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Rudyard Kipling: 100 Poems
Rudyard Kipling (1865–1936), winner of the 1907 Nobel Prize for Literature and author of one of the most popular poems in the English language, 'If–', has long captured the interest of poetry lovers. Here, Thomas Pinney brings together a selection of well-established favourites and the best of the previously uncollected and unpublished poems from The Cambridge Edition of the Poems of Rudyard Kipling (2013). The poems, whether exploring the colonial experience, exposing the injustice of war, or appreciating the beauties of nature, resonate with Kipling's keen observations of his world and strong sense of poetic rhythm. Discovered by Pinney in an array of unlikely hiding places, the uncollected and unpublished poems show the diversity and development of Kipling's talent over his lifetime, and, when combined with long-held favourites, offer readers a unique opportunity to experience Kipling's mastery of poetry in a new way.
- GenresPoetryNonfictionClassics
200 pages, Paperback
First published October 31, 2013
About the author
Rudyard Kipling
7,507 books3,813 followersJoseph Rudyard Kipling was a journalist, short-story writer, poet, and novelist.
Kipling's works of fiction include The Jungle Book (1894), Kim (1901), and many short stories, including The Man Who Would Be King (1888). His poems include Mandalay (1890), Gunga Din (1890), The Gods of the Copybook Headings (1919), The White Man's Burden (1899), and If— (1910). He is regarded as a major innovator in the art of the short story; his children's books are classics of children's literature; and one critic described his work as exhibiting "a versatile and luminous narrative gift".
Kipling was one of the most popular writers in the United Kingdom, in both prose and verse, in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. Henry James said: "Kipling strikes me personally as the most complete man of genius (as distinct from fine intelligence) that I have ever known." In 1907, at the age of 41, he was awarded the Nobel Prize in Literature, making him the first English-language writer to receive the prize, and its youngest recipient to date. He was also sounded out for the British Poet Laureateship and on several occasions for a knighthood, both of which he declined.
Awarded the Nobel Prize in Literature in 1907 "in consideration of the power of observation, originality of imagination, virility of ideas and remarkable talent for narration which characterize the creations of this world-famous author."
Kipling kept writing until the early 1930s, but at a slower pace and with much less success than before. On the night of 12 January 1936, Kipling suffered a haemorrhage in his small intestine. He underwent surgery, but died less than a week later on 18 January 1936 at the age of 70 of a perforated duodenal ulcer. Kipling's death had in fact previously been incorrectly announced in a magazine, to which he wrote, "I've just read that I am dead. Don't forget to delete me from your list of subscribers."
Kipling's works of fiction include The Jungle Book (1894), Kim (1901), and many short stories, including The Man Who Would Be King (1888). His poems include Mandalay (1890), Gunga Din (1890), The Gods of the Copybook Headings (1919), The White Man's Burden (1899), and If— (1910). He is regarded as a major innovator in the art of the short story; his children's books are classics of children's literature; and one critic described his work as exhibiting "a versatile and luminous narrative gift".
Kipling was one of the most popular writers in the United Kingdom, in both prose and verse, in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. Henry James said: "Kipling strikes me personally as the most complete man of genius (as distinct from fine intelligence) that I have ever known." In 1907, at the age of 41, he was awarded the Nobel Prize in Literature, making him the first English-language writer to receive the prize, and its youngest recipient to date. He was also sounded out for the British Poet Laureateship and on several occasions for a knighthood, both of which he declined.
Awarded the Nobel Prize in Literature in 1907 "in consideration of the power of observation, originality of imagination, virility of ideas and remarkable talent for narration which characterize the creations of this world-famous author."
Kipling kept writing until the early 1930s, but at a slower pace and with much less success than before. On the night of 12 January 1936, Kipling suffered a haemorrhage in his small intestine. He underwent surgery, but died less than a week later on 18 January 1936 at the age of 70 of a perforated duodenal ulcer. Kipling's death had in fact previously been incorrectly announced in a magazine, to which he wrote, "I've just read that I am dead. Don't forget to delete me from your list of subscribers."
