first edition
1910 · Garden City, New York
by Kipling, Rudyard
Garden City, New York: Doubleday Page and Company, 1910. First separate edition. Very Good +. A selection of poems, which had appeared in Rewards and Fairies, but which are collected separately here for the first time. Preceding the UK separate publication of the same by four years. Rare copy bound in the publisher's deluxe binding of green morocco stamped in gilt. Slight dampstaining to the rear board, also faintly affecting some of the outer margins of the text block. Text block professionally secured into the binding. Complete with 8 folded leaves (uncut along the top edges, but one leaf partially opened). Text printed in black, with green initial letter and decorative boarders. A handsome production and scarce in the deluxe binding.
A powerful piece of parental advice. Kiplin's poem, although directed towards his son, offers humanistic advice for all by urging readers to strive for a life of integrity and humility. No wonder "If" was voted "the United Kingdom's favorite poem" in a 1995 BBC poll. According to the author's autobiography he was inspired by Leander Starr Jameson (1853-1917), who at the time was known for his enigmatic and captivating personality, although today more infamously for his role in the Jameson Raid that helped sparked the Second Boer War and friendship with Cecil Rhodes. Very Good +. (Inventory #: 6577)
A powerful piece of parental advice. Kiplin's poem, although directed towards his son, offers humanistic advice for all by urging readers to strive for a life of integrity and humility. No wonder "If" was voted "the United Kingdom's favorite poem" in a 1995 BBC poll. According to the author's autobiography he was inspired by Leander Starr Jameson (1853-1917), who at the time was known for his enigmatic and captivating personality, although today more infamously for his role in the Jameson Raid that helped sparked the Second Boer War and friendship with Cecil Rhodes. Very Good +. (Inventory #: 6577)