Product Description
Saved from the jaws of the evil tiger Shere Khan, young Mowgli is adopted by a wolf pack and taught the law of the jungle by lovable old Baloo the bear and Bhageera the panther. The adventures of Rikki-Tikki-Tavi the snake-fighting mongoose, little Toomai and the elephant’s secret dance, and Kotick the white seal are all part of Mowgli’s extraordinary journey with his animal friends.Amazon.com Review
No child should be allowed to grow up without reading TheJungle Books. Published in 1894 and 1895, the stories crackle withas much life and intensity as ever. Rudyard Kipling pours fuel onchildhood fantasies with his tales of Mowgli, lost in the jungles ofIndia as a child and adopted into a family of wolves. Mowgli isbrought up on a diet of Jungle Law, loyalty, and fresh meat from thekill. Regular adventures with his friends and enemies among theJungle-People--cobras, panthers, bears, and tigers--hone thisman-cub's strength and cleverness and whet every reader'simagination. Mowgli's story is interspersed with other tales of thejungle, such as "Rikki-Tikki-Tavi," lending depth anddiversity to our understanding of Kipling's India. In much the sameway Mowgli is carried away by the Bandar-log monkeys, young readerswill be caught up by the stories, swinging from page to page,breathless, thrilled, and terrified. (Ages 9 to 12) ... Read more

Customer Reviews (72)

Fantastic job!
The sender kept the book looking very nice and looks brand new. Sent it very effciently and I received it at school in time for my class!

Great edition
I have not read Kipling before, but am familiar with the movie adaptations.The book is very enjoyable.The size of the book and size of the font make it easy to read.My kids loved me reading it to them.They all want to name our next cat Bagheera now.It is a fabulous book.

My niece liked it
I read the kindle version for my niece. She liked it, so I guess its a great book.

you will love this book
against the advice of my peers in 6th grade, i read this book. immediatly i fell in love with this book, and ever since, have recomended it to those who are looking for a good story.

A whole world of jungles
i saw the jungle book when i was a kid and expected the book to be all about the advenures of a little boy in the jungle. but this book is so much more. and the poetry is just beautiful. my favorite story is rikki tikki tavvi. ... Read more

Product Description
This is an OCR edition without illustrations or index. It may have numerous typos or missing text. However, purchasers can download a free scanned copy of the original rare book from GeneralBooksClub.com. You can also preview excerpts from the book there. Purchasers are also entitled to a free trial membership in the General Books Club where they can select from more than a million books without charge. Volume: 10; Original Published by: Century Co. in 1899 in 405 pages; Subjects: Literary Criticism / European / English, Irish, Scottish, Welsh; Poetry / English, Irish, Scottish, Welsh; ... Read more

Customer Reviews (8)

Take a careful look at the Publisher before your buy "The Works of Rudyard Kipling"
There's a reason for many of the negative reviews of the quality of this book. This is because the version of "The Works of Rudyard Kipling" published by General Books LLC is an el cheapo version, created using OCR scanning and an automated scanning device which can miss complete pages. Typos are frequent and there's no table of contents, also, there was absolutely no editing of the book. This is all stated on the publishers web site (google them and read - you'll be as interested as I was when you see all the disclaimers).

The owner of General Books LLC (a company called VDM Publishing), is getting more and more notorious for these ripoffs - almost every review of their books (500,000 or so now listed on Amazon) by an actual buyer is negative, many are extremely so. Also watch out for any books published by Alphascript, Betascript, Fastbooks, Books LLC and LLC Books - all imprints of VDM Publishing. Unfortunately, Amazon is currently doing nothing to protect their customers from this Publishers misleading product descriptions.

If you have bought a paper version from General Books LLC by mistake, you can return to Amazon within 30 days(but make sure you check Amazon's Return Policy for the details)

Even at this price, not worth the cost
This is just an unformatted text file. Save the money and go to Project Gutenberg

CAVEAT EMPTOR!!
The title of this Kindle item is a lie. As the first sentence of the summary reveals, it does not include any of Kipling's poetry -- so it's anything but "complete".

Work=5 Stars, Edition=2
Unlike other reviews, mine refers to the correct book - The Collected Poems of Rudyard Kipling, Wordsworth Edition. Before going into its merits, it is necessary to say a few things about Kipling's poems. They are some of the most famous in English; published when poetry was actually popular, they were immediate bestsellers. Indeed, the public has never stopped loving them; there are seemingly fewer poetry fans each year, but Kipling still topped a recent BBC poll of the Greatest English Poems. He remains a favorite not only with poetry buffs but even with many who usually dislike poetry. Kipling has also had a major impact on other writers, as widespread use of his titles, lines, characters, etc. clearly indicates. He has also managed to infiltrate popular culture to a degree rarely seen. Conversely, critics still hotly debate his merits. Some think him a major poet; at least as many think him overrated or downright bad. He had near-universal popularity at the turn of the twentieth century but was critically despised by the time of his 1936 death; the pendulum has swung back and forth somewhat since, but he has never come close to regaining his apex.

Kipling undeniably does several things well. He is a rhythm master with almost unmatched technical deftness and an excellent rhymer. He can truly turn a phrase and is eminently quotable; his lines are indeed so memorable that several, as George Orwell points out, are often used unconsciously by many who have barely heard his name. He is notably diverse and adept at nearly every form he tries. Even his harshest critics cannot deny these virtues. The fact that many of his poems are set in India, Africa, or other distant parts of the British empire also lends notable historical value; we get a good sense of what life was like in this important time and place, all the more interesting in that it is often through the eyes of representative types such as soldiers. Other characteristics are more subjective. For example, Kipling is very straight-forward; his poems are extremely lucid and very accessible, in large part because he relies little on tropes. Those who value simplicity and clearness will appreciate this; others may find it somewhat lightweight.

The real crux, though, is not with form but content. Kipling has long been stereotyped as a jingoist glorifying war and imperialism and is almost ubiquitously accused of xenophobia, narrow-mindedness, mindless patriotism, and racism. His work undeniably has an element of this, but anything more than a superficial reading reveals a wealth of nuances and complexities. For instance, "Recessional," written for Queen Victoria's Diamond Jubilee, is a thoughtful warning against hubris that is far from the simple-minded flag-waving critics lead one to expect. Works like "The White Man's Burden" seem unambiguously imperialist, though not in a celebratory way, but a few have found subtleties even there. The issue comes to a proverbial head over Kipling's many soldier poems, where he has soldiers speak as they really did - not only with profanity that now seems mild but with casual racism that is now very striking. This at times reaches such a peak that it has made some liberals stop reading and even condemn Kipling - an understandable impulse, but we must look closely. Some defend him by saying he is merely a reporter, but this is a copout. The question of how much he agrees with his soldiers is complex and still hotly debated, but it seems safe to say that - like nearly all men of his time, place, race, and status -, he likely had a milder prejudice. Even so, we must not dismiss the poems automatically, because the prejudice has a valid artistic and even moral purpose. Anything more than a superficial reading shows that Kipling in many ways sympathizes with the victims of this racism, and this comes out in several ways. Most fundamentally, the insight and sympathy the speakers gain for the natives is believable and affecting because of prior prejudice, making the contrast all the more stunning. One must keep this in mind, though some will of course still think the poems unreadable. Kipling is certainly not politically correct by our standards, but this does not mean we should dismiss him automatically; doing so is at least as illiberal as he is said to be, and the literary, entertainment, and educational losses are potentially great.

This makes actually reading Kipling all the more pertinent; only those who have are qualified to judge. There are many collections, but this is notable as an inexpensive, widely available single volume one with all the authorized poems first published in 1940's Definitive Edition - hundreds of works over 850 pages. It is all the Kipling anyone but absolute hard-cores will need, missing only unpublished poems and a small amount never collected. The real question is if it is too much. Even Kipling's greatest fans admit he is uneven; he has a large number of great poems but a significant amount of mediocre ones, and more than a few are simply bad. Casuals may be better off with a selection, but the fact that this has all the poems for little or no more - and in some cases even less - than selected editions arguably makes it a better buy.

Whether or not they want this edition is a very open question. Anyone seeking only the poems will be well-served, but those requiring more should probably look elsewhere. There is substantial supplemental material, especially considering the price, but it is mostly low quality. Unlike some Wordsworth Editions, there is a sizeable Introduction with background on Kipling, the poems, and the historical context plus some initial analysis. We even get Orwell's famous essay on Kipling's poems, perhaps the most important piece of Kipling criticism. However, both Orwell and editor R. T. Jones start by assuming Kipling is a bad poet and defend him to various degrees; this is valuable, perhaps even inevitable, but not an ideal introduction. Those not already familiar with the poems should read them first, as it is hard not to have one's perceptions colored. Unlike nearly every other book in the Wordsworth Poetry Library, this also has quite a few notes - and they are thankfully footnotes, in contrast to the endnotes in Wordsworth fiction editions. This is essential, because Kipling uses a plethora of foreign, technical, and geographical words that are alien to nearly all readers as well as many contemporary and historical references. Numerous poems would be to various degrees incomprehensible without notes, and we should be grateful for them. That said, they have many problems. Words, including foreign ones, that few will know are inexplicably not footnoted - all the more frustrating in that some notes belabor the obvious. A great number of other things that should be footnoted are not; for example, a series of automobile poems parodies a variety of literary works, but only those aware of them will appreciate it, as the notes are silent. Less significantly, words defined once are never defined again, even though there may be hundreds of pages between uses; anyone not reading the book straight through in a short amount of time - i.e., almost everyone - will thus be frequently lost. On a more positive note, the edition differs from many Wordsworth ones by helpfully including a Table of Contents plus title and first line indices.

These complaints are small considering the price, but dedicated readers will be unsatisfied. All others will likely be well-served.

The Works of Rudyard Kipling
The title of this book is misleading. It is not "The Works of Kipling". It is only one story; in large print. I was not satisfied with it this purchase. ... Read more

Product Description
The book has no illustrations or index. Purchasers are entitled to a free trial membership in the General Books Club where they can select from more than a million books without charge. Subjects: India; Short stories, English; British; Fiction / Classics; Fiction / Literary; Fiction / Short Stories; History / Asia / India ... Read more

Customer Reviews (1)

A great collection of Kipling's stories from India
This collection was first published in 1890, and is a collection of the stories in a few previous volumes -- the book that first made him famous, _Plain Tales from the Hills_, and other books of stories set in India. It isn't a *complete* collection, though, and several gems from those volumes (most notably the story _Lispeth_, which might be Kipling's single best short story) are absent.

The stories that are in here are good reading, though, and show Kipling at his ambiguous best -- at the same time the man who was considered to be Poet Laureate of the British Empire, and the man who declined it. There are a number of good stories in here, but I'd say start with _Plain Tales from the Hills_ before this, if only so you don't miss "Lispeth."

Stories included:

"The Finest Story in the World"
With the Main Guard
Wee Willie Winkie
The Rout of the White Hussars
AT Twenty-Two
The Courting of Dinah Shadd
The Story of Muhammad Din
In Flood Time
My Own True Ghost Story'
The Big Drunk Draf'
By Word of Mouth
The Drums of the Fore and Aft
The Sending of Dana Da
On the City Wall
The Broken-Link Handicap
On Greenhow Hill
To Be Filed for Reference
The Man Who Would Be King
The Gate of the Hundred Sorrows
The Incarnation of Krishna Mulvaney
His Majesty the King
The Strange Ride of Morrowbie Jukes
In the House of Suddhoo
Black Jack
The Taking of Lungtungpen
The Phantom Rickshaw
On the Strength of a Likeness
Private Learoyd's Story
Wressley of the Foreign Office
The Solid Muldoon
The Three Musketeers
Beyond the Pale
The God from the Machine
The Daughter of the Regiment
The Madness of Private Ortheris
L'Envoi ... Read more

Product Description
This book was converted from its physical edition to the digital format by a community of volunteers. You may find it for free on the web. Purchase of the Kindle edition includes wireless delivery. ... Read more

Product Description
The book has no illustrations or index. Purchasers are entitled to a free trial membership in the General Books Club where they can select from more than a million books without charge. Subjects: Fiction / Classics; Fiction / Fantasy / General; Fiction / Fairy Tales, Folklore ... Read more

Customer Reviews (14)

"The Sword Gave the Treasure, and the Treasure Gave the Law..."
"Puck of Pook's Hill" is certainly not as famous as Rudyard Kipling's earlier works The Jungle Book (Unabridged Classics), Captains Courageous, or even The Complete Stalky and Co. (Oxford World's Classics). First published in 1906, it was his final novel (only an anthology of short stories came after it) and it is certainly an odd specimen of a book.

Siblings Una and Dan are in the right place at the right time when they perform their abridged version of "A Midsummer Night's Dream" and find that they have unknowingly called up the very cheerful, very *English* spirit of Puck. Puck (also known as Robin Goodfellow) introduces Dan and Una to a variety of figures that he plucks out of time in order to tell tales of England's history to the children. These include a Norman knight, a Roman legionary and a Jewish money-lender, all of whom lived and participated in turning-points of English history, such as the Norman Conquest, the defense of Hadrian's Wall and the signing of the Magna Carter.

It is not an adventure story, as one might expect from Kipling's previous works of fiction, rather it is made up of episodic stories told by the visitors from England's past. Framed by the fairytale-esque meeting with Puck, the bulk of the novel concerns the stories told in first-person narrative to the children. Dan and Una are passive listeners, though we do get some glimpses of the world through their eyes, as we discover that they've given nicknames to most of the landmarks around their home. This links into the general theme of the book as a whole: that of the consistency and changefulness of England itself. One can sense Kipling's great love of the country in the way with which he describes it: full of mystery and beauty.

The most interesting fragments are Puck's abridged history on his own people, the fairies or "People of the Hills" as he prefers. As someone who dislikes the sweet and precious portrayal of fairies that became so prevalent during and after the Victorian Era, I got a kick out of Puck's opinion on the matter: "the People of the Hills don't care to be confused with that painty-winged, wand-waving, sugar-and-shake-your-head set of imposters!"

Also interesting are several recognizable elements that pop up later in the works of C.S. Lewis. Lewis, the author of "The Chronicles of Narnia" once cited Rudyard Kipling as an inspiration to him, and there are several passages that have a familiar echo of his later books. Puck calls the children "Son of Adam and Daughter of Eve," for example, and particular emphasis is put on the village of Pevensey, where most of the historical action takes place. Perhaps the surname of "Pevensie" for Peter, Susan, Edmund and Lucy was derived from this - it seems a rather large coincidence otherwise!

But by today's standards, it's difficult to tell whether it still has appeal and relevance for a general reading audience. The language has certainly dated, and it's undeniable that the story itself is unusual, with none of the timelessness of The Jungle Book (Unabridged Classics). It's almost as if Kipling had a range of unconnected stories concerning English history that he wanted told, and so used the conceit of Puck as a vehicle in presenting them (along with a series of poems interspersed between chapters, many of which are lovely, and yet still rather piecemeal). However, as a classic book of early children's literature it is very valuable, and open-minded children may find it intriguing, particularly those who are showing the early signs of being future history-buffs.

Factual and fanciful
With all the renewed interest in fantasy over the past decade, the 102 year old historical fantasy, Puck of Pook's Hill, deserves consideration. Two early 20th century children, living in Pevensey, England, have a chance encounter with the legendary Puck, who undertakes to bring them a series of first hand accounts of the history of their region. Puck introduces them to eye witnesses to such events as the Norman Conquest, the waning of the Roman occupation, and the dissolution of the monasteries. As the historic individuals relate their tales, they are suitable impressed with the children's abilities to resolve some of the mysteries that were not understood in their times. The selections of Kipling's poetry that accompany each chapter are related thematically, and pleasingly rhythmic. Recommended for grade level 4 and up through adults.

Fantasy precursor to 'The Hobbit' -- a found treasure!
Marvellous!

In a word, that's my feeling about Puck of Pook's Hill (Dover Value Editions). I'll get into the actual story in just a moment but I first wanted to make some general observations about this terrific work of fantasy.

Kipling harbored a kid's imagination for fantasy stories and a sociology professor's knowledge of history, especially concerning 19th Century England and its colonies. Kipling lived from 1865-1936 and, of course, he generated a plethora of superb period literature including The Jungle Books (Oxford World's Classics), The Man Who Would Be King (Dodo Press), and Kim. The thread so common to the bulk of Kipling's work seems to be ADVENTURE, a theme in which he excelled beyond most other authors, either then or now.

In "Puck" he achieved a level of historical imperative and nostalgic fantasy that was only ever paralleled by Lewis Carroll and J.R.R. Tolkien. This book is (for reasons unknown to me) a real sleeper -- you don't hear much about it either in academia or in bookstores, which is a tremendous shame given its refreshing effervescence and rainy-day appeal. I feel compelled to say that it would be infinitely helpful in digesting "Puck" if you're already somewhat tutored in the history of England and, if you're accustomed to reading the vernacular of other works of Kipling's era. I luckily have the 1987 Penguin softcover edition of this book (Goodwill Store, 50 cents) which is heavily footnoted and which also includes a lengthy, informative introduction to the book written by Sarah Wintle. There even a nice little "Map of the Weald" (Kipling's Sussex) which provides added perspective.

The ten "stories" from this book first appeared in "The Strand" in 1906 which were then illustrated by Claude A. Shepperson. Additionally, some of these entries were published in "Ladies Home Journal" and in "McClure's Magazine". The lion's share of the book is prose but most stories either begin or end with a poem such as "The Runes on Weyland's Sword," a title which reveals much of the flavour of the overall work.

THE STORY: On Midsummer Eve in a secluded meadow just below "Pook's Hill," a boy and his sister (Dan and Una, respectively) acted out their children's version of "A Midsummer Night's Dream," coincidentally, inside a fairy ring (of mushrooms). Such an act on the part of these two kids was surely bound to give rise to something very magical (although they never anticipated this possibility) and, in fact, it did. Shortly after their little theater, Puck appeared to them!

Puck is enigmatic, for human adults at least. While he's referred to at one point as a "faun," he seems to be part Leprechaun, part fairy, and part sorcerer. He purposefully engages in shrewd indirect speech which he knows will give rise to endless questions from Dan and Una, thus allowing him to spin his yarns and to bring forth historic figures of The Weald, one after another, over a period of days. He's also capable of conjuring a little spell which has the net effect of eliminating his actuality from the minds of the children after each day's storytelling.

Puck brings on a Roman Centurion (who guarded England), a Norman Knight, a Renaissance artisan, Saxons, Picts, Norsemen (Vikings), a Chinese slave-master and many others, each of whom imparts his respective piece of England's history. There's even a dark adventure tale about a maritime journey along the African coast in search of gold where, of course, devilish monsters were encountered and a horrific battle ensued. Dan and Una are shrewdly drawn into each of these sojourns by Puck as if they had themselves been there.

In summary, if you have so far missed this most excellent proto-Hobbitish legend of ancient England and beyond, my personal opinion is that you cannot order this book fast enough. I give it my highest recommendation, especially for fans of either Alice's Adventures in Wonderland and Through the Looking Glass (Signet Classics) or The Lord of the Rings. 3 Vol. Set.

Fantasy history of Britain
Puck of Pook's Hill is Rudyard Kipling's attempt to convey British history in a unique way--as a kind of fantasy told to two small children.The children, Dan and Una, participate in a performance of Shakespeare's Midsummer Night's Dream, and then come across an elf (Puck) who claims to be from a nearby hill (Pook's Hill). Over a series of nine chapters characters appear from British history to relate stories of their experiences to the children. The children, of course are in awe and wonder at these tales. Each chapter also begins and ends with a song.

The first series of chapters deals with the adventures of Sir Richard Dalyngridge who came to England with William the Conquerer. In this story we also meet the heroic Saxon Hugh and De Aquilla the Norman warlord.Sir Richard and Hugh go on grand adventures involving being caputred by pirates and get a large quantity of gold. It is the stuff of Peter Pan and such fantasy adventures.

The second story returns to Roman times and here we meet Parnesius, a Roman centurion and other figures from that time. The story involves fighting between the Romans and a group called the "Winged Hats," as well as the internal intrigues within the Roman ranks.

While several other stories provide information on different aspects of British history, these two stories form the main part of the book.

It is hard to rate this book as it will have a strong appeal for some people--children interested in fantasy and history and adults with an interest in Great Britain. For others it may not be very interesting.

Read it anyway, but don't give it to the kids without a warning.
Most of this book is worth reading as fantasy fiction, and all of it is worth studying as an example of late Victorian attitudes. Kipling didn't handle the transitions between "fantasy" and "reality" as well as modern writers who specialize in this sort of thing, but he did pretty well. However ... every time I read this to enjoy the adventures of Dan and Una, I trip up on the character of the medieval Jew who has an inborn, racial "talent for gold."While I don't usually think books should be updated or abridged for modern readers, I would consider excising just a few sentences of this one before letting a child read it.

I recall the comments of a Chinese-American reader who discovered that the beloved Louisa May Alcott used some demeaning stereotypes of Chinese people: Suddenly, one is cast out of the category of "reader" into the category of "other," and one never quite comes back. ... Read more

Product Description
In this sumptuous volume, eight of Kipling's playful, inventive tales are brought to life by eight of today's most celebrated illustrators, from Peter Sis's elegantly graphic cetacean in "How the Whale Got His Throat" to Satoshi Kitamura's amusingly expressive characters in "The Cat That Walked by Himself."This collection of pourquoi tales is sure to please and delight curious children everywhere who wonder, "Why won't cats come when they're called?" and "How did the rhinoceros get his wrinkly skin?"First told aloud to his owndaughter, Rudyard Kipling's inspired answers to these and other burning questions draw from the fables he heard as a child in India and the folktales he gathered from around the world.

"How the Whale Got His Throat"

Illustrated by Peter Sis

"How the Camel Got His Hump"

Illustrated by Clare Melinsky

"How the Rhinoceros Got His Skin"

Illustrated by Christopher Corr

"How the Leopard Got His Spots"

Illustrated by Cathy Felstead

"The Elephant's Child"

Illustrated by Louise Voce

"The Sing-Song of Old Man Kangaroo"

Illustrated by Jeff Fisher

"The Beginning of the Armadillos"

Illustrated by Jane Ray

"The Cat That Walked by Himself"

Illustrated by Satoshi Kitamura ... Read more

Customer Reviews (9)

Gotta Love Kipling
Our family has loved this book, the stories are, of course, wonderful - fun for parents to read and fun for kids to listen to.With at least one illustration per page and lots of full page illustrations, the pictures help keep our 3 year old's interest.And you wouldn't believe the vocabulary words a 3 year old can learn from great stories like these!

Just so Stories
The collection of stories on how the world began is so good, that I bought three. One for my youngest child and one for each daughter to read to their children.
The rhythm of reading the stories aloud is wonderful, I even read one of the stories in my college speech class and when I looked up everyone was sitting there opened mouthed. My son is now twelve and he still loves reading these wonderful tales by Rudyard Kipling. Classic!

This is an abridged version, not the real deal!
I bought this book a couple of years ago. It wasn't until recently, when I was leafing through a very old copy that I found on my shelves that I realized that this book does not contain the following stories that were in the original: How the First Letter was Written; How the Alphabet was Made; The Crab that Played with the Sea; and the Butterfly that Stamped.

In particular, the Crab and the Butterfly are two of the finest Just so Stories and should not be missed.I certainly would not have bought this book had I known it was an abridged version.I suppose that's why the publishershave cleverly entitled this book a "collection".What's an added disappointment is that there is no indication or explanation anywhere in this book regarding the excluded stories--though I can guess at the reasons.

If I were buying, I'd look for a complete edition.

My children LOVE this book!
I cannot speak highly enough about this wonderful book. It is meant to be read just as it is written and I started reading it to my twin boys when they were 4 years old. Immersing them in such beautiful language is such a gift. They never get tired of hearing the same stories over and over, especially "The Elephant's Child" with his satiable curtiosity! I particularly like this edition of it, because the illustrations are vibrant and interesting, without the book costing a fortune. Each story is very creative and I don't find it offensive at all. It was written in 1900, for crying out loud, and those kids turned out just fine, if you ask me.When your child gets to the stage where they never stop asking questions, you will especially enjoy the accompanying poem at the end of Elephant's Child. This is an absolute must have in any home library. When you read it, just make sure you use your funny voices to make the characters come alive.

My son loved this book
I don't understand the other comment about not being appropriate for children because my son loved it! A friend gave me this book when my son was 3 years old. I went through it first, to see what the stories were like, before reading any to him. He was used to all the Disney stories up until then, but really liked the stories in this book. This was back in 1989 and 1990. His favorite was "How the Rhinoceros Got His Skin." Unfortunately, I sold the book when I moved so now have to buy a new copy that I will give to a friend having a baby. My son still remembers this book and how much fun it was to listen to the stories. ... Read more

Product Description
Introduction by Robert Gottlieb ... Read more

Customer Reviews (6)

Victorian Nostalgia
Kipling, to me, represents the closing chapter of the British Empire. All the great culture and adventure that Victorian England produced was then being slowly drawn back. Kipling's stories are earthy, human, and not easily understood these days.

His short stories are easily read in one sitting and so you can pick through to find something for that moment.
Much would not be considered politically correct, but that's what makes it great.

Wonderful Library Addition
Very nicely bound handsome edition with wonderful stories.I cannot wait to dig in.I am 65 and have not read Kipling's stories for 40 years (college).My all time favorite book as a child was Rikki Tikki Tavi and from there I became a Kipling fan.

A warning about the title
The title is a lie: this is not even close to being Kipling's collected stories. It is a selection, and an excellent one. If you want all of Kipling's stories, you'll have to look elsewhere. If you want a good place to find the best of them, this is the book to have.

Excellent, for the most part
There is no question that Kipling was an incredibly talented writer and this collection includes 40 of his best stories.The stories are evidently in chronological order, beginning with his tales of India and, as pointed out by another reviewer, they cover a wide range of subjects.The breadth of this collection really showcases Kipling's ability to write dialogue in the vernacular for characters as disparate as Indian tribesmen, Englishmen (and women) of various social classes and ages, and even a few ancient Romans.

This collection does, however, have its faults.The first is that the writing is very difficult to follow in some places.A few (brief) sections of dialogue are so obscure as to be unintelligible, at least to the modern reader.There are also (very occasionally) passages such as this one: "In the Mediterranean (Nile keeping always her name) there is but one river-that shifty-mouthed Danube, where she works through her deltas into the Black Sea.", which are needlessly opaque.The vast majority of the book is very lucid, but every so often I did find myself having to reread the last few lines to try to decipher what Kipling intended to convey.

The other thing that I did not particularly like were some of the stories that Kipling wrote later in his life (e.g. "The Gardener", "Mary Postgate", "The Wish House").While these stories are often considered his best, I found them a bit on the gloomy side; his Indian tales were much more enjoyable to read.In my opinion, "The Gardener" is a meandering over-rated tale and the ending of "Mary Postgate" is annoyingly vague.

Most of the stories in this collection were enjoyable to read, and all are excellently written.I highly recommend it.

