Book Condition: Very Good. First Edition (Oxford paperback). First Printing. All of Hopkirk's books are either directly, or indirectly related to "The Great Game". For those that don't know, this is a loosely defined period spanning the 19th century to the early 20th. To give a very brief explanation, it is the overt and covert actions taken by the British to keep India stable against the encroaching Imperial Russians. The beginning of the book deals with the efforts of WWI Germany to sway Muslim populations into holy war versus the British and Russians. Obviously the alliance between the Germans and the last remnants of the Ottoman Empire (Turkey) is covered. There are many things that Hopkirk asserts that I was unaware of including the desire of the Germans to build the "Baghdad Express": a direct rail line through Turkey to the Middle East. The Kaiser visiting the Middle East to much pomp and pageantry. Also covered are several missions to destabilize India including the attempt to sway the Afghans into Jihad. It is the classic "Great Game" being played by a new element, and Hopkirk does his typical masterful job describing the events. The last part of the book deals with the Caucuses; The various governments that appeared in the Caucuses during the revolution period, The fate of Stepan Shaumian and the 26 Commissars, The Dunsterforce attempting to defend Baku from the Army of Islam. Hopkirk delves deeply into some of the players on the British side and recaptures some of the magic from his previous books doing so. Eventually the book focuses on Teague-Jones, a man who literally disappeared after the events covered in this book. The conclusion being that Mr. Teague-Jones died in anonymity; the last player of "The Great Game".
+
