Rudyard Kipling Books

Kipling is one of the most maligned of all authors. He was too clever, too successful, and too unfashionable in his beliefs to be anything other than derided and envied by his colleagues in the artistic world. That derision carries over to the present day in which Kipling is still regarded as a racist, an imperialist, and a crypto fascist. Actually, Kipling's views seem to me to have been similar to those of Winston Churchill, although he was more sympathetic than Churchill to the people under the British yoke of empire.

Be that as it may, Kipling was a great writer of short stories and poems. "The Portable Library" offers a representative sample of his work, although any Kipling fan will take exception to excluded treasures. Did the editor inexcusably exclude Kipling's most famous poem? If "If" is in the book I haven't found it. And where is "Mowgli's Brothers" from "The Jungle Book" - perhaps Kipling's most famous and influential story, inspirer of Tarzan, the Boy Scouts, and half a dozen movies? Also missing is "Rikki-tikki-tavi" the tale of a fight between a mongoose and a cobra that has thrilled generations of children. "Fuzzy Wuzzy" isn't here either with those famous lines of admiration for a brave opponent, "So `ere's to you, Fuzzy-Wuzzy, at your `ome in the Soudan; You're a pore benighted `eathen but a first-class fightin' man."

Most of Kipling's classic stories are here: "The Man who Would be King" which became one of the best adventure movies ever made; "Dayspring Mishandled," a complex and difficult story of literary revenge; "The Church that Was at Antioch,"a tale of early Christianity that sums up the struggle between Jew and Gentile about as well as anything I have ever read; and a tender story of bi-racial love, "Without Benefit of Clergy." The stories included in this collection illustrate Kipling's enormous range - from barrooms and barracks in India to the workings of a future society.

Kipling's poems are famously quotable: "Mandalay, Gunga Din,", and "Recessional." ("Lest we forget -- lest we forget!") Unlike most other writers of exotica such as Somerset Maugham (his rival as the best short story writer in English, in my humble opinion), Kipling was able to imagine himself as other than a modern Englishman. His ability to speak in the voice of his characters - be they a lowly Cockney soldier, a lonely old woman, a fuzzy-headed soldier of Allah, or a politician of the distant future - is unmatched.

Despite the omission of several of Kipling's best works, this collection includes a number of gems that everyone should read.

Smallchief

The only difficulty with collections of Kipling is that he was so prolific that some pieces must be left out. Since this book's very goal was to be "portable", it suffers slightly from this. But the stories included are generally well-chosen. They span Kipling's entire literary career and range of subjects, from early stories of India to a 1930's science-fiction story. I particularly enjoyed the hilarious "Village that Voted the Earth was Flat", the interview with Mark Twain (a classic), and the devious "Dayspring Mishandled", which were new to me. I was also introduced to the author's series of stories of Privates Ortheris, Mulvaney, and Learoyd by this book. I had previously read "Stalky and Company", and this was like "Stalky and Co. Join the Army". However, several amusing favorites from other books were missing, such as "The Ship That Found Herself" and the story about the Army's animals talking to each other. If you haven't read much Kipling and would like to be introduced to this teller of tales, by all means get this book. If you have read Kipling, be sure to give the Table of Contents a scan for stories you might have missed.

Kipling has undeservedly been relegated to obscurity. He is the foundation of the modern-day action movie. His tight prose bespeaks his journalist background in a time when fewer and fewer writers can hone their craft in these jobs. This selection of his most famous and best work is a wonderful addition to anyone's library, especially if you're a Tolkien fan or interested in the Victorian period.

Read anything by Kippling. He was the first to make poetry interesting for me in my early teens. The stories exposed me to a history and culture that was largely inaccessible otherwise, illustrating how to put oneself in another's shoes. There are moral lessons and insights throughout his entertaining work, from humor to drama.

I can still quote elements of his poetry after 40 years, such as his rejection of racism, nationalism, and class:

"There is neither breed, nor border, nor birth,
When two strong men stand face to face,
Though they come from the ends of the earth."

Thinking on this in the context of the poem, one understands that "strong" refers to integrity and courage, and that age and gender are irrelevant to these as well.