One of the finest writers ever
Kipling is little appreciated today, and that's a shame, because he was one of the finest short-story writers the world has ever produced. The closest word I can find to describe his stories is "hynotic." Such an imagination...many of the stories are understated horror and fantasy: stories of talking trains, of wild rides that end up in hellish worlds, of frighteningly realistic curses by man-beasts. Some are truly puzzling, such as "The Gardener." Some are obviously (and disturbingly) autobiographical ("Baa Baa Black Sheep"). Kipling strikes a note few writers can: his stories can be enjoyed (and enjoyed immensely) by both children and adults. These are the kinds of stories that children love having read to them. They always clamor for more. ... Read more

Product Description
Mark Twain once famously said "there was but one solitary thing about the past worth remembering, and that was the fact that it is past and can't be restored."  Well, over recent years, The British Library, working with Microsoft has embarked on an ambitious programme to digitise its collection of 19th century books.

There are now 65,000  titles available  (that's an incredible 25 million pages) of material ranging from works by famous names such as  Dickens, Trollope and Hardy as well as many forgotten literary gems , all of which can now be printed on demand and purchased right here on Amazon.

Further information on The British Library and its digitisation programme can be found on The British Library website. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (7)

A terrific introduction to Kipling (Penguin softcover details)
Here we have a compendium of forty-two brief (3-8 pages each) tales of Colonial life, and originally targeted for those already familiar with an existence in India. Most of these charming stories were originally published in the Lahore "Civil and Military Gazette" (1888) but Kipling subsequently revised the tales (1890, as "Plain Tales from the Hills"), injecting them with more of the details and flavours of India so that the folks back in England could cognitively read of the Empire in the East.

Featured are highlights of the lives of the British soldiers in late 19th-Century (Colonial) India as well as those of their wives, lovers, Indian associates, and even their horses. Kipling punctuates levity and outrageous behavior with sorrow and humility. He knew quite truly that one cannot cast shadows without light.

Kipling's writings are much akin to tales scribed by eastern European and Middle-Eastern Arab and Persian authors: ergo, he told each of his stories as the details entered his head with an eye to the journey rather than to the destination. Here you will find an odd mesh of the subtle wit of Anatole France ( A Mummer's Tale / The Red Lily (The Irresistible Stories of Anatole France series, Vol. 6) ) meshed with a Dostoyevsky-ish slant on man's dark side (The Brothers Karamazov.) These encounters are all quite savory and gratifying to the avid reader of classic literature.

Various critics have remarked on Kipling's insensitivity toward foreign cultures but, given that he wrote these tales more than 100 years ago, I see this commentary as a revisionist posture -- Kipling's views on ethnicity were shared by most of the English peoples of his era.

I should also mention that the insightful and informative introduction written in the Penguin softcover edition by David Trotter prepares one to great advantage in digesting Kipling.

Highly recommended.

Great stories, decent edition
The stories are wonderful.I've read a decent amount of Kipling and am always pleased to find more of them.This particular collection contains a bunch of really charming tales that range from funny through tragic.These types of short stories remind me why I love Kipling so much.As with all Kipling, it's worth noting that he was a product of his time and some of his writing could be considered offensive to the modern reader.

This particular Kindle version is quite good with proper formatting and few if any typos.My only complaint (and only reason that this lacks a full 5 stars) is the lack of hyper-links in the Table of Contents.This makes it very difficult to jump to specific short stories.

Nostalgia for 60 year olds
I bought this book to recall the halcyon days of my secondary schooling in the years 1957 - 61. Then the book was an assigned text for all students in English in New Zealand. The language and the concepts were then frankly beyond the comprehension of 15 year olds. As I grew older, I became aware of the position Kipling held in the Late Victorian era, and the period following the end of the First World War.

I came to understand a little of what the British Empire meant in those times, and the great debt owed by the world to the British Army which subdued Iraq, Pakistan, and the Indian Continent for almost 200 years.

Without the benefit of the bomb, with a tiny armed service, and a desire to provide fair and equitable government, the Raj governed fearlessly through the efforts of the thirds sons of many of the great English Families, while the fourth sons provided the humanity of the Church. Patterns we could well emulate again today!

This was bread and butter to Kipling. In his early years as a huge supporter of the system, as a spiritualist after the death of his son in the First World War, and in his later years as the designer of the huge Military Cemetaries established in France and Belgium after the War to the Empire's dead, he truly became in his own words a "Builder of the Silent Cities".

In 2006, the concepts of his writings are remote from many. In terms of the trials of people, and their attempts to rise over their circumstances through a sense of duty and moral propriety, Kipling's works are without peer. For those starting out to discover him, start with "Stalky and Company", and move to this book, and his other works as extended learning. I hope you come to love his simple characters as I have, and that your School System, and its weird sense of Boyhood Literature does not destroy the desire to read Kipling until your late 60's

This book has brought great joy to someone in the prime of life, and brings back some important memories of Scouts, Church and Honour in a time when these are so sadly lacking.

handle with care
A fine collection of extremely well-crafted stories.
But these pages are crammed with racism, with remarks on the worthlessness of a native indian's life, their stupidity and their weakness.
One of the stories starts with "we are a high-caste and enlightened race", any man who shows interest in the ways of life of the natives is ridiculed over pages and the only remark on the death of a native child is: "They have no stamina, these brats."
Well written, but disgusting.

Yesterday�s Fad, Today�s Flat Beer
I believe Kipling was wildly popular in his day.This collection of stories about English life in India may have entranced the masses and sold a lot of newspapers in the first decade of the 20th century, but in the context of almost exactly a hundred years later, they have lost most of their shine.While Kipling might have been the foremost raconteur of British India, compared to great short story writers like Chekhov, de Maupassant, or Twain, he comes across today as coy and contrived.Certain phrases make their appearance in far too many of the tales, for example:"Once there was a....but that's another story."Cute kids, the wisdom of animals, the wiles of the fair sex, the unfathomable nature of "natives", gruff officers, perfect ladies, the one-dimensional earthiness of the common soldier---these are stories filled with stereotypes.Kipling's stories may hold your interest for a short time and you can wonder at the change in taste that has occurred between 1907, when he published these, and today.In many tales, Kipling depicts the lifestyle among the higher echelons of the British Raj, but only through a veil of irony or humor.A regular topic is the struggle for social status among the British; efforts to short circuit the pecking order and reversals suffered thereby.People marrying "beneath them" or trying to marry "above them" are often found here.Though people still refer to Kipling as "a writer about India", it is still true that he wrote about his compatriots, not about India.The two or three tales with Indian characters who are anything other than servants lack any depth.Even the pathos-filled "Story of Muhammad Din", which shows understanding, ultimately deals with illness as something inevitable in India---there are no questions as to why death comes to small children so frequently.Overall, Kipling provides a certain local color to British literature of the late 19th and early 20th century, but cannot be regarded as a great British writer on the level of Maugham, Conrad, Lawrence, Forster or Greene because he lacks broader humanity, deep thought, and universal vision. ... Read more

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Customer Reviews (9)

Kim: a classic story for the ages
This classic story of a young English boy's coming of age in India is a tale for all ages and all times. Kipling's young hero becomes the dedicated disciple of an ancient, wandering Tibetan monk in search of a legendary river which will wash all of his sins away. Our young hero has a quest as well, and its coming about thrusts him into a different world entirely. Their adventures unfold on the Grand Trunk Road, taking them across the vast subcontinent and introducing readers to a broad cross-section of Indian life and its people at the turn of the 20th century. How Kim resolves the inherent inconsistencies of his life choices is a fascinating process, and the story ends too soon--we find ourselves wishing for it never to end. You will want to reread this wonderfully written book over and over, and find new levels of understanding and pleasure with each reading.

you should read it
Kim is an amazing book. No, there isn't any racism in this book. Kim, in a way, is both English and Indian, so he both makes fun of and reveres both nationalities. The author is the same way. Though this book starts out a little slow, don't give up after only the first chapter! This is a beautify written book, with unique characters and believable events. So believable, in fact, that sometimes I wondered if certain things in this book really did happen. However, this book can be hard to understand. I would not recommend reading it aloud, and it is definitely a high-school-level-and-up book. If you don't understand a paragraph when you first read it, don't get frustrated. Keep reading and it will eventually become clear. All in all, I definitely recommend this book.

Masterpiece
Kim is without a doubt a masterpiece of literature that helped Kipling get his Nobel Prize for literature.
Yes, the plot does sem to be moving slowly at times, but one must read the book with 19th century India in mind, and not modern day Hollywood action films. It is said that Kim can be read many times and each time the story appears in a different light. There are many different layers to this book and the action lying at the surface is just that: the surface. For a deeper understanding and enjoyment of this work one needs to take one's time.
If you prefer something simpler that is more of a pageturner you may try The Drum, The Broken Road and The Young Rajah: Adventures in India.

a victorian jewel
Kim is to me the epitome ofthe intelligent adventure story. Written in the somewhat lofty style of the Victorian era, it will make some demands on your concentration. This is not an action-adventure type tale on the order of the Tarzan stories of Burroughs, but a true work of literature where the action is as much cerebral as it is physical. Though the title character,Kim, is a boy, this is by no means juvenile fiction. Kim is an extremely intelligent little street urchin whose deeper character has not yet become set. He has the potential to achieve excellence in many different fields, and on the streets he has already been exposed to many of the evil possibilities. His encounter with his long-lost European heritage opens up a vastly larger arena of opportunity for a youngster of his capabilities. Another influence for which he develops a deep-seated devotion is the noble, ethereal Tibetan "holy one" whose purity of spirit inspires Kim to be his "chela", or disciple. Except for his association with the Teshoo Lama, Kim is not offered anything for free. His other associates, even the British, are interested in Kim only in so far as he is useful to them in their "Great Game"; that is, the swirl of intrigue involving espionage and counter-espionage as the imperial powers pursue their designs on that part of Asia. Kim knows the world is indifferent to his fate, but he is happy to partake of the great game not only of the British, but of life itself, with only his own ingenuity, bravery, and gift of gaining the friendship of wise teachers, to sustain him in an environment full of sinister possibilities. Kipling has given us a picture of India and its peoples of that time that is richly colorful and could only have come from one who had keenly observed them first-hand. It is a deeply satisfying adventure story with strong spiritual overtones. The respect and reverence shown for the cultures and religions of the East are a backdrop to all the other ingredients that make this a masterpiece.

kim
Although I had to read this book for a class I enjoyed it. It was a fun read and easy to follow.I recommend it to anyone interested in Indian history. ... Read more

Product Description
This complete collection of Kipling's verse will delight enthusiastic and devoted readers of Kipling everywhere. The only trade edition of complete poems by Kipling. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (9)

The Empire's Poet
Rudyard Kipling, probably best known as a fiction author, was also an excellent and prolific poet.While his poetry is often dismissed as second rate by today's literary scholars, this seems to be the result of his chosen subject matter, the glory and righteousness as well as the human cost of the British Empire, as much as by his utilization of traditional rhyme and meter which offends English teachers' notions that literature must explore new forms in order to be worth studying.I, and many other unreconstructed fans of Kipling, appreciate his elegant, lyric, yet evocative style coupled with unforgettable characters.

Kipling is probably at his best writing about soldiers or sailors who are struggling with the reality of a world that is so big and dangerous that it's hard to keep ahead of it.He is also a master of the dialects of India as well as of England and Scotland.His chief engineer of the Mary Gloster, in "McAndrew's Hymn," virtually created the stereotype of the Scottish ship's engineer later mined by Gene Roddenberry of "Star Trek" fame. His "Ballad of East and West" shows a broad, humanistic notion of chivalry when a British officer chases an Afghan bandit and they end up parting on terms of mutual respect.In "The Destroyers" he recognizes the creation of a new warship type that would be "the Choosers of the Slain" up to the present day -- writing two years after the first one was commissioned!

In this collection it's all here, in readably-sized type.If you're seeking a particular favorite, however, organization is weak considering the sheer number of peoms included.The basic organization is chronological, but for some reason there are frequent exceptions.The year of a poem is sometimes shown underneath the title but just as often not.I would have preferred keeping some of the traditional collections like "Barrack-Room Ballads," his Indian Army works from the enlisted-men's point of view, together. The table of contents is alphabetical by title.There is an index by first lines as well, but if you just remember a few phrases, or have some idea of the date of a poem, you'll have to work harder to find it.Nevertheless, I recommend this book.

In my own library it replaces a well-thumbed, leather-bound volume I inherited, published in 1901.

He may be non PC but he knew what he wa talking about
The Man knew more about Soldiers and soldiering than most Generals today. His line "here lies a fool who tried to hustle the East" has more wisdom in those few lines than most books.
If you want a realistic look at how life is as opposed to the way you want it to be, do a Recon on the Old Boy.

Kipling as he is
Well, Kipling rocks. "The white Man's burden" tells you all about development assistance - nothing changes;)

A comprehensive collection
... Collections of Kipling's poems have been published many times over the years, but many of them were not complete. This collection includes many not found elsewhere. Many of his poems are about the British Army or the British Empire, but there are also poems on other topics. Some of Kipling's poems are better known than others, e.g., "Gunga Din." A few have been set to music, e.g., "Mandalay" and "Gentlemen-Rankers." In some cases, particular lines are well known such as, "Oh, East is East, and West is West, and never the twain shall meet (from "The Ballad of East and West") or "the Colonel's Lady and Judy O'Grady are sisters under their skins" (from "The Ladies). Some of the poems were concerned with the poor treatment of British soldiers for whom Kipling was a champion, including "Shillin' a Day," "Back to the Army Again," "The Last of the Light Brigade," and "Tommy" ("I went into a public 'ouse to get a pint of beer, the publican 'e up an' sez, 'we serve no redcoats here' ").

Overall, it is a good, wide-ranging collection of poetry covering an extended time period. The collection is recommended for all age groups, although some poems might have to be explained to children. The poems were written at a different time in history, and readers should be aware that some of them may express prejudices and language of that period ("for she knifed me one night, 'cause I wished she was white, and I learned about women from 'er," from "The Ladies")

Raw, Untarnished Kipling!
Much ado has been made lately about Kipling, mainly due to a resurgence of affection for poems like The White Man's Burden.Although this has been brought on by the war on terrorism, Kipling's work will brave the tests of time granting him immortality.

