What do you think?
Rate this book
The Best of Rudyard Kipling: A Collection of Essential Poetry
Joseph Rudyard Kipling (1865–1936) was an English novelist, journalist, poet, and short-story writer most famous for his stories set in and related to colonial India. He innovated the art of short story writing and was one of the most popular writers in the U.K. during the nineteenth and twentieth centuries. A brand new collection of Kipling's best poetry, including “Gunga Din”, “If—“, “Recessional”, “The Gods of the Copybook Headings”, “The White Man's Burden”, “Mesopotamia”, “The Female of the Species”, “The Ballad of East and West”, “Epitaphs of the War”, “The Way Through the Woods”, “Mother O' Mine”, and many more. A fantastic collection not to be missed by poetry lovers and fans of Kipling's seminal work. Other notable works by this author “The Jungle Book” (1894), “Kim” (1901), and “The Man Who Would be King” (1888).
- GenresPoetry
59 pages, Kindle Edition
Published August 14, 2020
28 people are currently reading
32 people want to read
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews
July 12, 2024
A small collection of some of celebrated British writer Rudyard Kipling's most well-known poems and short Epitaphs.
The best poems in this book are of very high quality and expertly composed such as his most known poems IF, The white man's Burden, and The Glory of the Garden. His other works are not necessarily mad but seemed to not have any tangible meaning or wider message and were sometimes written in an overly informal manner making it difficult to understand.
The epitaphs are too short to critique and probably were not meant for wider publishing but again don't compare in my opinion to some of Kipling's better poems.
However, this is worth a read overall if not only for some of his best poems, his other less well-known poetry can still be quite good in parts.
The best poems in this book are of very high quality and expertly composed such as his most known poems IF, The white man's Burden, and The Glory of the Garden. His other works are not necessarily mad but seemed to not have any tangible meaning or wider message and were sometimes written in an overly informal manner making it difficult to understand.
The epitaphs are too short to critique and probably were not meant for wider publishing but again don't compare in my opinion to some of Kipling's better poems.
However, this is worth a read overall if not only for some of his best poems, his other less well-known poetry can still be quite good in parts.
November 3, 2025
My favourite poems were IF and Mother O’ Mine. I suspect the inability to relate to an imperialistic period today explains why I didn’t particularly understand nor enjoy much of the collection.
The two poems I selected are both timelessly applicable and universally resonant, which affirms my suspicion.
Likely not something I’d revisit, but I wanted to behold the sample of the well respected Kipling, myself.
It’s a small book containing supposedly profound literature… perhaps reading it in one sitting wasn’t helpful.
The two poems I selected are both timelessly applicable and universally resonant, which affirms my suspicion.
Likely not something I’d revisit, but I wanted to behold the sample of the well respected Kipling, myself.
It’s a small book containing supposedly profound literature… perhaps reading it in one sitting wasn’t helpful.
September 1, 2025
Mijn eerste dichtbundel! ik vond hem erg goed, hoewel ik me soms door vrij dikke lagen kolonialisme moest worstelen vond ik het erg interessant en toch mooie poëzie.
Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews