Orient BlackSwan

About the BookAbout the Author

EHA (Edward Hamilton Aitken)’s enchanting writings on natural history capture the drama in the lives of frogs in our ponds, crows on our windowsills, lizards behind our cupboards and many others. His prose, at once comic and poetic, captivated readers at the turn of the century in India. This new edition makes readily accessible two of EHA’s most popular books, The Tribes on My Frontier and The Common Birds of Bombay, in their original form, with the original pictures. This book contains an introduction to EHA and his writings by the noted literary critic and elephant specialist Dhriti K. Lahiri Choudhury.

Edward Hamilton Aitken (EHA) was born at Satara in Bombay Presidency. He taught at Deccan College, Poona, and was later appointed Chief Collector of Customs and Salt Revenues at Karachi. He was a founder member of the Bombay Natural History Society and one of the first joint editors of the Society’s journal. He died in 1909. Apart from The Tribes on my Frontier and The Common Birds of Bombay, EHA’s books include A Naturalist on the Prowl, Concerning Animals and Other Matters, and The Five Windows of the Soul, a philosophic treatise.

Dhriti K. Lahiri Choudhury taught English Literature for many years at Rabindra Bharati University. In his other incarnation he specialises in the Asian elephant and is the editor of The Great Indian Elephant Book.