Rudyard Kipling Books

Largely forgotten today, to many, Kipling is an outdated imperialist with racist and sexist views, and should be left to moulder on the shelves of public library back collections. To others, he is a great poet, with a sympathetic ear for dialogue and an uncanny ability to weave the atmosphere for any story or poem.

I side with the latter.

I've liked Kipling years back. He writes poetry as easily as he does his stories, with wit, snappy soundbites, and both the ability to make you laugh and cry.

Famous for his writings of the soldiers, for his fairy tales, he isn't much in demand these days, except maybe recommended for children, which is rather a shame, because he wrote many interesting works, be it in verse or novel.

Those who call him racist had probably not read past the first few lines. Even in more blatant works like "Gunga Din" or "Fuzzy Wuzzy", he writes with a certain respect for the natives. And even in his colonialist days he was more of its critic than its trumpet. Such an attitude is obvious in more obscure works like "We and They", or "Hadramauti", where an Arab voices his dislike for the Englishmen.

Also there are his historical pieces, like "the Dutch in the medway", describing the humiliating defeat of the British at sea, and "the Roman centurian's son", a very poignant piece about an Roman soldier being called back to Rome after decades in Britan. More whimsical and lively pieces (as well as the satire he was known for), like "The way through the woods", "Pagett, MP", his pieces for chapter headings, as well as inspiration poems like "If -".

Darker works like "the Storm come" shows that he is no warmonger; his "Recessional" predicts the dissolution of the empire which he nearly outlived, and his lament for his son in "the Children" is both moving and tragic.

I suppose there's not much to be said -the poetry is loud enough on its own, and I hope my cruddy penmanship doesn't affect your view on Kipling -or deter your from reading his works.

This is a treasury of verse for Kipling fans and anyone who enjoys poetry. It has it all, from "power of a dog" to "mulhollands contract", he was brilliant!

We've all heard of Puck, the mischievous sprite from Shakespeare's "A Midsummer Night's Dream". And even if we haven't, we know the type. The ancient trickster sprite found in every land around the world is a common creature. In "Puck of Pook's Hill", however, Rudyard Kipling establishes Puck as the very soul of England itself. Using Robin Goodfellow as a guide, Kipling is able to adeptly describe a range of important factors that lead to the glory of late nineteenth-century Britain. The result is an enchanting story featuring a beloved literary figure.

Two children living in England decide to act out a scene from "A Midsummer Night's Dream" on Midsummer Night itself in an old fairy ring of darkened grass. In so doing, the two accidentally conjure up Puck incarnate. Puck is as old as the land itself, and while all the other fairies and sprites have long left England (all thanks to Henry the VIII, as it happens) he remains. Over the course of the next months, Puck is able to bring forward figures from the English past to speak with the children and tell them stories. These figures include a knight carrying a runic sword, a Roman conqueror (born and raised in England), an artist, and a Jewish money lender who is responsible for the signing of the Magna Carta.

Admittedly, it would help to have a basic working knowledge of English history when approaching this text. Know your Saxons from your Normans. Understand the reasons the Picts hated the Romans (though Kipling is clearly on Rome's side in that struggle). Other details are easily filled in by the author himself, and Kipling is more than willing to use Puck to fill in gaps and misunderstandings for his readers. The piece of land the book takes place on was the actual English land that Kipling himself owned at the time. The modern reader will find a couple usual stereotypes of the era. Africans are like children, ditto the Picts, and I won't even go into the Chinaman included. The Jews, by comparison, are shown a great deal of compassion by the author. Kadmiel (the Jew in question) is an impressive figure that speaks with more nobility than any other figure in the book. So kudos to Kipling for at least one interesting and three-dimensional minority. Bravo indeed.

Some will find this particular Kipling outing slow going. I, personally, thought the book was written quite well. I felt no shudders when I lifted the book up again to peruse it, and despite its deceptively long length it's a quick read. Anyone who wishes to have a basic working knowledge of fairy doings in merry old England would do very well to give old Kipling a look-see.