Some reviewers have criticized the organization of Complete Verse.The table of contents lists all 500 or so poems in alphabetical order, and the editor provides an index of first lines.What the reader does not get is a scholar's interpretation of Kipling's prose.Although sometimes I enjoy reading another's perspective on the author's intentions, why bias my own experience with the thoughts of another critic?Much better to walk the fields of verse on a virgin path, experiencing Kipling through my own mind.

A great compilation of poetry from a splendid author.Bravo! ... Read more

Product Description
Arranged in the order of their original publication and written during Kipling's time as a journalist in India, these seventeen short stories explore the themes of isolation and abandonment and the effects of the Indian caste system on society.Along with the title piece, the volume includes "Gemini," "A Wayside Comedy," "The Hill of Illusion," "Only a Subaltern," "Baa, Baa, Black Sheep," "Black Jack," and others. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (5)

Worth it just for page 604
The poems are great. There's nothing quite like an English poem. The Recessional is a hymn sung in churches around the world, but most have left off the last two verses. Not exactly PC and all, he describes the closing of a great era and the forgetting of the god who made them great.

Of course, the poem of Gunga Din reveals a somewhat darker side to this golden age and needs to be understood for what it is. And, it's not my place to make anyone understand what that is, is.

All that said, Kipling is a thrill to read as he plunges you into the gritty heat and sweat of war, exploration, and empire.

The Increasingly-Forgotten Forefather
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.

One of the Greats
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.

Kipling's stories and poems
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'smost 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

An excellent introductory sample of Kipling's work.
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 storiesincluded are generally well-chosen.They span Kipling's entire literarycareer and range of subjects, from early stories of India to a 1930'sscience-fiction story.I particularly enjoyed the hilarious "Villagethat Voted the Earth was Flat", the interview with Mark Twain (aclassic), and the devious "Dayspring Mishandled", which were newto me.I was also introduced to the author's series of stories of PrivatesOrtheris, Mulvaney, and Learoyd by this book.I had previously read"Stalky and Company", and this was like "Stalky and Co. Jointhe Army".However, several amusing favorites from other books weremissing, such as "The Ship That Found Herself" and the storyabout the Army's animals talking to each other.If you haven't read muchKipling and would like to be introduced to this teller of tales, by allmeans get this book.If you have read Kipling, be sure to give the Tableof Contents a scan for stories you might have missed. ... Read more

Product Description
How did the camel get his hump?Why won't cats do as they are told? How did an inquisitive little elephant change the lives of elephants everywhere?Kipling's imagined answers to such questions draw on the beast fables of India, and they are full of jokes, subtexts, and exotic references. This fully illustrated edition of this classic includes two extra stories and Kipling's own explanation of the title. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (1)

A quite interesting book
This is indeed a quite interesting book, the best story for me is The Butterfly That Stamped.

On the other hand, I was surprised by the author's great patience in writing How the Alphabet Was Made. ... Read more

Product Description
Beloved for his fanciful and engrossing children’s literature, controversial for his enthusiasm for British imperialism, Rudyard Kipling remains one of the most widely read writers of Victorian and modern English literature. In addition to writing more than two dozen works of fiction, including Kim and The Jungle Book, Kipling was a prolific poet, composing verse in every classical form from the epigram to the ode.

Kipling’s most distinctive gift was for ballads and narrative poems in which he drew vivid characters in universal situations, articulating profound truths in plain language. Yet he was also a subtle, affecting anatomist of the human heart, and his deep feeling for the natural world was exquisitely expressed in his verse. He was shattered by World War I, in which he lost his only son, and his work darkened in later years but never lost its extraordinary vitality.

All of these aspects of Kipling’s poetry are represented in this selection, which ranges from such well-known compositions as “Mandalay” and “If” to the less-familiar, emotionally powerful, and personal epigrams he wrote in response to the war. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (1)

This is my kind of poetry
Rudyard Kipling was an Anglo-Indian during the reign of Queen Victoria and the high tide of the British Empire. His poems about life in India and the lives of soldiers are profound, humorous and sometimes borderline seditious but always entertaining. I enjoyed this book immensely in my first reading and will enjoy it many times in the future I'm sure. It has my favorite poem, "Tommy," and before this book I didn't even HAVE a favorite poem! ... Read more

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Customer Reviews (2)

"If" is included
Perhaps the above reveiw was for a different book of Kipling's poems. There are no illustrations besides the cover art, and Kipling's famous "If" poem is thankfully included. The book is lightweight andsmall enough to fit in a purse or briefcase easily. The cover is pleasingand the margins inside are generous. In all, well laid out and good to havearound.

Kiplings Poems...
I thought it was a poor selsction, without his most famous, "If" included. The illustrations were like those from a newspaper, and it's overall content was not great. ... Read more

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This unique anthology of Kipling's war stories and poems provides critical comment on the ineptitude of the British in the Boer War.Including such stories as "Barrack-Room Ballads," this work provides tales of courage and adventure, as well as shameful episodes of retreat and failure. ... Read more

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Rudyard Kipling's Captains Courageous follows fifteen year old Harvey Cheyne Jr through his trials and tribulations. As the son of a wealthy railroad tycoon, Harvey is spoiled and largely unaware of the ways of the world. When he is stranded on the shore of the Grand Banks after having been washed overboard from his transatlantic steamship, he meets the Captain of We're Here and has no choice to accept a position on his ship. Harvey's adventures on the ship teach him about industry and consideration for others while Kipling weaves in themes of class differences and humility. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (44)

More Cod Than Courage
The very title, "Captains Courageous," has rung in my ears from childhood. It conjures images of pirates, sharks, whales, mutiny and derring-do, and skulduggery upon the high seas. Under 150 pages, I figured it would be a fast read.

Kipling tells a good tale here, and he paints vivid characters with salty dialect and attention to fishing details. Young Harvey goes overboard from an ocean liner, grieved by his millionaire parents, but rescued by a passing schooner. He soon finds himself working the decks and dories of the ship "We're Here," while befriending Dan, the son of memorable Disko Troop. He grows up while on the seas, gets his hands roughened, and his spirit strengthened.

This is no grand adventure, though. Most of the action is told by fishermen gathered after a hard day's work. I kept waiting for something frightening, suspenseful, or heroic, but instead I grew more familiar with the fishing tactics of the late 1800s. While it does have its moments of interest, and the research seems complete, "Captains Courageous" seemed to have more cod-fishing than courage on display.

In the end, both young and old learn lessons from Harvey's time at sea, and they are all the better for it. Honestly, though, I'm surprised this story has stood the test of time as well as the much more interesting "The Jungle Book."

No Pirates; Spoiled Brat Comes of Age with Earthy Fishermen
For a better experience, watch the movie instead. This 'classical' work is full of accents (o -> aou, as in naouw rather than now) and nautical jargon. Deciphering them detracts from the experience of reading.Be prepared to skim.

