The Works of Rudyard Kipling

by Rudyard Kipling

With A to Z Classics, discover or rediscover all the classics of literature.

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This book contains the Complete Works of Rudyard Kipling

Actions and Reactions 1909
American Notes 1891
Barrack-Room Ballads 1892
The Bridge-Builders 1889
"Captains Courageous" 1896
The Day's Work - Part I 1898
Departmental Ditties and Barrack Room Ballads 1886
A Diversity of Creatures 1917
The Eyes of Asia 1917
France At War 1917
Indian Tales 1898
The Jungle Book 1894
Just So Stories 1902
Kim 1902
The Kipling Reader 1900
Letters of Travel (1892-1913) 1899
Life's Handicap 1891
The Light That Failed 1891
The Man Who Would Be King 1888
The Phantom 'Rickshaw and Other Ghost Stories 1888
Plain Tales from the Hills 1888
Puck of Pook's Hill 1906
Rewards and Fairies 1910
Sea Warfare 1916
The Second Jungle Book 1895
The Seven Seas 1896
Soldiers Three 1888
Soldiers Three [Stories] Part II 1888
Soldier Stories 1888
Songs from Books 1912
Stalky & Co. 1899
The Story of the Gadsby 1888
Traffics and Discoveries 1904
Under the Deodars 1888
Verses 1889-1896
With The Night Mail 1909
The Years Between 1919

Genres: Classics, Fiction, Poetry, Literature, Short Stories, Collections, Historical Fiction

616 pages, Kindle Edition

First published January 1, 1900

About the author

Joseph Rudyard Kipling was a journalist, short-story writer, poet, and novelist.

Kipling's works of fiction include The Jungle Book (1894), Kim (1901), and many short stories, including The Man Who Would Be King (1888). His poems include Mandalay (1890), Gunga Din (1890), The Gods of the Copybook Headings (1919), The White Man's Burden (1899), and If— (1910). He is regarded as a major innovator in the art of the short story; his children's books are classics of children's literature; and one critic described his work as exhibiting "a versatile and luminous narrative gift".

Kipling was one of the most popular writers in the United Kingdom, in both prose and verse, in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. Henry James said: "Kipling strikes me personally as the most complete man of genius (as distinct from fine intelligence) that I have ever known." In 1907, at the age of 41, he was awarded the Nobel Prize in Literature, making him the first English-language writer to receive the prize, and its youngest recipient to date. He was also sounded out for the British Poet Laureateship and on several occasions for a knighthood, both of which he declined.

Awarded the Nobel Prize in Literature in 1907 "in consideration of the power of observation, originality of imagination, virility of ideas and remarkable talent for narration which characterize the creations of this world-famous author."

Kipling kept writing until the early 1930s, but at a slower pace and with much less success than before. On the night of 12 January 1936, Kipling suffered a haemorrhage in his small intestine. He underwent surgery, but died less than a week later on 18 January 1936 at the age of 70 of a perforated duodenal ulcer. Kipling's death had in fact previously been incorrectly announced in a magazine, to which he wrote, "I've just read that I am dead. Don't forget to delete me from your list of subscribers."

Reviews

[Paula · Rating 2 out of 5]

Kipling is interesting but problematic. It seems to me that he really loved telling stories, particularly about the British Raj in India, and that delight in creating stories and characters has its charm. But then I run up against the "white man's burden" aspect of his stories, in which the native Indian population is basically used as background or for "humorous" asides, and the charm is engulfed by the casual, dismissive prejudice.
I wanted to read this collection because it included the story "The Man Who Would Be King". I was interested to see how the story compares with the movie. The movie is much better than the story, helped by wonderful acting by Michael Caine and Sean Connery, but the movie is also spoiled by scenes in which non-white characters are used for comic relief.

[Mary E R · Rating 4 out of 5]

I read the Just So Stories, from within this book, aloud to my student. The descriptive language, alliteration, and style make these stories a perfect example of a Pour quoi myth that teaches a lesson. Emulating the style of Kipling, my 6th students write their own pour quio myths in blank books and share them with our adjoining primary school.

[James Violand · Rating 3 out of 5]

Mostly regimental in nature, the British Army tales in Imperial India show the "white man's burden." Quite arrogantly phrased but wonderfully written tales of barracks life and the tribulations of occupation in a dusty backwater.

[Sam · Rating 3 out of 5]

Interesting if you know a bit of 19th & 20th century history or are keen to read a first hand account of a British boy who grew up in a privileged house in the “colonies”.

[Michael Parish · Rating 5 out of 5]

what can you say about classics..

[Tash · Rating 3 out of 5]

rated 3 for whole collection. some 5 stories in there. read in mcleod ganj

[Eleanor Lux · Rating 1 out of 5]

I thought I loved Kipling but this was just too much and went on forever so I quit. But now that I've read other reviews I think I'll search through the book and find his Just So stories

[Lorrita · Rating 4 out of 5]

This edition does not contain the novels or the children's stories.
It does contain many short works that are rarely collected elsewhere.

I found some poems and short stories I had not read mixed in among the many old favorites.

My main complaint with this edition is that it has several scanning "artifacts" that the proofreader(s) missed. An ampersand in the middle of a word, an "h" that changes to an "n", or a "G" that transforms into a "C" interrupts the flow of reading.