A lot of the artwork here is reminiscent of your independent black and white style stuff, which, I suppose, is not too surprising in a case like this.

The text is of course what is supposed to feature.

The highlight would be the work on Zane Grey's Tigre.

The cartoon style on the Brigadier Gerard and Captain Blood stories is nifty, as well.

The twelfth volume in the "Adventure Classics" series of graphic novels and short story collections, the reader is treated to some of the finest adventure writing by some of the most talented authors, and adapted to the graphic novel format by illustrators and artists of matching caliber. The stories comprising this issue include: "In the Valley of the Sorceress" by Sax Rohmer, ill. by J. B. Bonivert; "The Masked Ball" by Alexandre Dumas, ill. by Michael Manning; "Two Men Named Collins" by Damon Runyon, ill. by Noel Tuazon; "Tigre" by Zane Grey, ill. by Don Marquez; "Blood Money" by Rafael Sabatini, ill. by Kevin Atkinson; "The Stolen Story" by Johnston McCulley, ill. by Chris Pelletiere; "Gunga Din", by Rudyard Kipling, ill. by Mary Fleener, and more. Thrilling tales of the past century brought to life in a wide variety of bold, black-and-white styles make Adventure Classics Volume 12 as exciting, wild, and spooky to read as its predecessors.

The mysterious desert. The high plains. The stormy seas. The dense jungles. These are the places where actions speak louder than words, where the sharp retort of a six-gun decides who is right and who is dead, and a blind tiger stalks with preternatural senses and determination. These are the settings for Adventure Tales, a genre of literature prominent in the 1900's, in which many of the finest authors of the period plied their trades.

In this, their 12th volume, Graphic Classics has assembled an anthology of some of the greatest adventure stories of the time, full of hot blood and cold nights, mystery and magic. These classic tales have been interpreted by a host of talented illustrators, lending their own unique insight into the authors original stories. This is their second anthology book, like Volume 10 "Horror Classics," combining many workers in the genre rather than focusing on a specific author.

Some of the best authors are on display here. Robert Louis Stevenson, author of "Treasure Island," Sax Rohmer, creator of Yellow Peril villain Fu Manchu, Alexander Dumas, creator of The Three Musketeers, renowned cowboy author Zane Grey, Damon Runyon, author of "The Idylls of Miss Sarah" which was adapted as the musical "Guys and Dolls," Rafael Sabatinin master of Pirate Tales and creator of Captain Blood, Johnston McCully creator of the swashbuckling Zorro, Sherlock Holme's creator Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, and Rudyard Kipling, author of "The Jungle Books."

Finally, there is O. Henry, whom if it weren't for Graphics Classics, I might have known nothing more of than the sweet Christmas fable, "The Gift of the Magi," rather than met him as a scribbler of dark cowboy adventures.

This volume contains:

The Wind Blew Shrill and Sharp - A lusty sea poem by Robert Louis Stevenson. Skot Olsen provides an excellent and strong sailor to accompany the compelling verse.

In the Valley of the Sorceress - Egypt was a mysterious and magical place at the time, and Sax Rohmer weaves a web of desire and danger. An archaeologist attempts to open the hidden tomb of Sorceress Queen Hatasu, but finds his efforts daunted, and his soul beguiled by a beautiful Arab maiden. Illustrator JB Bonivert brings a unique and fanciful style to this classic adventure.

The Masked Ball - By Alexander Dumas. A short and dark tale of heartbreak and desire, accompanied by a hedonistic masked ball where people seek to drown their loneliness and hide their faces. Michael Manning provides a dark atmosphere, heavy with black spaces, as an appropriate accompaniment.

Tigre - The jungles of Mexico are the setting for this tale of lust and revenge. By Zane Grey, an old farmer is a master of wild animals, particularly his blind brutish tiger named Tigre. The only thing he can't tame is his young and pretty wife. Who stalks who in the dense jungle? A straight-forward but perfect comic book adaptation by Don Marquez, particularly of the lovely Senora.

The Shooting of Dan McGrew - A popular cowboy poem by Robert W. Service, adapted with humor and pathos by Hunt Emerson. A lonely miner, a dangerous gambler, and the lady that's known as Lou.