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May 23, 2020
Old And New Poems By Kipling
Rudyard Kipling's poetry continues to be read widely and to be controversial. Kipling (1865 -- 1936) wrote a great deal over his long life, and creating a collected edition of his poetry has been a formidable task. In 2013, Kipling scholar Thomas Pinney published a three-volume edition of Kipling's complete poetry which includes over 2400 pages and is likely to be the definitive text for scholars: "The Cambridge Edition of the Poems of Rudyard Kipling 3 Volume Hardback Set". In the course of his painstaking work, Pinney found many poems of Kipling that had never before been published or that had been published only in obscure newspapers and magazines and never collected. Pinney wanted to make a selection of this hitherto unknown poetry available to readers who might not explore the full three-volume collection. Thus, he published this short volume "100 Poems Old and New". The book is a small well-produced hardbound volume with a brief introduction by Pinney. He tells the reader he combined 74 of the new poems with 26 of Kipling's published poems that are likely to be familiar to admirers of the poet. Pinney wanted to give readers something of the "old" and the "new" Kipling to deepen their understanding of the poet.
I had some familiarity with Kipling, but as I read the volume I couldn't entirely distinguish between the old and the new. Pinney might have expected less of his readers and separated the 26 poems from the new finds. I became curious and tried to examine the tables of contents and indexes of two readily available anthologies of Kipling to determine what was familiar and what wasn't. I used the inexpensive paperback Dover edition which includes about 45 poems: "Gunga Din and Other Favorite Poems" (Dover Thrift Editions) and the longer anthology published by Everyman: "Kipling: Poems" (Everyman's Library Pocket Poets). I was thus able to identify 21 of the "famous" poems, but not the entire 26. I list the 21 famous poems I could identify in this volume below.
Danny Deever
Tommy
Gunga Din
In the Neolithic Age
The Law of the Jungle
When 'Omer Smote his Bloomin Lyre
Recessional
The White Man's Burden
Merrow Down
Cities and Thrones and Powers
Harp Song of the Dane Women
A Song to Mithras
The Baths of Biddlestone
The Way through the Woods
If--
The Female of the Species
Jobson's Amen
My Boy Jack
The Gods of the Copybook Headings
London Stone
Ah,would Swift Ships never been about the Sea to Rove
The remaining poems (beyond the five I couldn't identify) will likely be unfamiliar to virtually every reader of Kipling.
The poems are arranged chronologically, beginning with "How it Seemed to Us" written in 1882 and concluding with "The Cold! --Heap on the Logs and Let's Get Tight!" a poem in four lines from 1935. This latter poem, a "new" work has a delightful sensual touch for a work written late in life. It may serve as a sample of the discovered works in this volume.
"'Tis cold! Heap on the logs -- and lets get tight!
The Gods can run this world for just one night.
I will enjoy myself and be no scorner
Of any nice girl giggling in a corner."
There are no annotations or notes provided in the volume. Some of the early poems in particular make heavy use of dialect and of references that are likely to be unfamiliar. Editorial notes might have been appropriate.
The volume shows Kipling's broad range as a poet and his development over time. He is known as a poet of action, war and empire. Kipling also shows a high sense of irony and a deepening sense of introspection. His poems of in the years of WW I show an increasing awareness of the futility and tragedy of war. For all his conservatism and commitment to the British Empire, many of Kipling's poems show a great awareness of the dangers of chauvinism and a realization of how much there is to be learned from other people and cultures. The poems are generally rhymed and rhythmical. Although the writing of poetry changed markedly during Kipling's life, his forms remained traditional rather than modernistic.
In most instances, a poet's work left in manuscript or published in ephemeral publications was left uncollected for a reason. The new poems Pinney included help show his range as a poet, and many of them reward reading. As Pinney indicates, however, some of these new poems are slight. When the volume is read through without regard to the source of the poems, it is of mixed quality. This of course is not to detract from Pinney's scholarship or from his meticulous preservation of these poems in the complete edition. But the reader should be aware that some of these poems are not among Kipling's best.
In other words, it depends what the reader is looking for in assessing this volume. Readers wanting an anthology of Kipling's best poems might better be served with the Everyman collection. Readers who love Kipling and know his familiar works would be more interested in this volume with its short selection of famous poems and its inclusion of many newly discovered poems. Readers who want a compromise -- a selection of some of the standard works plus many new discoveries -- will also like this book. In any event, this book, the large three volume edition are clearly labors of love and scholarship. The books will keep Kipling alive. This selection of 100 Kipling poems "old and new" will be valuable to those wishing to learn about Kipling.
