Items related to The Great Hedge of India (Tom Thorne Novels)
This is the quest for a lost wonder of the world, in the author's words his 'ridiculous obsession', arose from the chance discovery of some dusty memoirs that told of a mighty hedge spanning the Indian subcontinent in the nineteenth century. The hedge was set in place to allow the collection of the Salt Tax by British customs officers, Inspired by the concept of this amazing living barrier, now forgotten, Roy Moxham set off to find out what has happened to it and whether any remnant existed today. His travels in India, and what he found there, form the basis for this illuminating book. Writer Jan Morris comments, 'At first I thought this remarkable book must be a hoax ...It tells the story of one of the least-known wonders of Queen Victoria's India - a customs barrier 2,300 miles long, most of it made of hedge. It was patrolled by 12,000 men and would have stretched from London to Constantinople, yet few historians mention it and most of us have never heard of it. Could anything be more astonishing?'
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Review:
The Great Hedge of India is a book about an obsession. Roy Moxham, ex-tea planter, ex-gallery owner turned book conservator, was searching among the volumes in a second-hand bookshop on the corner of London's Charing Cross Road when he came across Rambles and Reflections of an Indian Official by Major-General Sir W.H. Sleeman KCB, first published in 1893. Twenty-five pounds secured the item and away he took it, little thinking it would be the beginning of an ongoing fascination with an object few people initially believed existed. Moxham was beguiled by a footnote in the Major-General's book which quoted Lytton Strachey's father, Sir John Strachey. The note said, "To secure the levy of a duty on salt ... there grew up gradually a monstrous system ... A Customs line was established which stretched across the whole of India, which in 1869 extended ... a distance of 2, 300 miles ... It consisted principally of an immense impenetrable hedge".
Review:
Moxham was incredulous: could there really have been a hedge that stretched half the length of one of the world's largest countries? None of the standard histories he had read had mentioned a customs hedge and surely someone would have noted something quite so bizarre? On searching out the source of the quote he found that Strachey had not been misquoted but other references to the customs line were few and far between. His search was on. The book explains Moxham's fascinating and ultimately successful search for (over three years, with three separate trips to India), and fascination with, the hedge. Every other chapter outlines, with an enviable clarity and an always easy, conversational style, the historical context in which the hedge arose. The Great Hedge of India is a gem: a joy to read, entertaining, informative and occasionally angry--Moxham's research led him to discover the reason behind the hedge, a salt tax, was punitive in the extreme. "I was deeply shocked by what I discovered about salt. When I first had the idea of finding the remnants of the Customs Hedge I had imagined the barrier as a piece of British whimsy ... It was a terrible discovery to find that it had been constructed ... so as to totally cut off an affordable supply of an absolute necessity of life". An excellent little book. --Mark Thwaite
The Great Hedge is part history, part detective story, part travel book. Above all, it's a great read. (Mail on Sunday)
Moxham has written a parable at once light-handed and melancholy about the cruelty and folly fo the empire. (Financial Times)
Both scholarly and funny - a rare combination, It surprised me and I hugely enjoyed it. (Eric Newby)
Moxham has pulled out a jewel. (The Times)
Marvellous....Moxham sets out to find the remnants of this qunitessentially English folly, writing an affectionate and scholarly narrative'. (Observer)
Moxham has written a parable at once light-handed and melancholy about the cruelty and folly fo the empire. (Financial Times)
Both scholarly and funny - a rare combination, It surprised me and I hugely enjoyed it. (Eric Newby)
Moxham has pulled out a jewel. (The Times)
Marvellous....Moxham sets out to find the remnants of this qunitessentially English folly, writing an affectionate and scholarly narrative'. (Observer)
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- PublisherConstable
- Publication date2002
- ISBN 10 1841194670
- ISBN 13 9781841194677
- BindingPaperback
- Number of pages240
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Book Description Paperback. Condition: new. Paperback. This is the story of the author's "ridiculous" quest for a legendary hedge planted across the Indian sub-continent and manned and cared for by 12,000 men. The hedge stood for over 50 years and at its greatest extent, formed part of a barrier 2500 miles long. Although it is one of the largest man-made constructions in human-history, the hedge appears in no history books and remains forgotten in both Britain and India. This inspired Roy Moxham to travel to India and investigate whether it had existed, what its purpose had been and whether any part of it had remained. After several years of travel and research, the author finally unravelled the story behind the hedge, its place within commercial enterprise on the part of the Raj and, after much searching, the remnants of this folie de grandeur of imperial Britain. This book provides a view into the motivations and administrations of British Imperial India and in part tells the story of one man's obsession. The bestselling account of the author's quest for a lost wonder of the world, The Great Hedge of India. Shipping may be from multiple locations in the US or from the UK, depending on stock availability. Seller Inventory # 9781841194677
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Book Description Softcover. Condition: new. This is the quest for a lost wonder of the world, in the author's words his 'ridiculous obsession', arose from the chance discovery of some dusty memoirs that told of a mighty hedge spanning the Indian subcontinent in the nineteenth century.The hedge was set in place to allow the collection of the Salt Tax by British customs officers, Inspired by the concept of this amazing living barrier, now forgotten, Roy Moxham set off to find out what has happened to it and whether any remnant existed today. His travels in India, and what he found there, form the basis for this illuminating book.Writer Jan Morris comments, 'At first I thought this remarkable book must be a hoax . . . It tells the story of one of the least-known wonders of Queen Victoria's India - a customs barrier 2,300 miles long, most of it made of hedge. It was patrolled by 12,000 men and would have stretched from London to Constantinople, yet few historians mention it and most of us have never heard of it. Could anything be more astonishing?'. Seller Inventory # DADAX1841194670
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