Two Men Named Collins - Damon Runyon gives us a sad and silently heroic of two soldiers who share the same name. On is lonely and ugly, one is popular and handsome. But the one holds the secret of the other, and nobility is not always what it seems. Illustrator Noel Tuazon does a spectacular adaptation of this tail, lending even more weight and atmospher to the yarn.

Blood Money - An adventure of Rafael Sabatinin's celebrated rouge Captain Blood. A straight-forward comic book adaptation by Kevin Atkinson, this is a clever celebration of the key to Captain Bloods success. Pure luck.

Gunga Din -Rudyard Kipling gives us a blood-rousing poem of an Indian water bearer and the Thuggee wars. The prose is amazing. "But when it comes to slaughter, you will do your work on water, an' you'll lick the bloomin' boots of 'im that's got it." Great illustrations by Mary Fleener, this was the first time I had read this classic poem.

The Man without a Shadow - An Irish short story author, this is a companion piece to "A Day-Dream" which appears in "Horror Classics." A whimsical adaptation by Milton Knight of a clever tale.

The Mystery of the Semi-Detached - I always knew Edith Nesbit as the author of the children's tales "The Boxcar Children," but little did I know she had this tale of murder and ghosts in her. With excellent Victorianesque illustrations by Antonella Caputo.

The Stolen Story - Johnston McCully is best known for swashbuckling, but this tale of fictional theft is equally gripping. A man's dreams are met, although they turn into a nightmare. With appropriately grotesque illustrations by Chris Pelletiere.

The Crime of the Brigadier - Sir Arthur Conan Doyle had many characters, one of them Brigadier Gerard, a teller of tall-tales and adventurer in Napoleon's army. This funny yarn is comically adapted by Nick Miller is a suiting style.

The Roads We Take - Another black tale of cowboys by O. Henry, a story of betrayal, and a man's true character. Outlaw Shark Dodson saw two roads ahead of him, both leading to the same ending. A bleak story, with a perfect adaptation by Pedro Lopez. So good I immediately read it again after finishing it.

The poetry of Kipling does not have the complex ambiguity or the multivalent richness which many today associate with the highest kind of poetry. He writes a plain and clear stanza in which the meaning is open at first glance to the ' common reader'. He often tells a story and writes provides clear opinions on a subject.
Kipling is often criticized today for his championing of the
empire, for his colonial vision of the world, for his not altogether enlightened view of the role of women in society.
But these ' political issues' aside Kipling's verse often has a power and moral value. He writes about common people doing the work of the world. He sympathizes with the 'man in the ranks'. He is a great champion of the virtues of courage, loyalty and integrity.
Many of his poems have been frequently anthologized and are very well known. "East is East, West is West, and never the Twain shall meet" is one of the most famous, but the most famous, and one of the most beloved English language poems of all time is "If". It is really a kind of guide to a young person of how to be admirable in life. It is constructed as a series of conditionals, as "If you can keep your head when all about you are losing theirs".
Another of the most famous poems written at the time of Queen Victoria's Diamond Jubilee," Recessional" has as its theme in Louis Untermeyer, " man's impermanent grandeur". This poem's opening stanza too contains memorable lines exemplifying Kipling at his best.

Recessional

"God of our fathers, known of old,
Lord of our far- flung battle line
Beneath whose awful hand we hold
Dominion over palm and pine-
Lord God of Hosts, be with us yet,
Lest we forget- Lest we forget."

Kipling today may be somewhat neglected but he is deservedly unforgotten by many readers capable of learning from and enjoying his fine poetry.

Fifty years ago some of the poems in this book were part of the mental baggage of every adult Engish speaker. These days Kipling's reputation has taken a hammering. It's easy to brand him rascist by quoting "the white man's burden" or lines like: "he was white clear white inside" from gunga din and forgetting the last three lines of the same poem, Imperialistic, mysoginist or whatever is currently unfashionable. Even as a poet he hasn't recovered from the movement of poetry during the twentieth century from the reader to the university. You don't need critics to "explain Kipling". There's not a lot your average university critic can say about Kipling's verse, he doesn't need copious critical commentary, and since he doesn't offer the critic much hope of publication, he's been neglected or damned with faint praise: "an ability to make the commonplace memorable" Well, invest a dollar and find out for yourself. He sings. "If" is, whatever you think of the last line, full of fine advice. "In the neolithic age" is something all writers and critics should read and remember and no one summed up the life of the British private soldier better. Dover thrift continue to provide an excellent service making good, cheap editions, free of any critical clutter, available so that readers can read for themselves. The only niggle with htis book is that Kiplin does need a glossary and the glossary in this book is a little too haphazard.