Robin Friedman
Rudyard Kipling's poetry continues to be read widely and to be controversial. Kipling (1865 -- 1936) wrote a great deal over his long life, and creating a collected edition of his poetry has been a formidable task. In 2013, Kipling scholar Thomas Pinney published a three-volume edition of Kipling's complete poetry which includes over 2400 pages and is likely to be the definitive text for scholars: "The Cambridge Edition of the Poems of Rudyard Kipling 3 Volume Hardback Set". In the course of his painstaking work, Pinney found many poems of Kipling that had never before been published or that had been published only in obscure newspapers and magazines and never collected. Pinney wanted to make a selection of this hitherto unknown poetry available to readers who might not explore the full three-volume collection. Thus, he published this short volume "100 Poems Old and New". The book is a small well-produced hardbound volume with a brief introduction by Pinney. He tells the reader he combined 74 of the new poems with 26 of Kipling's published poems that are likely to be familiar to admirers of the poet. Pinney wanted to give readers something of the "old" and the "new" Kipling to deepen their understanding of the poet.
I had some familiarity with Kipling, but as I read the volume I couldn't entirely distinguish between the old and the new. Pinney might have expected less of his readers and separated the 26 poems from the new finds. I became curious and tried to examine the tables of contents and indexes of two readily available anthologies of Kipling to determine what was familiar and what wasn't. I used the inexpensive paperback Dover edition which includes about 45 poems: "Gunga Din and Other Favorite Poems" (Dover Thrift Editions) and the longer anthology published by Everyman: "Kipling: Poems" (Everyman's Library Pocket Poets). I was thus able to identify 21 of the "famous" poems, but not the entire 26. I list the 21 famous poems I could identify in this volume below.
Danny Deever
Tommy
Gunga Din
In the Neolithic Age
The Law of the Jungle
When 'Omer Smote his Bloomin Lyre
Recessional
The White Man's Burden
Merrow Down
Cities and Thrones and Powers
Harp Song of the Dane Women
A Song to Mithras
The Baths of Biddlestone
The Way through the Woods
If--
The Female of the Species
Jobson's Amen
My Boy Jack
The Gods of the Copybook Headings
London Stone
Ah,would Swift Ships never been about the Sea to Rove
The remaining poems (beyond the five I couldn't identify) will likely be unfamiliar to virtually every reader of Kipling.
The poems are arranged chronologically, beginning with "How it Seemed to Us" written in 1882 and concluding with "The Cold! --Heap on the Logs and Let's Get Tight!" a poem in four lines from 1935. This latter poem, a "new" work has a delightful sensual touch for a work written late in life. It may serve as a sample of the discovered works in this volume.
"'Tis cold! Heap on the logs -- and lets get tight!
The Gods can run this world for just one night.
I will enjoy myself and be no scorner
Of any nice girl giggling in a corner."
There are no annotations or notes provided in the volume. Some of the early poems in particular make heavy use of dialect and of references that are likely to be unfamiliar. Editorial notes might have been appropriate.
The volume shows Kipling's broad range as a poet and his development over time. He is known as a poet of action, war and empire. Kipling also shows a high sense of irony and a deepening sense of introspection. His poems of in the years of WW I show an increasing awareness of the futility and tragedy of war. For all his conservatism and commitment to the British Empire, many of Kipling's poems show a great awareness of the dangers of chauvinism and a realization of how much there is to be learned from other people and cultures. The poems are generally rhymed and rhythmical. Although the writing of poetry changed markedly during Kipling's life, his forms remained traditional rather than modernistic.
In most instances, a poet's work left in manuscript or published in ephemeral publications was left uncollected for a reason. The new poems Pinney included help show his range as a poet, and many of them reward reading. As Pinney indicates, however, some of these new poems are slight. When the volume is read through without regard to the source of the poems, it is of mixed quality. This of course is not to detract from Pinney's scholarship or from his meticulous preservation of these poems in the complete edition. But the reader should be aware that some of these poems are not among Kipling's best.
In other words, it depends what the reader is looking for in assessing this volume. Readers wanting an anthology of Kipling's best poems might better be served with the Everyman collection. Readers who love Kipling and know his familiar works would be more interested in this volume with its short selection of famous poems and its inclusion of many newly discovered poems. Readers who want a compromise -- a selection of some of the standard works plus many new discoveries -- will also like this book. In any event, this book, the large three volume edition are clearly labors of love and scholarship. The books will keep Kipling alive. This selection of 100 Kipling poems "old and new" will be valuable to those wishing to learn about Kipling.
