Seonee, or Camp Life on the Satpura Range

First published in 1877, Seonee, or Camp Life on the Satpura Range is a vivid and engaging chronicle of British naturalist and artist Robert Armitage Sterndale's adventures in the wilds of Central India. With keen observational detail and a deep appreciation for the natural world, Sterndale brings to life the landscapes, wildlife, and indigenous peoples of the Satpura Range in what is now Madhya Pradesh.

From thrilling encounters with tigers and bears to the quiet beauty of jungle nights, Seonee is both a thrilling travelogue and a valuable record of 19th-century India's rich ecological heritage. It also offers fascinating insight into the colonial mindset of its time, making it essential reading for historians, naturalists, and lovers of classic exploration literature.

Although this work is written in the form of a connected story, it contains the personal adventures and notes of one who is a naturalist as well as a sportsman; and though as entertaining as a novel, it is valuable as a book of reference.

A timeless blend of adventure, natural history, and cultural observation, Seonee was one of the inspirations behind Rudyard Kipling's The Jungle Book and remains a captivating read nearly 150 years later.

“Page after page is filled not only with sporting stories...but with curious facts in natural history...with bits of tradition or legend. There is much in this volume which will commend it to a wider circle of readers than that for which it was primarily intended.” (Anthenaeun)

“If anyone doubts this, let them read that most charming book of the season, Mr. Sterndale’s Seonee.” (Mayfair)

“A skillfully prepared mélange of hunting lore and adventure, zoological and topographical notes, history and romance.” (Scotsman)

“We have read many books of sport in India, but not many of them are as good as Mr. Sterndale’s book.” (The Guardian)