Folio Archives 73: Confessions of a Thug by Philip Meadows Taylor 1974
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1wcarter
Confessions of a Thug by Philip Meadows Taylor 1974
Thugee was a religious sect that existed for centuries in India until it was destroyed by the British in the middle of the 19th. Century. The sect’s adherents were called Thugs, and they worshipped the goddess Kali, sacrificing to her by murdering travellers and stealing their possessions. At the peak of their activities around 1800, they were killing 40,000 people a year – a fearful toll that made travelling a very dangerous task. They were forbidden by Kali to shed the blood of their victims, so they were despatched quickly by the most innocent of instruments, a handkerchief with a coin tied in one corner that was used to strangle and break the neck of the victim.
Philip Meadows Taylor was an officer in the service of the Nizam of Hyderabad from 1828 to 1860. In this position he obtained a deep understanding of the intricacies of Indian life, and became the confidant of several Thug “approvers” (Thugs who had turned informer). Taylor has combined the stories of several Thugs into a realistic, and not exaggerated, biography of a Thug leader caller Amir Ali.
The book was first published in 1839, and makes chilling and compelling reading, particularly when you realise that the events described were a realistic interpretation of what was actually happening to travellers in India at that time.
The textured cream slipcase (23.5x15.4cm.) of my copy seems to have suffered injury from a Thug, but the 374 page book itself is in very good (but not fine) condition. It has a 5 page introduction and map endpapers, so that the meanderings of the Thug band described in the story can be followed as they wandered widely from Hyderabad in the South to Bombay in the West, Benares in the East and Jaipur in the North.
The book is edited and introduced by Brian Rawson, the 15 drawings are by Clarke Hutton, and there is a glossary at the back of the book. It is bound in light brown cloth blocked across the top of the covers with a dark green design.
Endpapers
Colophon at back of book.
An index of the other illustrated reviews in the "Folio Archives" series can be viewed here.
Thugee was a religious sect that existed for centuries in India until it was destroyed by the British in the middle of the 19th. Century. The sect’s adherents were called Thugs, and they worshipped the goddess Kali, sacrificing to her by murdering travellers and stealing their possessions. At the peak of their activities around 1800, they were killing 40,000 people a year – a fearful toll that made travelling a very dangerous task. They were forbidden by Kali to shed the blood of their victims, so they were despatched quickly by the most innocent of instruments, a handkerchief with a coin tied in one corner that was used to strangle and break the neck of the victim.
Philip Meadows Taylor was an officer in the service of the Nizam of Hyderabad from 1828 to 1860. In this position he obtained a deep understanding of the intricacies of Indian life, and became the confidant of several Thug “approvers” (Thugs who had turned informer). Taylor has combined the stories of several Thugs into a realistic, and not exaggerated, biography of a Thug leader caller Amir Ali.
The book was first published in 1839, and makes chilling and compelling reading, particularly when you realise that the events described were a realistic interpretation of what was actually happening to travellers in India at that time.
The textured cream slipcase (23.5x15.4cm.) of my copy seems to have suffered injury from a Thug, but the 374 page book itself is in very good (but not fine) condition. It has a 5 page introduction and map endpapers, so that the meanderings of the Thug band described in the story can be followed as they wandered widely from Hyderabad in the South to Bombay in the West, Benares in the East and Jaipur in the North.
The book is edited and introduced by Brian Rawson, the 15 drawings are by Clarke Hutton, and there is a glossary at the back of the book. It is bound in light brown cloth blocked across the top of the covers with a dark green design.
Endpapers
Colophon at back of book.
An index of the other illustrated reviews in the "Folio Archives" series can be viewed here.
2Redshirt
A quick thanks for the continued tour of your library. I've very much enjoyed your posts. This one made me think of the old movie, Gunga Din, a favorite of my youth.
3LesMiserables
>1 wcarter:
Warwick you deserve a honorary Life disMembership with the FS or all the fathoms of toil you spin out. Bravo!
Warwick you deserve a honorary Life disMembership with the FS or all the fathoms of toil you spin out. Bravo!
