John Masters – Bugles and a Tiger: A Personal Adventure – First Edition, 1956 – British Indian Army and Gurkha Military Memoirs – Original Dustwrapper

MASTERS, JOHN. BUGLES AND A TIGER: A PERSONAL ADVENTURE. FIRST EDITION, 1956. THE CELEBRATED AUTOBIOGRAPHICAL ACCOUNT OF SERVICE WITH THE 4TH PRINCE OF WALES’S OWN GURKHA RIFLES IN BRITISH INDIA AND ON THE NORTH-WEST FRONTIER BEFORE THE SECOND WORLD WAR. ORIGINAL ILLUSTRATED DUSTWRAPPER.

Author: John Masters (1914–1983).

Publisher: Michael Joseph Ltd., London, England.

Date: 1956.

Edition: First edition.

Format: Octavo. Original publisher’s cloth binding with original illustrated dustwrapper.

Pagination: 335 pages.

Illustrations: Photographic plates, illustrations and map.

Special Features: Original colour illustrated dustwrapper bearing the contemporary Book Society Choice designation. Now protected in an easily removable clear acetate cover.

Condition: Very good plus in a very good original dustwrapper, slightly creased, nicked, faded, marked and rubbed, with a few short closed tears and chips. Pages very nice and clean.

Stock Code: 004238.

Location: Bookroom.

Description

An attractive first edition of John Masters’ celebrated military autobiography, Bugles and a Tiger: A Personal Adventure, published by Michael Joseph in London in 1956.

One of the most engaging personal accounts of service in the British Indian Army during the final years of the British Raj, the book recounts Masters’ early military career, his training at the Royal Military College, Sandhurst, and his subsequent service with the 4th Prince of Wales’s Own Gurkha Rifles. Set principally during the years preceding the Second World War, the narrative evokes the distinctive world of the Indian Army, including regimental traditions, military training, frontier warfare and the relationships between British officers and the Gurkha soldiers under their command.

Masters writes with considerable humour, descriptive ability and insight into military life. His experiences provide a valuable first-hand account of a military institution and imperial society that were approaching profound change. The book is also important as the first volume of Masters’ autobiographical trilogy, subsequently continued in The Road Past Mandalay (1961) and Pilgrim Son (1971).

John Masters (1914–1983): Soldier, Novelist and Military Memoirist

John Masters was born in Calcutta in 1914 into a family with a long tradition of military service in India. His upbringing was closely connected with the institutions and traditions of British India, and he subsequently travelled to Britain for his education and military training. In 1933, he entered the Royal Military College at Sandhurst, beginning the professional military career that would provide the subject matter for some of his most celebrated books. He was commissioned into the 4th Prince of Wales’s Own Gurkha Rifles, joining a regiment with a distinguished history of service in the Indian Army.

Masters developed a lasting admiration for the military qualities, discipline and loyalty of the Gurkha soldiers with whom he served. His experiences with the regiment shaped both his military career and his later writing. During the Second World War, Masters became involved in operations against Japanese forces in Burma and rose to command a Chindit column during the campaign. The Chindits, associated particularly with Major-General Orde Wingate, undertook demanding long-range penetration operations behind Japanese lines.

Masters’ wartime experiences formed the basis of his second autobiographical volume, The Road Past Mandalay. Following the war, he left the Army and established himself as a successful novelist. His best-known fiction includes Bhowani Junction (1954), which explores the political and personal tensions associated with the final years of British rule in India. The novel was adapted into a major motion picture in 1956, starring Ava Gardner and Stewart Granger. Masters subsequently published numerous novels and works of autobiography, many drawing upon his extensive knowledge of India and military life.

He died in 1983.

Bugles and a Tiger: A Personal Adventure

The subtitle, A Personal Adventure, accurately reflects the character of Masters’ narrative. Although the book contains valuable military and historical information, it is not presented as a conventional campaign history. Instead, Masters recalls the incidents, personalities, adventures and experiences that shaped his early military career.

His writing is distinguished by its narrative energy, humour and ability to evoke the atmosphere of particular places and situations. He describes military life through personal observation rather than relying solely upon official records or retrospective strategic analysis. This approach gives the book a distinctive appeal. Its subject matter includes military training, regimental customs, relationships between officers and soldiers, encounters with unfamiliar environments and the demands of frontier service. The result is a work that combines autobiography, military history, travel writing and a portrait of colonial India during an important period of transition.

The First Volume of John Masters’ Autobiographical Trilogy

Bugles and a Tiger is the first volume of John Masters’ three-part autobiography.

The subsequent volumes are:

The Road Past Mandalay (1961) – Masters’ account of his experiences during the Second World War, particularly his service with British and Indian forces in Burma and his involvement in the Chindit operations against Japan.

Pilgrim Son (1971) – The concluding volume, examining the later stages of Masters’ military career, the transition to civilian life and his development as a novelist.

Together, the three works provide an extensive personal account of a military and literary career spanning the final decades of British rule in India and the years following the Second World War. Bugles and a Tiger is especially important as the opening instalment, establishing the circumstances and experiences that shaped Masters’ later achievements.

Condition

Very good plus in a very good original dustwrapper. The original publisher’s cloth binding is clean and well preserved. The pages are very nice and clean throughout. The original illustrated dustwrapper remains attractive, retaining its distinctive colours, typography and military illustrations. There is slight creasing, nicking, fading, marking and rubbing, together with a few short closed tears and small chips. There is wear around the spine ends and corners, including minor loss at the upper edges. The wrapper is now housed in an easily removable clear acetate protective cover, which helps prevent further handling wear.

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