Beschreibung:

first edition of Kipling's first book, original white wrappers with title and floriated design in ink by Kipling, neatly reinforced at spine, 1 small chip to each cover, otherwise a very good copy, preserved in red moiré silk chemise and full crushed morocco solander case, [Grolier 15], 8vo, Lahore, Printed at the "Civil and Military Gazette" Press, 1881. *** Kipling's exceptionally rare first book, comprising twenty-three poems printed by his parents for private circulation without Kipling's knowledge whilst he was at college in England: ""Though it was produced without Kipling's knowledge, and though he was embarrassed by it then and afterwards, the book is technically Kipling's first and is now one of the rarissima in his bibliography" (Thomas Pinney, ODNB). The total number of copies produced is believed to be circa fifty, comprising two issues of approximately twenty-five copies each, one issue in white paper and the other in brown paper. It was believed for some time that the white wrappers indicated the true first issue, and that the brown-wrappered issue was trimmed down, but current theory suggests that this was not consistently the case and that the brown wrappers may have come first. According to Livingston's Supplement several copies were, as in the example here, ornamented by Kipling himself. The copy exhibited at the Grolier Club Exhibition in 1929 featured numerous ink sketches by Kipling of semi-human figures, possibly his "Devilkins ', in various contorted poses.