Rudyard Kipling's poetry and prose resonated with the general public in Great Britain and America during the late 1800s and early 1900s. Later, as his patriotism and unabashed support for the British empire became viewed as outdated, his reputation faded.

It is easy to dismiss Kipling as culturally insensitive, especially if one has read little of his poetry. And admittedly, it is not difficult to find specific verses to support this contention. However, I quickly discovered that this characterization of Rudyard Kipling is incomplete, one sided, and simplistic.

The Ballad of East and West begins with the familiar lines: "Oh, East is East and West is West, and Never the Twain Shall Meet." Contrary to what these opening lines suggest, this ballad illustrates Kipling's appreciation for what we now call cultural diversity. The Ballad of East and West ends with this thought: "But there is neither East nor West, Border, nor Breed, nor Birth, When two strong men stand face to face, tho' they come from the ends of the earth."

In the Neolithic Age: "There are nine and sixty ways of constructing tribal lays, and every single one of them is right." This nonjudgmental refrain is surprisingly modern.

The Sea and the Hills: "So and no otherwise - so and no otherwise hillmen desire their Hills." Each verse in this poem proclaims the majesty and power of the great seas, sentiments widely held by the seafaring British people. And yet, each verse ends with a reminder that others, like the hillmen, equally respect their native environment.

The Betrothed: "And a woman is only a woman, but a good cigar is a Smoke." This much quoted comical reply was made to Maggie's ultimatum, "You must choose between me and your cigar". No, this might not appeal to the modern woman. Possibly, however, The Female of the Species might go some ways in making amends with its refrain: "For the female of the species is more deadly than the male."

The Absent-Minded Beggar: "Pass the hat for your credit's sake, and pay - pay - pay." This widely popular poem was credited with the amassing of donations for the aged, destitute veterans of Britain's many conflicts.

Kipling declined most of the many honors which were offered him, including a knighthood, the Poet Laureateship, and the Order of Merit, but in 1907 he accepted the Nobel Prize for Literature.

I am a 30 years old man and I enjoyed the book as if I were a 5 years old kid.

I am a avid reader, but I had never read Kipling until now. The Just So Stories, as well as the Jungle Books were magical books for me. I enjoyed them so much that I just can't stop telling my friends that they ought to read them.

Kippling is certainly an awesome storyteller and I had a great deal of time I did not read such a magical and humorous story book like these.

When it comes to tales, the only author I have liked this much was a national author (Costa Rica) named Carmel Lyra who wrote another excellent story book named "The Tales of Aunt Panchita", there she created her master character Uncle Rabbit.

It is pity English is not my native language, because I simply can't find the right words to describe how much I liked Just So Stories.

I just can say, please read it, you will love it.

This is a collection of twelve stories originally published between 1897 and 1902. Kipling uses the beast fable as a jumping-off point to tell inventive stories set in exotic locales and eras, such as the traditionally themed "How the Leopard Got His Spots" and the more ingenious "The Cat that Walked by Himself." Less interested in conveying a moral than in amusing his readers, Kipling tells his stories with a warm and endearing narrator, who frequently directly addresses the young reader as "Best Beloved" and often notes the hopelessness of understanding grown-ups. The tone of the stories is further enhanced with the inclusion of Kipling's small pen and ink drawings, wittily captioned with commentary about the inadequacy of the drawings and including utterly irrelevant, but entertaining asides. The stories possess a joy in the sound of words, with language that begs to be read out-loud. Though the vocabulary may be difficult and foreign for some readers, it will likely be overlooked and overcome as part of Kipling's fantasy world. The rhythmic language and the fantastical themes combined with length of the stories (ranging from 10-30 pages) lend themselves to bedtime reading. More than a century old, the stories have a timeless feel, though the original edition does include some outdated and potentially offensive references to race and gender, which may require some explanation by adults. Overall, these stories will appeal to young children absorbed with the "whys" of life at the same time that older children will enjoy the sly chumminess of the narrator.

