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Rudyard Kipling (1865-1936) was an enthusiastic proponent of British imperialism and writer of poetry, short stories and novels. He was also the first English-language author to be awarded the Nobel Prize for Literature in 1907. Born in Bombay, India, Kipling was taken by his family to England when he was five years old. These contrasting environments preserved in the author nostalgia for the Eden-like setting of India, where he recalled family and friendly local servants doting upon him, and which set the stage for his popular tales like «The Jungle Book». Written while he was living in the lush, unspoiled countryside of Sussex in 1906, «Puck of Pook's Hill» tells a series of stories on the history of England through the voice of the Shakespearean elf, Puck. Puck appears to two children – Dan and Una – as they are playing in a meadow near their home, and recounts tales from the past 2000 years, much to the children's delight.

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"Just So Stories" is Rudyard Kipling's classic collection of animal fables and poetry. The following stories are included in the collection along with Kipling's original illustrations: How The Whale Got His Throat, How The Camel Got His Hump, How The Rhinoceros Got His Skin, How The Leopard Got His Spots, The Elephant's Child, The Sing-Song Of Old Man Kangaroo, The Beginning Of The Armadillos, How The First Letter Was Written, How The Alphabet Was Made, The Crab That Played With The Sea, The Cat That Walked By Himself, and The Butterfly That Stamped.

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"The Jungle Books", which includes Rudyard Kipling's «The Jungle Book» and «The Second Jungle Book» is a classic collection of fables with animal characters used to teach moral lessons. Among the most famous are the stories of Mowgli, a 'man-cub' raised by wolves in the Indian jungle; that of Rikki-Tikki-Tavi, a heroic mongoose; and 'Toomai of the Elephants', the story of a young elephant-handler. Interspersed with numerous poems «The Jungle Books» are regarded as some of Kipling's most memorable tales which will enchant and educate readers both young and old.

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"Captains Courageous" is the story of Harvey Cheyne, the spoiled son of a millionaire, who while aboard a luxury liner falls overboard. When Harvey is rescued by a passing fishing schooner Harvey asks the captain to return him to port. The captain refuses Harvey's request and instead puts him to work as a member of the crew. Captains Courageous is the story of an arrogant young man, who through hard work learns the value of a job well done, and the honor, bravery and loyalty among men. Kipling's tale is an exciting sea adventure with an important moral lesson.

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"The Man Who Would be King and Other Stories" is a classic collection of some of the most loved short stories of Rudyard Kipling. Contained here in this volume are the following short stories: The Strange Ride of Morrowbie Jukes; The Phantom 'Rickshaw; Gemini; A Wayside Comedy; At Twenty-Two; The Education of Otis Yeere; The Hill of Illusion; Dray Wara Yow Dee; The Judgment of Dungara; With the Main Guard; In Flood Time; Only a Subaltern; Baa Baa, Black Sheep; At the Pit's Mouth; Black Jack; On the City Wall; and The Man Who Would be King.

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"The Jungle Book" is Rudyard Kipling's classic collection of jungle tales in which we first meet Mowgli, a child lost in the jungles of India and raised by a pack of wolves. To survive in the jungle Mowgli most learn from the animals to abide by the law of the jungle. One of the most popular collection of short stories for children ever written, «The Jungle Book» is a collection of the following tales: Mowgli's Brothers, Kaa's Hunting, «Tiger! Tiger!», The White Seal, «Rikki-Tikki-Tavi», Toomai of the Elephants, and Her Majesty's Servants.

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First published serially between 1893 and 1894, “The Jungle Book” is Rudyard Kipling’s classic collection of jungle tales in which we first meet Mowgli, a child lost in the jungles of India and raised by a pack of wolves. To survive in the jungle Mowgli most learn from the animals to abide by the laws of the jungle. A cast of interesting creatures surround Mowgli, including Baloo the bear and Bagheera the black panther, who help the young man to survive, and the tiger Shere Khan, who is envious of Mowgli and wishes his demise. Also contained in “The Jungle Book” are the stories of Kotick, a white seal in search of a new home for his tribe were they will not be hunted, and Rikki-Tikki-Tavi, a mongoose who defends an Indian family against a pair of cobras, along with several other tales of the jungle. One of the most popular collections of short stories for children ever written, “The Jungle Book” was inspired by Kipling’s own experiences as a youth in India, where he would spend many of his formative years. Because of the popularity of “The Jungle Book” Kipling wrote a sequel, “The Second Jungle Book”, in which five more tales of Mowgli and three other jungle tales are related. Interspersed with beautiful poetry relating to the stories, Kipling’s “Jungle Books” are collected together here in this volume. This edition includes a biographical afterword.

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“The Man Who Would be King and Other Stories” is a classic collection of some of the most loved short stories of Rudyard Kipling, one of the most important and accomplished English authors of the twentieth century. The youngest winner of the Nobel Prize for Literature at age 42 in 1907, Kipling, who was born in India in 1865, captured in his writing the British Empire in all of its glory and contradiction in unparalleled detail and nuance. Contained here in this volume are some of his most enduring and fascinating short stories, such as the titular “The Man Who Would be King”, a story of two young British adventurers who believe they can talk and intimidate their way into being kings of a small country near Afghanistan. It is a fascinating and brutal tale of greed, imperialism, arrogance, and desperation. Also included is the haunting ghost story “The Phantom ’Rickshaw”, where a young man is driven mad by the ghost of the young lady he once spurned, and the dark and heartbreaking “Baa Baa, Black Sheep”, a story of an unwanted young ward who is driven to desperate acts by his cruel and heartless aunt. Together this collection includes seventeen of Kipling’s best short stories. This edition includes a biographical afterword.

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First published in 1897, “Captains Courageous” follows the adventures of Harvey Cheyne, a spoiled, rich young man who is accidentally washed overboard from a luxury ocean liner and is rescued by the Portuguese captain of a fishing boat and his hard scrabble crew. Kipling, drawing on his own experiences living in Vermont, fills this classic coming of age story with period details of late nineteenth-century American fishing, whaling, and railroad travel. Forced to work for his place on the ship, fifteen-year-old Harvey must overcome his own stubbornness and privileged up-bringing as he learns to survive, and even thrive, in the harsh, demanding, and often dangerous life at sea. Through hard work and discipline, Harvey learns the values of self-reliance and friendship as he becomes a skilled fisherman and an accepted and equal member of the crew. The novel is both a thrilling test of Harvey’s character and an examination of class and privilege in nineteenth-century America. Exhilarating and ultimately redemptive, the novel was heralded by Theodore Roosevelt in his 1900 essay “What We Can Expect of the American Boy” as describing in the “liveliest way just what a boy should be and do.” This edition includes a biographical afterword.

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First published in “McClure’s Magazine” between December of 1901 and October of 1901, “Kim” is the story of Kim (Kimball) O’Hara, the orphaned son of a British soldier. Set against the backdrop of “The Great Game” a political conflict between Russia and Great Britain in central Asia, the novel traces the life of the title character from begging and errand running on the streets of Lahore to his schooling at a top English school in Lucknow, where he is trained in espionage, and ultimately to a government appointment where he himself gets to play in “The Great Game.” Set between the second and third Afghan War, “Kim” presents a vivid portrait of 19th century India. Considered by many as Kipling’s masterpiece, “Kim” is a classic novel of espionage and adventure which helped bring popular attention to the political and diplomatic confrontation between the British Empire and the Russian Empire in Central and Southern Asia at the end of the 19th century. This edition includes an introduction by A. L. Rowse and a biographical afterword.

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