The Jungle Book & The Second Jungle Book

London: Macmillan, 1895. First editions. Very Good. Original publisher's cloth bindings with gilt to spines and boards. All edges gilt. Dark green endpapers. Both books Very Good (or a little better). Spines a bit darkened and dulled, some wear at the extremities. Book one hinges tightened. Light to moderate foxing throughout (as often). Housed together in a plain blue cloth slipcase. One of Kipling's most memorable works.

Based on folk tales and legends that Kipling learned during his childhood in India but written while in Vermont. This work of several inter-related short stories met with huge success upon publication and continues to enthrall (truncated) readers of all ages to this day. According to Professor Edwin L. Miller, their publication "caused even severe critics of [Kipling's] previous work to admit that he is a writer of inspired genius." Largely focused on man's relationship to nature, The Jungle Books in part narrate the tales of Mowgli, a human (man-cub) raised by wolves, as he tries to find his proper place in the world. As he struggles with his own identity, he finds allies and adversaries among the animal communities through which he travels. They also include the story of Rikki-Tikki-Tavi, the heroic mongoose who would later inspire an animated short voiced by Orson Welles. For contributions like these, Kipling became the first English-language writer, and the youngest ever, to receive the Nobel Prize for Literature. Very Good. (Inventory #: 6860)