Harvey Cheyne falls off his cruise line and gets picked up by poor fishermen. They don't believe he's rich and make him work, beating the bad habits out of him (violence solves problems, nice life lesson). Harvey accepts his situation unrealistically fast. The major conflict is over within twenty-five pages, and swiftly the novel is reduced to a tedium of everyday life on a fishing boat circa 1890, English waters. The other high point (near the end) is Harvey having a heart-to-heart talk with his Dad about his adventures.

A good beginning and end, but tedious middle.This is a window into old fisher customs, and not a coming-of-age novel (minor theme). As a man's man, Captain Long Jack finds his way into derivative works, and I was curious enough to read the original.This 'classic' work needs modern editing for readability and story flow.

An Inspired Adaptation of a Classic Coming of Age Adventure Tale
This could be a difficult book to adapt for a modern children's audience, in that the much of the setting unfortunately is outdated and perhaps not immediately relatable to the Ipod generation.

But the adaptation found here manages to score in all categories.Nicely edited for young audiences, and filled with illustrations, this book is great nighttime reading and will captivate boys of all ages.I spent more than a month reading this one with a few of my younger sons and they looked forward to it every night.A can't miss.

Beautiful book, IF you can read phonetics AND skim
This is a great book with a classic theme - and a fantastic depiction of a long-gone time and place.In a nutshell:the rich, snotty, spoiled, neglected teenager who's never done a day's work in his life falls off his Atlantic ocean-liner and ends up rescued by a tough, working-class fishing schooner where they refuse to believe he's rich, refuse to take his nonsense, and instead impress him into work - and in so doing help him find his humanity.I love the theme not just for its overt message, but because of the metaphor it encapsulates:that anyone can blossom in the right environment.Kudos, Rudyard Kipling:not bad for a book written in 1897!

Now my complaints:

1) The book dragged, especially in the paunchy middle.Too often the drama faded and the story became an endless repetition of fisherman's chores.Here I skimmed, to little loss.

2) Many of the fisherman's stories made no sense to me, and it wasn't for lack of trying on my side.Frustrating!Many times I found myself wishing for textual annotations.

3) In that vein:I found a hefty chunk of the dialogue unreadable.I'm pretty good at reading phonetics, which helped a lot, but many times when I decoded a word it proved only to be obscure, archaic maritime vocabulary.

4) I get tired of books (modern or old) that extol violence as a necessary cure for spoiled kids.Yes, I understand how the captain punching the boy in the nose "worked" in this context, but violence proponents (and Kipling) too easily ignore the twisted motives hidden behind parental violence, not to mention the reality that violence ultimately begets resentment, primitiveness, and more violence.

You really learn about working life in those times
This is still a great book for young readers (and old ones) who want to know what working life was really like for some in the eastern U.S. and Canada a hundred years ago.No picnic.The great thing is seeing it all in a gripping, often amazing, based-on-fact tale that centers on several teenaged boys who are part of a crew of a New England fishing boat.Death, mayhem, hardship, struggle, grim lessons, ultimate triumph in its strange way--all here along with a great portrait of poor men from all parts scraping to make a living on the sea.For what it tells about our history and the kinds of life our great-grandfathers led, this is Kipling's best, in my opinion. ... Read more

Product Description
From ghost stories to psychological suspense, the complete horror and dark fantasy stories of Rudyard Kipling.
Rudyard Kipling, a major figure of English literature, used the full power and intensity of his imagination and his writing ability in his excursions into fantasy. Kipling is considered one of England's greatest writers, but was born in Bombay. He was educated in England, but returned to India in 1882, where he began writing fantasy and supernatural stories set in his native continent: "The Phantom Rickshaw," "The Strange Ride of Morrowbie Jukes," and his most famous horror story, "The Mark of the Beast" (1890). This masterwork collection, edited by Stephen Jones (Britain's most accomplished and acclaimed anthologist) for the first time collects all of Kipling's fantastic fiction, ranging from traditional ghostly tales to psychological horror.

... Read more

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The Bridge Builders; Captains Courageous; Just So Stories; The Phantom Rickshaw and Other Ghost Stories ... Read more

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A courageous mongoose thwarts the evil plans of Nag and Nagaina, two big black cobras who live in the garden. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (3)

Rikki Tikki Tavi is not Tikki Tikki Tembo
Like Heath, I also remembered two different books from my childhood that seemed to have the same title. After doing some research on the Internet I finally figured it out: There is this wonderful Kipling book about the mongoose and then there is the childrens' book Tikki Tikki Tembo by Arlene Mosel where poor little Chang falls into a well and his brother Tikki tikki tembo-no sa rembo-chari bari ruchi-pip peri pembo tries to save him but gets winded just trying to tell his name to the people he is asking for help. I too have memories of having this book read aloud to me in the library as a child.

One of the best children's stories ever
Everyone will love Rikki Tikki Tavi.He is cute and furry, he has been rescued from certain death by his humans, and best of all he fights snakes in a land where they are an everyday part of life - and death.

This is not just a story for children.The writing is sophisitcated enough to appeal to adults and is very funny in parts, and very touching in others.But it is a great story to share with children - it touches on all the things we want for our kids - strong and loyal friends, a protective and supportive family, and the ability to know when its time to stand up for yourself, and take risks if you need to.

It is a really wonderful story (as are all of Mr Kipling's - to be fair) but this is quite a masterpiece.Share it with a special child and enjoy it all the more.

wonderful children's book about a little mongoose....
i remember having this book read to me when i was a little boy, i think it was back in elementary school....we used to all go into the library, and the librarian had the little reader corner...... i think i even saw the video of this one too...watching the mongoose outsmart the snakes.....personally i recall that the mongoose was actually named something different, that went something like "rikki-tikki-tembo-nosarembo-charlie-barley-ruchi-pip-berry-pembo" - however noone that i've talked to remembers it that way, but i can't figure out how i could have made that one up.

anyway.....for all you adults out there, this one is a perfect reading for your kids when it's bedtime....they will get a little adventure, and a little mystery, but not enough to scare them or give them bad dreams :)

highly recommended for ages 4 to 6

Update: 3/10/2005
A wonderful person emailed me to validate my rememberance of the strange long name that I refer to above. After further investigation, I discovered where we remembered this from another book/story which Amazon has for sale as

Tikki Tikki Tembo:
Reading level: Ages 4-8
Hardcover: 32 pages hardcover
Publisher: Henry Holt and Co. (BYR) (March 15, 1968)
ISBN: 0805006621

or

Reading level: Baby-Preschool
Paperback: 32 pages (softcover)
Publisher: Henry Holt and Co. (BYR); Reissue edition (September 15, 1989)
ISBN: 0805011668

An exerpt from the book info (including correct spelling of the long name):
If you haven't already read Tikki Tikki Tembo, you've probably heard at least someone recite the deliriously long name of its protagonist: Tikki tikki tembo-no sa rembo-chari bari ruchi-pip peri pembo, by now a famous refrain in most nursery schools. ... Read more