We've all heard of Puck, the mischievous sprite from Shakespeare's "A Midsummer Night's Dream". And even if we haven't, we know the type. The ancient trickster sprite found in every land around the world is a common enough creature. In "Puck of Pook's Hill", however, Rudyard Kipling establishes Puck as the very soul of England itself. Using Robin Goodfellow as a guide, Kipling is able to adeptly describe a range of important factors that lead to the glory of late nineteenth-century Britain. The result is an enchanting story featuring a beloved literary figure.

Two children living in England decide to act out a scene from "A Midsummer Night's Dream" on Midsummer Night itself in an old fairy ring of darkened grass. In so doing, the two accidentally conjure up Puck himself. Puck is as old as the land itself, and while all the other fairies and sprites have long left the land (all thanks to Henry the VIII as it happens) he remains. Over the course of the next months, Puck is able to bring figures from the English past to speak with the children and tell them stories. These figures include a knight carrying a runic sword, a Roman conqueror (born and raised in England, however), an artist, and a Jewish money lender who is responsible for the signing of the Magna Carta.

Admittedly, it would help to have a basic working knowledge of English history when approaching this text. Know your Saxons from your Normans. Understand the reasons the Picts hated the Romans (though Kipling is clearly on Rome's side in that struggle). Other details are easily filled in by the author himself, and Kipling is more than willing to use Puck to fill in gaps and misunderstandings for readers. The piece of land the book takes place on was the actual England land that Kipling himself owned at the time. The modern reader will find a couple usual stereotypes of the era. Africans are like children, ditto the Picts, and I won't even go into the Chinaman included. The Jews, by comparison, are shown a great deal of compassion by the author. Kadmiel (the Jew in question) is an impressive figure that speaks with more nobility than any other figure in the book. So kudos to Kipling for at least one interesting and three-dimensional minority. Bravo indeed.

Some will find this particular Kipling outing slow going. I, personally, thought the book was written quite well. I felt no shudders when I lifted the book up again to peruse it and despite its deceptively long length it's a quick read. Anyone who wishes to have a basic working knowledge of fairy doings in merry old England would do very well to give this piece of literature a look-see.

A really good production, Katharine Byars does a wonderful job with all the characters. Highly recommended.

Pictures make the difference. Emily Bolam is a popular illustrator of children's books.
This story is a neat variation on one of my favorite "Just So Stories", "The Elephant's child". It about a too curious elephant. You may want to also look at other versions of Kipling's tale. Now it is a little archaic so do not let your nose bet bent out of shape.

Rudyard Kipling and dogs- it is hard to say which I love more, but I can unequivocally say that this delightful collection, in which the Dog is lovingly and humourously depicted by the skilful pen of England's finest storyteller. Even more than the stories written from the point of view of a little Scottie (the accuracy of which any dog person will attest to), I love the poems, including one of his finest in any genre, "The Power of the Dog." Please buy this book if you are a doglover or a Kipling completist- it makes great reading for children and gaga dog-people of all ages.

I'm so glad that this book is finally back in print! 5 stars!

Considering all the works of Kipling I have read, this collection of short stories contains some of his his darkest and in some cases hints of dark humor. A very enjoyable read with lots of references to Freemasonry. Many of the stories pointedly show the scars of the first world war and how they affected both the soldier and the civilian. Some very good short stories that take place in lodges. If you enjoyed the Man Who Would Be King or if you are a Freemason you will probably enjoy this book.

Right after "THE CAT THAT WALKED BY HIMSELF" This has always been my favorite "Just So Story." It is good to see it in an individual book, as it is a little unwieldy as part of a group. This is the story of a curious elephant and how the elephant go its trunk. I can not say much more as the reader needs to experience the story as it unfolds. The pictures add a dimension and do not distract from the words. Rudyard Kipling is a master at this telling. "In the High and Far-Off Times the Elephant, O Best Beloved, had no trunk."

