About the Book: The Great Game: On Secret Service in High Asia
For nearly a century the two most powerful nations on earth, Victorian Britain
and Tsarist Russia, fought a secret war in the lonely passes and deserts of
Central Asia. Those engaged in this shadowy struggle called it The Great Game, a
phrase immortalized by Kipling. When play first began the two rival empires lay
nearly 2,000 miles apart. By the end, some Russian outposts were within 20 miles
of India. This classic book tells the story of the Great Game through the
exploits of the young officers, both British and Russian, who risked their