Robin Friedman
February 12, 2014
100 Poems: Old and New curated by Thomas Pinney collects some well known and even unpublished poems by Rudyard Kipling. According to Pinney, 25 of these are well known while the other 75 are classified as less known, published only in India or never in print. Not being that well acquainted with Kipling, I was only familiar with about 8 or the 25 most well known. This didn’t diminish how much I enjoyed this collection, but perhaps someone more familiar could see subtle differences between published and unpublished works.
Kipling is just as accessible today as ever. Many of the poems are about war and death. There are poems about gambling and drinking. It’s a manly collection of poems and possibly a good way to introduce poetry to those who think they don’t like poetry. It’s certainly the kind of poetry that the Ron Swanson character on the television show Parks And Rec would read and quote.
The poems included here are by no means comprehensive. For that, you’d need something like the 3 volume work, The Cambridge Edition of the Poems of Rudyard Kipling, also edited by Thomas Pinney. 100 Poems is a nice introduction, but it’s nice to know there is something more comprehensive (the 3 volume work boasts 550 poems). Apparently Rudyard Kilpling was much more prolific than I ever realized. I quite enjoyed this book and I’m quite happy that I read it.
I was given a review copy of this book by Cambridge University Press and Netgalley in exchange for an honest review. Thank you for letting me review this book.
Kipling is just as accessible today as ever. Many of the poems are about war and death. There are poems about gambling and drinking. It’s a manly collection of poems and possibly a good way to introduce poetry to those who think they don’t like poetry. It’s certainly the kind of poetry that the Ron Swanson character on the television show Parks And Rec would read and quote.
The poems included here are by no means comprehensive. For that, you’d need something like the 3 volume work, The Cambridge Edition of the Poems of Rudyard Kipling, also edited by Thomas Pinney. 100 Poems is a nice introduction, but it’s nice to know there is something more comprehensive (the 3 volume work boasts 550 poems). Apparently Rudyard Kilpling was much more prolific than I ever realized. I quite enjoyed this book and I’m quite happy that I read it.
I was given a review copy of this book by Cambridge University Press and Netgalley in exchange for an honest review. Thank you for letting me review this book.
September 24, 2015
Netgally and Cambridge University Press sent me an e-version of this book to review, and I was able to review it on both a Kindle and Kindle Fire.
The selection itself is awesome. The editor, Thomas Pinney, selected 100 poems. 25 of them he classified as popular and familiar. 75 of them he classified as less familiar... and, in fact, some have never been seen in print before, while others have only been printed in India, or in long defunct magazines.
I love that there's something old and new here. And I think that at the current price this is a good choice for the home shelves. At least for those of us who enjoy Kipling.
Kipling's language isn't necessarily easy. In some parts it's heavy with dialect, but I've always enjoyed him. Probably because I associate his "Just So Stories" and poems with the 'special time' I spent with my dad when I was little and he used to read me the classics.
------------
Now, let me add an important note that the e-version was a mess on both my Kindles. (I have a first gen Kindle and first gen Fire.) Line breaks were dependent on font size, and in places there were sections where carriage returns were absent.
If you'd like a collection for the home shelves, consider the physical version. Although with the Kindle, it's true that if you don't see what you want, you can return the book and get your money back.
The selection itself is awesome. The editor, Thomas Pinney, selected 100 poems. 25 of them he classified as popular and familiar. 75 of them he classified as less familiar... and, in fact, some have never been seen in print before, while others have only been printed in India, or in long defunct magazines.
I love that there's something old and new here. And I think that at the current price this is a good choice for the home shelves. At least for those of us who enjoy Kipling.
Kipling's language isn't necessarily easy. In some parts it's heavy with dialect, but I've always enjoyed him. Probably because I associate his "Just So Stories" and poems with the 'special time' I spent with my dad when I was little and he used to read me the classics.
------------
Now, let me add an important note that the e-version was a mess on both my Kindles. (I have a first gen Kindle and first gen Fire.) Line breaks were dependent on font size, and in places there were sections where carriage returns were absent.
If you'd like a collection for the home shelves, consider the physical version. Although with the Kindle, it's true that if you don't see what you want, you can return the book and get your money back.
November 28, 2022
Fill your cup with Kipling.
