author
John Shakespear
1861–1942
Best known for vivid firsthand writing on the peoples of the Lushai Hills, this British officer turned administrative experience into books that still draw attention from historians and readers of colonial-era travel and ethnography.
1 Audiobook
The Lushei Kuki Clans
by John Shakespear
About the author
Born in Indore on September 1, 1861, John Shakespear was educated at Wellington College and Sandhurst before serving in the British Army in India. He later became the first Superintendent of the Lushai Hills from 1891 to 1896, a role that shaped much of his later writing.
As an author, he is especially remembered for The Lushei Kuki Clans, a detailed study based on his years in the region. His work sits at the meeting point of military service, colonial administration, and ethnographic observation, so modern readers often approach it both as a rich historical source and as a product of its time.
Shakespear died on February 10, 1942. Several of his works remain accessible through major digital libraries, which has helped keep his name in circulation for readers interested in Northeast India, imperial history, and older nonfiction writing.