I thoroughly enjoyed Kipling's collection of light-hearted children's stories.

They have exactly the "come here and sit on my knee, and I'll tell you a story" quality that I like best in young children's story-telling, and the stories are written in such a way as to make you feel you are sitting on Kipling's other knee as he reads them to his Best Beloved. You are part of something private between a father and his daughter in these stories, but, while there are a few private jokes taken directly from their lives, these do not lessen the enjoyment of the story.

An example, taken from my favorite story in the collection, `How the Whale Got His Throat,' occurs after the whale has swallowed a sailor, and the sailor has said he will stomp around the whale's insides until the whale to take him back home to England.

Quote:
So the whale swam and swam and swam, with both flippers and his tail, as hard as he could...and at last he saw the Mariner's natal-shore and the white-cliffs-of-Albion, and he rushed half-way up the beach, and opened his mouth wide and wide and wide, and said, "Change here for Winchester, Ashuelot, Nashua, Keene, and stations on the Fitchburg Road."
*****

This obviously is something plucked from the life of Kipling and his little girl, so it was funny to them for this additional reason; the rest of us (including my daughter and I) still can be content with a whale doing something extraordinarily silly.

Many, or most, of the stories are laced with characters and legends from India, the land of Kipling's birth, and, whether they were borrowed from Indian mythology or were created entirely by Kipling, these carried an interesting, exotic air, which I am beginning to believe I am supposed to find characteristic of Kipling. Only one of the stories, `How the Alphabet Was Made,' really dragged a bit, but even that one was all right. It was followed, though, by an exceptionally sad moment, in which Kipling writes a heart-wrenching (at least to someone with two little girls of his own) lament for his beloved daughter, who, I remember, died quite young. He uses the characters Tegumai (the father) and Taffy (the daughter), who represent Kipling and his daughter, from the Alphabet story:

Quote:
Of all the Tribes of Tegumai
Who cut that figure, none remain-
On Merrow Downs the cuckoos cry-
The silence and the sun remain.

But as the faithful years return
And hearts unwounded sing again
Comes Taffy dancing through the fern
To lead the Surrey spring again.

Her brows are bound with bracken-fronds,
And golden elf-locks fly above;
Her eyes are bright as diamonds
And bluer than the sky above.

In mocassins and deer-skin cloak,
Unfearing, free and fair she flits,
And lights her little damp-wood smoke
To show her Daddy where she flits.

For far-oh, very far behind,
So far she cannot call to him
Comes Tegumai alone to find
The daughter that was all to him.
*****
I sat staring at that page for minutes on end on more than one occasion, I don't mind telling you.

I'm sure I'm the last person on the planet to have read this, so a recommendation isn't necessary. I will only say that some of the stories, at least, still can be enjoyed by modern children (and adults), judging by my daughter's "can we read the whale story again...and again...and again?" I hope that Just So Stories aren't lost over time, and I hope parents will continue to read them to their own Best Beloveds as years go by.

This was a very excellent book & I had a hard time putting it down to do my chores. Very well worth the purchase!

If you are looking for just a simple book of classic ghost stories, thie this is a good book to buy. Cheap and small it contains works by classic authors. Not a a bad buy at all

Rudyard Kipling has an amazing animal sense. He depicted the characters well and enchanted you to continue reading by keeping you in suspense about Mowgli. This is a must read book.

The cover reads "The Works of Rudyard Kipling, Volume II, Rudyard Kipling. The table of contents lists these five sections:

Volume V: Plain Tales from the Hills
Volume VI: The Light that Failed
Volume VII: The Story of the Gadsbys
Volume VIII: From Mine Own People

The "Search inside" link appears to show the Volume I book. It is incorrectly listed as a previous version. I haven't been able to find Volume I for sale and I don't know if there is a Volume III.

