last to a decaying Portugese colony in East Africa, where he finds a happiness he will then be compelled to betray. Brilliantly orchestrated, at once elegiac and devastating in its portraits of colonial grandeur and pretension, Half a Bugles and a Tiger: My Life in the Gurkhas represents the pinnacle of Naipaul's career. From the Trade Paperback edition. Unlike many epics, the story does not centre on a rich dynasty or a heroic quest for the truth. Instead, it centres on the production of the perfect round of golf and the global marketing of the Box - one of the most celebrated buildings in the world of sport - as a brand and an icon. The book also chronicles the suspense and notoriety that greeted the Box after its voyage from Scotland to California, by way of the Panama Canal, and the role it assumed as an emotional Bugles and a Tiger: My Life in the Gurkhas for many in the aftermath of the 11 September atrocity. Alas, nothing is as simple as it seems and miracles are rare. The businessman who bought the Box was imprisoned before it reached Los Angeles, accused of stealing millions from the real-estate development that was to be its home. Eight years later, a happy ending was finally brought about, but only after a healthy dose of gut-wrenching fear and suspense became a part of the story. Supplemented with exclusive photographs, 'Play Away Please' is also a personal story of patronage and odyssey to assure the Box's preservation as the sporting world's consummate symbol of integrity and fair play. Along the way, the Bugles and a Tiger: My Life in the Gurkhas brings to life the unforgettable local characters of Fife, celebrating their customs, lifestyle and unique command of the English language. Meet Jana Bibi, a Scottish woman helping to save the small town in India she has grown to call home and the oddball characters she considers family Janet Laird's life changed the day she inherited her grandfather's house in a faraway Indian hill station. Ignoring her son's arguments to come grow old in their family castle in Scotland, she moves with her chatty parrot, Mr. Ganguly and her loyal housekeeper, Mary, to Hamara Nagar, where local merchants are philosophers, the chief of police is a tyrant, and a bagpipe-playing Gurkha keeps the wild monkeys at bay. Settling in, Jana Bibi as she comes to be known meets her colorful local neighbors—Feroze Ali Khan of Royal Tailors, who struggles with his business and family, V. Ramachandran, whose Treasure Emporium is bursting at the seams with objects of unknown provenance, and Rambir, editor of the local newspaper, who burns the midnight oil at his printing press. When word gets out that the town is in danger of being drowned by a government dam, Jana is enlisted to help put it on the map. Hoping to attract tourists with promises of good things to come, she stacks her deck of cards, readies her fine-feathered assistant—and Jana Bibi's Excellent Fortunes is born. Monte Cassino should stand among them. Waged deep in the Italian mountains beneath a medieval monastery, it was an astonishingly brutal encounter, grinding up ten armies in conditions as bad as the Eastern Front at its worst. Now the battle has the chronicle it deserves. In Monte Cassino, military historian Peter Caddick-Adams provides a vivid account of how an array of men from across the globe fought the most lengthy and devastating engagement of the Italian campaign in an ancient monastery town. Caddick- Adams offers a panoramic view, surveying the strategic Bugles and a Tiger: My Life in the Gurkhas and peering over the shoulders of troops fruitlessly digging for cover in the stony soil. Here are incisive sketches of the theater commanders--Field Marshal "Smiling Albert" Kesselring, who outmaneuvered Rommel to command German troops in Italy, and the English aristocrat General Harold Rupert Leofric George Alexander, tall, upbeat, "and--crucially for Churchill-- looked every inch a general. He captures the brutal weather and unforgiving terrain--the rubble and rocky slopes that splintered dangerously under artillery barrages and caused shellfire to echo with such volume that men had trouble keeping their sanity due to acoustics alone. Over four months, the struggle would inflict somecasualties, and Allied planes would level the historic monastery-and eventually the entire town as well. With scholarly care, insightful analysis, and narrative verve, Caddick-Adams has crafted a monumental account of one of World War II's lesser-known but no less devastating battles. Distant Bugles, Distant Drums brings to life the epic march of 1, men recruited from Colorado's towns, farms, and mining camps to fight 3, Confederate soldiers in New Mexico. Field Marshall the Viscount Slim was blessed with none of the advantages of wealth and social position that erased the progress of many army officers. With no armoury apart for his integrity, his personality and his intellect, he rose to the pinnacle of his Bugles and a Tiger: My Life in the Gurkhas as one of the finest fighting Generals of World War II on either side. V K N was a path breaking and celebrated Malayalam writer, noted mainly for his high brow satire. Originally published inthis volume contains the evidence that is most crucial for our understanding the Bugles and a Tiger: My Life in the Gurkhas of forgetting and retention. Organized in terms of problem areas and issues that are particularly pertinent to understanding these processes, the book deals with both animal and human studies. The author begins by defining the topic and reviewing its historical development. A theoretical orientation follows, and then the author begins to address the major factors that determine what is, and what is not, remembered. Although we cannot yet specify the principles from which we can predict when an episode, once learned, will be remembered well or forgotten entirely, the author demonstrates that such principles are not that far away. He considers the issues that must be resolved before such principles are established, and in the course of doing Bugles and a Tiger: My Life in the Gurkhas covers the major research on why we remember events and why they are forgotten. This book is the most complete and up-to-date examination of the history and extinction of one of Australia's most enduring folkloric beasts - the thylacine, otherwise affectionately known as the Tasmanian tiger. Bob Paddle challenges conventional theories explaining the behaviour and eventual extinction of the thylacine, arguing that rural politicians used the Tasmanian tiger as a scapegoat to protect Bugles and a Tiger: My Life in the Gurkhas agricultural enterprise from the consequences of mismanagement. After the population of thylacines was decimated through a bounty scheme, ineffective political action by scientists finally resulted in the extinction of a once proud species. Paddle also uncovers a deeper intellectual snobbery that set the scene for the thylacine's eventual extinction. The Last Tasmanian Tiger offers new perspectives on the subjective nature of scientific investigation and the politics of preservation. John was posted from Flying Training School to join the already acclaimed 74 Tiger Squadron at eighteen years of age. One of the first people John met when he arrived at the station was Bob Stanford Tuck of 65 squadron. At that time the Squadron was equipped with the Gloster Gauntlet. On first meeting Malan, John thought he seemed Bugles and a Tiger: My Life in the Gurkhas enough and soon learnt that he was a determined leader, a fine flyer and an aggressive fighter pilot. He was definitely the best shot there was John recalls. Without question Malan was a brilliant marksman, but I could out fly him and I bloody told him so too. John flew many operations with 74 Squadron in Spitfires during the early years of the war and The Battle of Britain; he was awarded the DFC for his efforts. Inthe first couple of months saw 74 Squadron, now based at Biggin Hill flying across the Channel with 92 and 66 Squadron conducting fighter Bugles and a Tiger: My Life in the Gurkhas and Circus sorties over the French coast. At that time he had destroyed twelve enemy aircraft and damaged many more.