This is a collection of some of the popular poems and many were in local papers that never made it to the mainstream.
There are some jewels but we also find a clinker or two. Each reader will find his/her favorite.
No illustrations. Selected and edited by Thomas Pinney. A good table of contents, and an index by the poem.
There is also an index of first lines as "You may talk o' gin and beer". Too bad it was not the last lines as "You're a better man than I am, Gunga Din!"
It is worth investing in stilly notes for your favorite passages. Read again in ten years to see if your taste differs.
This is a collection of some of the popular poems and many were in local papers that never made it to the mainstream.
There are some jewels but we also find a clinker or two. Each reader will find his/her favorite.
No illustrations. Selected and edited by Thomas Pinney. A good table of contents, and an index by the poem.
There is also an index of first lines as "You may talk o' gin and beer". Too bad it was not the last lines as "You're a better man than I am, Gunga Din!"
It is worth investing in stilly notes for your favorite passages. Read again in ten years to see if your taste differs.
December 31, 2021
I love Rudyard Kiplings poetry, in fact, whilst reading this collection I also happened to read a poetry book by Dean Atta, a British poet of our era, and it's sad to see what passes for poetry in contrast to the brilliance that radiated from Kipling. "If" is still one of the best poems I've ever read.
June 4, 2025
I love “When Earth’s Last Picture is Painted” by Kipling (not included in this collection) so I was excited to read more of his poems. I did not enjoy most of them nearly as much. He is from a particular time and place that did not really speak to me. There were a few gems, but overall I was underwhelmed.
October 31, 2017
So often with these older poets/poems, translation is the issue. This collection simply wasn't engaging.
December 6, 2018
Some very enjoyable poetry from the great Kipling.
March 1, 2019
Some "old friends" and many new ones. Delightful.
January 5, 2026
I found maybe half a dozen poems here worth any consideration. The rest were garbage when they weren't sheer nonsense. How this mofo was regarded a major poet in his day is a mystery beyond me.
October 8, 2020
Oh, do not despise the advice of the wise,
Learn wisdom from those that are older,
And don't try for things that are out of your reach –
An' that's what the Girl told the Soldier
--At the back of Knightsbridge Barricks.
100 Poems: Old and New Rudyard Kipling selected and edited by Thomas Pinney is a selection of Kipling poems from 1882 through 1935. Pinney is an Emeritus Professor of English at Pomona College. He has written book on American wine and this year released The Cambridge Edition of the Poems of Rudyard Kipling which is the first complete set of Kipling poems.
Kipling is known through his work to most children for the The Jungle Book. I will admit that up to a few years ago this was all I really knew of Kipling. Since then I have read Kim as part of my Noble winners reading list. This collection of poetry includes old and new poems; not the chronological sense but as old, meaning familiar, and new, meaning unfamiliar. Pinney states in the introduction that this volume contains the twenty-five poems in every collection of Kipling poems plus seventy-five that have never appeared together in a single volume. Of the twenty-five old poems, although not identified, I knew three: “If”, “White Man's Burden”, and “Danny Deever.” “Danny Deever” I remember from seventh grade English class. “If”, I knew in bits and pieces, but I am not sure from where. “White Man's Burden” I remember from history class as a warning. Originally a warning to his own country of England concerning empire, but later changed and made for the United States and its territorial gains in the Philippines.
This collection was nearly all new to me so I was unable to discern the old from the new. The poems are arranged chronologically in the collection. This collection covers many topics. India is covered in several poems, including the powerful“The Law of the Jungle.” There are poems with math, algebra. Six poems concern different types of fruit. Some poems are of history, and ancient history. A few poems are about months and seasons.
The military is the subject of several poems too. The excerpt of the poem that starts this review is a military poem and perhaps the most telling poem of the military back then (and even for many now)is “Tommy”. Tommy was slang for a British soldiers and was particularly used in WWI. So much so that Germans would call out “Tommy” across no man's land when they want to speak to a British soldier. In this poem, the solder is not allowed to enter a bar to drink, nor allowed to enter a theater. There is room for drunk civilians but not sober soldiers. People mock the uniform that guards them while they sleep. The soldier is always left behind until:
But it's “Please walk in front, sir” when there's trouble in the wind--
There's trouble in the wind, my boys, there's trouble in the wind,
Oh, it's “please walk in front, sir,” when there's trouble in the wind.
…
But it's “Saviour of 'is country” when the guns begin to shoot.