This is an odd edition. There are no page numbers in the ToC, no preface, no index, no cover art. The plain tome resembles a computer printout that was typeset and well bound. I guess you could say that it was pure Kipling though.

No civilized individual should consider his library complete without this book. Contains all Kipling's poetic works. A volume you will return to again and again for inspiration and pithy wit.

I have owned several copies of this book over the years; I cannot exist without a copy. It contains all Kipling's poetry, and he is the premier poet of the Victorian era. Most of his poems can be sung, if you can identify the hymn he used to keep his meter running. They adapt themselves excellently to being read aloud. Many people hold his *White Man's Burden* against him, but this is the man who wrote from many points of view over his lifetime. This edition contains them all. Don't dismiss Kipling because you've only heard of him; read the children's poems that teach proper behavior, the soldiers' poems of tribute to their comrades and their duty, the journalist reflecting on himself, the grieving father mourning his only son, and the Poet Laureate of the British Empire mourning the death of the Empire and the Ending of an Era. It's all here. This book is indispensible in any library of English literature.

Action, adventure, and a whole lot of playfulness are what this collection is all about. The kids will let me read this one to them over and over again, plus they sit and read it by themselves during quiet moments. The illustrations keep the younger ones captivated as well.

Bigger is not always better. And that is what we have here.

The artwork in this book is bland and unattractive. All the pages are taken up with close-ups of the characters. It takes away from the overall effect that very colorful and attractive Golden Books version had achieved. Their version of Disney's Jungle Book movie was rich with detailed illustrations. This book is not!

The story is all here: of Mowgli, the man-cub, befriended by the animals of the Jungle in India. Bagheera the wise panther, Baloo the bumbling bear, and all his other jungle friends are also all here as they make their way to the man-village. Mowgli saves the day by fending off the cunning tiger, Shere Khan. Don't worry, Shere Khan lives to prowl another day.

This is one of my personal favorites. I read it in high school just for personal pleasure. Kipling's knowledge of art is expressed nicely; he knows his stuff from his father. He expresses his time period honestly and touchingly. As a female of the twentieth century, I cannot understand everything that made Kipling write this novel. It is more than just the simple story of an artist going blind, of wars and art. It is, at heart, the story of two men living in their world of violence and social mores and beliefs, two men brothers in all but blood. I found moments in this novel very touching, all the more so because of the tenderness between Torp and Dickie. This is a novel about friendship mostly, and a very beautiful one at that.

Kipling proves his expertise as an author in this vivid description of a young, cocky sketch artist moving up the social ladder and the introspection he is forced to face when he can't have his childhood love. His professionalism in retelling the themes of independence vs dependence, decadence and self-doubt makes up for his sometimes annoying racist undertones and romantic depicting of the colonialistic era, which is just about the only reason for the missing fifth star.

S.T. Joshi edits Mark Of The Beast & Others, a collection of horror tales by Rudyard Kipling, which pairs his lively manner with chilling tales of the dead and psychological terror. Some, as 'The Phantom Ricksaw', have been widely published and will be familiar to fans of the genre; others such as 'Lost Legion' may be less so. All provide masterpieces of the occult.

Kipling was the pre-eminent man of letters circa 1900, but pretty much unread today. Here S. T. Joshi has assembled 17 short stories by Kipling, in chronological order of composition. Contrary to the book's subtitle, these aren't horror tales, and many have no supernatural aspect at all.

It is notable that the stories grow steadily better as one goes through the book. "The Phantom Rickshaw" is a total absurdity, but by the time we get to "They" Kipling, like Barlowe and Lovecraft in "The Night Ocean," is looking ahead to the type of story that would be written by the likes of Robert Aikman in the 1960s and 1970s, probably the ultimate (to date) literary development of the horror tale, before it backslid into the EC-comics imitations of Stephen King and Dean Koonz and other currently and undeservedly popular writers.

Kipling is noted for fiction and verse set in India, but the best stories in the book, for me, had nothing to do with India. These included the before-mentioned "They," and "The Finest Story in the World," both of which appear to be based very loosely on real experiences of Kipling, and both of which seem to break genuinely new ground within their respective themes.

S. T. Joshi contributes his usual perceptive introduction.

Recommended.