The Cat Who Walked by Himself

I cannot think of a better way to introduce the poetry of Rudyard Kipling than this small volume. Now I do admit that Kipling is at the top of my list as a poet, so take this with that in mind. The selection is excellent and of interest you the young reader. The commentary is quite relevant as are the pictures which accompany it. I find that often now, our young people go all the way through the early grades in school and many of them have never heard of rudyard Kipling,much less read their poetry. This was the sort of stuff my generation and the generation before it grew up on and cut our teeth on. I do not feel I am any worse for the wear. I am fearful that we are bringing up an entire generation (rightfully or wrong, although I feel it is the later) of young folks who will have no appreciation to this great art form and will miss a lot. This book helps. This entire series helps, as a matter of fact and I certainly recommend you add this one and the others to your library. Actually, it is rather fun reading these with the young folk and then talking about them. Not only do you get to enjoy the work your self and perhaps bring back some great memories, but you have the opportunity to interact with your child or student. It is actually rather surprising what some of the kids come up with. I read these to my grandchildren and to the kids in my classes at school. For the most part, when I really get to discussing the work with them, they enjoy it. Recommend this one highly.

I read this book for a graduate Humanities course. Joseph Conrad's Heart of Darkness, written in 1899 is a seminal work about the ills of colonialism, as well as a postmodern look at the subject of mankind. Conrad's book had a crucial influence on five important works of the twentieth century: J. G. Frazier's book The Golden Bough. Jessie L. Weston's book From Ritual to Romance, T. S. Elliott's poem the Waste Land, Joseph Campbell's Hero with a Thousand Faces, and Francis Ford Coppolla's movie Apocalypse Now, screenplay by John Milius, was based on Conrad's book. Another interesting fact is that this work was read by Orson Welle's Mercury Theater Players on the radio and was to be his first movie. After doing some work on it he abandoned the project to do Citizen Kane! I would have loved to of seen what Welles could have done with this story. Conrad's story is so riveting in part, because he himself served as a riverboat captain. High school teachers and college professors who have discussed this book in thousands of classrooms over the years tend to do so in terms of Freud, Jung, and Nietzsche; of classical myth, Victorian innocence, and original sin; of postmodernism, postcolonialism, and poststructuralism.

Just a taste of the plot reels you in! Marlow, the narrator of Heart of Darkness and Conrad's alter ego, is hired by an ivory-trading company to sail a steamboat up an unnamed river whose shape on the map resembles "an immense snake uncoiled, with its head in the sea, its body at rest curving afar over a vast country and its tail lost in the depths of the land" (8). His destination is a post where the company's brilliant, ambitious star agent, Mr. Kurtz, is stationed. Kurtz has collected legendary quantities of ivory, but, Marlow learns along the way, is also rumored to have sunk into unspecified savagery. Marlow's steamer survives an attack by blacks and picks up a load of ivory and the ill Kurtz; Kurtz, talking of his grandiose plans, dies on board as they travel, downstream.

Sketched with only a few bold strokes, Kurtz's image has nonetheless remained in the memories of millions of readers: the lone white agent far up the great river, with his dreams of grandeur,his great store of precious ivory, and his fiefdom carved out of the African jungle. Perhaps more than anything, we remember Marlow, on the steamboat, looking through binoculars at what he thinks are ornamental knobs atop the fence posts in front of Kurtz's house and then finding that each is "black, dried, sunken, with closed eyelids-a head that seemed to sleep at the top of that pole, and with the shrunken dry lips showing a narrow white line of the teeth" (57).

I especially became interested in Joseph Conrad's Heart of Darkness from the movie Apocalypse Now. There is a scene in the movie that shows Colonel Kurtz's nightstand in his cave. T. S. Elliott's poem the Waste Land is one of three books on the nightstand. The other two are Jessie L. Weston's book From Ritual to Romance, and J. G. Frazier's book The Golden Bough. Anyone wanting to understand the movie Apocalypse Now, especially the character of Colonel Kurtz, and what Milius and Copolla are trying to tell their audience need to read these three books as well as Conrad's Heart of Darkness!

As a graduate student reading in philosophy and history I recommend this book for anyone interested in literature, myth, history, philosophy, religion and fans of Apocalypse Now.