Pinney puts together a very good selection of poetry. For someone not knowing much about Kipling, I learned quite a bit and was equally impressed. Although some of the poems may be dated, which the historian in me liked, most bear the burden of time very well. He writes at a time from when England ruled the world, to the point when their empire was collapsing into a commonwealth. It was a period of great change for England and some of that change is reflected in the poetry. A very good collection well worth the read.
Learn wisdom from those that are older,
And don't try for things that are out of your reach –
An' that's what the Girl told the Soldier
--At the back of Knightsbridge Barricks.
100 Poems: Old and New Rudyard Kipling selected and edited by Thomas Pinney is a selection of Kipling poems from 1882 through 1935. Pinney is an Emeritus Professor of English at Pomona College. He has written book on American wine and this year released The Cambridge Edition of the Poems of Rudyard Kipling which is the first complete set of Kipling poems.
Kipling is known through his work to most children for the The Jungle Book. I will admit that up to a few years ago this was all I really knew of Kipling. Since then I have read Kim as part of my Noble winners reading list. This collection of poetry includes old and new poems; not the chronological sense but as old, meaning familiar, and new, meaning unfamiliar. Pinney states in the introduction that this volume contains the twenty-five poems in every collection of Kipling poems plus seventy-five that have never appeared together in a single volume. Of the twenty-five old poems, although not identified, I knew three: “If”, “White Man's Burden”, and “Danny Deever.” “Danny Deever” I remember from seventh grade English class. “If”, I knew in bits and pieces, but I am not sure from where. “White Man's Burden” I remember from history class as a warning. Originally a warning to his own country of England concerning empire, but later changed and made for the United States and its territorial gains in the Philippines.
This collection was nearly all new to me so I was unable to discern the old from the new. The poems are arranged chronologically in the collection. This collection covers many topics. India is covered in several poems, including the powerful“The Law of the Jungle.” There are poems with math, algebra. Six poems concern different types of fruit. Some poems are of history, and ancient history. A few poems are about months and seasons.
The military is the subject of several poems too. The excerpt of the poem that starts this review is a military poem and perhaps the most telling poem of the military back then (and even for many now)is “Tommy”. Tommy was slang for a British soldiers and was particularly used in WWI. So much so that Germans would call out “Tommy” across no man's land when they want to speak to a British soldier. In this poem, the solder is not allowed to enter a bar to drink, nor allowed to enter a theater. There is room for drunk civilians but not sober soldiers. People mock the uniform that guards them while they sleep. The soldier is always left behind until:
But it's “Please walk in front, sir” when there's trouble in the wind--
There's trouble in the wind, my boys, there's trouble in the wind,
Oh, it's “please walk in front, sir,” when there's trouble in the wind.
…
But it's “Saviour of 'is country” when the guns begin to shoot.
Pinney puts together a very good selection of poetry. For someone not knowing much about Kipling, I learned quite a bit and was equally impressed. Although some of the poems may be dated, which the historian in me liked, most bear the burden of time very well. He writes at a time from when England ruled the world, to the point when their empire was collapsing into a commonwealth. It was a period of great change for England and some of that change is reflected in the poetry. A very good collection well worth the read.
September 25, 2013
Received from Netgalley as an ARC
Rudyard Kipling has remained one of the UK’s favourite poets, despite sometimes being considered old-fashioned and imperialist. Even people who are not lovers of poetry will know some of his most famous poems, or at least lines from them, and his iconic poem “If” is regularly voted one of the nation’s favourite poems. This new collection includes some of the well-established and familiar poems as well as many previously uncollected and unpublished ones, and as a result is a treasure trove for aficionados and newcomers alike. Editor Thomas Pinney discovered new poems in a variety of places, in family papers, magazines and newspapers, during renovations at a Manhattan house, amongst the archive of a former head of the Cunard Line – thus giving readers an unprecedented chance to read poems that have never before been published and some that have remained completely unknown.
Altogether this new collection is a delight, and a welcome addition to Kipling anthologies.
Rudyard Kipling has remained one of the UK’s favourite poets, despite sometimes being considered old-fashioned and imperialist. Even people who are not lovers of poetry will know some of his most famous poems, or at least lines from them, and his iconic poem “If” is regularly voted one of the nation’s favourite poems. This new collection includes some of the well-established and familiar poems as well as many previously uncollected and unpublished ones, and as a result is a treasure trove for aficionados and newcomers alike. Editor Thomas Pinney discovered new poems in a variety of places, in family papers, magazines and newspapers, during renovations at a Manhattan house, amongst the archive of a former head of the Cunard Line – thus giving readers an unprecedented chance to read poems that have never before been published and some that have remained completely unknown.
Altogether this new collection is a delight, and a welcome addition to Kipling anthologies.
December 5, 2014
This little volume is a beautifully-typeset and -designed collection of Rudyard Kipling's poems, a representative selection of familiar and newly-discovered work. It's part of a much-larger new edition by Cambridge University Press (see, e.g., the three-volume "Cambridge Edition of the Poems of Rudyard Kipling", also edited by Thomas Pinney). This collection is an inexpensive but well-edited sampler, a worthwhile gift for a friend or, for those like me who have Kipling's earlier books on their shelves, a worthy new part of the collection.
Many of Kipling's most familiar poems are here, including "If--", "Recessional" and "The White Man's Burden", as well as Barrack-Room Ballads like "Gunga Din," "Danny Deever" and "Tommy". However, Mr. Pinney has brought unfamiliar or unknown poems, poignant works, that are an unexpected pleasure, such as "The Gods of the Copybook Headings," or "The Coin Speaks", or "Merrow Down", showing more depth in Kipling's work and inspirations.
Highest recommendation.
Many of Kipling's most familiar poems are here, including "If--", "Recessional" and "The White Man's Burden", as well as Barrack-Room Ballads like "Gunga Din," "Danny Deever" and "Tommy". However, Mr. Pinney has brought unfamiliar or unknown poems, poignant works, that are an unexpected pleasure, such as "The Gods of the Copybook Headings," or "The Coin Speaks", or "Merrow Down", showing more depth in Kipling's work and inspirations.
Highest recommendation.
October 7, 2013
Kipling is an author I have wanted to further explore for some time. I don’t read poetry often and long anthologies scare me off. I very much like the approach of this collection: 100 poems in chronological order. Some of the poems echo the short stories I’ve read and enjoyed. Some of them feel dashed off and some very belaboured. My favourite was one of the earlier ones (no. 4) called The Dedication. The poems are a very good mix of Victorian England, colonial India and seafaring… with heavy doses of social commentary and some humour. I have his biography on my shelf and this collection of poems will be a great framework in which to view his life and the times.
February 21, 2014
Already have two volumes of Kipling, but this is more compact and has many of my most favorites.
Along with "The Gods of the Copybook Headings" a powerful, yet somehow missing from most of Kipling's work. From a hilarious "The Witching of Teddy O'Neil", to the reverent "Recessional", and the old fav's like "Gunga Din" and "The Law of the Jungle", there are too many to list that are worth reading over and over.
Along with "The Gods of the Copybook Headings" a powerful, yet somehow missing from most of Kipling's work. From a hilarious "The Witching of Teddy O'Neil", to the reverent "Recessional", and the old fav's like "Gunga Din" and "The Law of the Jungle", there are too many to list that are worth reading over and over.
October 23, 2022
it gave me huge colonizer energy but why am i surprised at that ? ? hated some of them liked a couple and just didn't care about most of them idk
(updating to drop a star bc i remember nothing that i liked 3 months later)
(updating to drop a star bc i remember nothing that i liked 3 months later)
November 17, 2013
Kipling is a master of the well turned line, so many of which have become almost commonplace and part of current usage. A useful collection...
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December 10, 2013I posted a review of this book in my blog (link: http://booktrek.blogspot.com/2013/12/... )
May 14, 2016
If
God's of the Copybook Headings
Recessional
God's of the Copybook Headings
Recessional
May 1, 2017
Some racist stuff- product of the times?
There were a few poems that referenced math, and some of Lewis Carroll's work, the Turkey and the Algebra scans too well to the Walrus and the Carpenter, was there a feud? Google says Carroll 1832-1898 Kipling 1865-1936 so it would've been Kipling working off Carroll, was it imitation meant to flatter or satire?
There were a few poems that referenced math, and some of Lewis Carroll's work, the Turkey and the Algebra scans too well to the Walrus and the Carpenter, was there a feud? Google says Carroll 1832-1898 Kipling 1865-1936 so it would've been Kipling working off Carroll, was it imitation meant to flatter or satire?
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