Rudyard Kipling
Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons

KIPLING, RUDYARD, 1865 to 1936

Rudyard Kipling

Rudyard Kipling (1865-1936) was an English writer and poet, author of The Jungle Book and Kim and winner of the 1907 Nobel Prize in Literature.

Books
23
Editions tracked
37
First editions
8

Open LibrarySearch within Rudyard Kipling

About Rudyard Kipling

Rudyard Kipling (1865-1936) was an English writer and poet born in British India, author of The Jungle Book, Kim and Just So Stories, who won the Nobel Prize in Literature in 1907.

Kipling was born in Bombay on 30 December 1865 and died in London on 18 January 1936; his ashes were buried in Westminster Abbey. His story collection Plain Tales from the Hills was published in Calcutta in January 1888, and Barrack-Room Ballads followed in March 1892. The Jungle Book (1894) and The Second Jungle Book (1895) gathered stories first printed in magazines in 1893 and 1894. He also wrote the novel Captains Courageous, and Kim (1901), a spy novel set in British India that was serialised in McClure's and Cassell's magazines before Macmillan published it as a book. Just So Stories appeared in 1902 and Puck of Pook's Hill in 1906. His poems "If" and "Gunga Din" remain among his best known.

For collectors. The Macmillan first edition of The Jungle Book (1894) carries his father John Lockwood Kipling's embossed cover design and illustrations, with further pictures by W. H. Drake and Paul Frenzeny, and with The Second Jungle Book (1895) forms the core of a Kipling collection. Plain Tales from the Hills (Calcutta, 1888) is an important early collection, and Kim (1901) is the key novel.

For collectors

Collect Rudyard Kipling

Earliest first editionThe Jungle BookMacmillan, 1894 Most editions trackedJust So Stories3 editions
First published by
Reading guide

Rudyard Kipling books in order

In publication order

  1. 1Departmental Ditties and Other Verses1886
  2. 2Plain Tales from the Hills1888
  3. 3The Man Who Would Be King1888
  4. 4The Light That Failed1890
  5. 5Life's Handicap1891
  6. 6Rikki-Tikki-Tavi1893
  7. 7The Jungle Book1894
  8. 8The Jungle Books1895
  9. 9The Second Jungle Book1895
  10. 10Captains Courageous1896
  11. 11The Writings in Prose and Verse of Rudyard Kipling1897
  12. 12Stalky and Co1898
Show all 23 books in order
  1. 13The Day's Work1898
  2. 14Rudyard Kipling1899
  3. 15Kim1901
  4. 16Just So Stories1902
  5. 17The Elephant's Child1902
  6. 18Traffics and Discoveries1904
  7. 19Puck of Pook's Hill1906
  8. 20Actions and Reactions1909
  9. 21If--1910
  10. 22Rewards and Fairies1910
  11. 23Disney's the Jungle Book1967
In order

First editions, year by year

  1. 1894The Jungle BookMacmillan
  2. 1901KimDoubleday, Page & Company
  3. 1902Just So StoriesMacmillan and Co.
  4. 1904Traffics and DiscoveriesMacmillan
  5. 1909Actions and ReactionsMacmillan
  6. 1910Rewards and FairiesMacmillan
  7. 1910If--Doubleday, Page & Company
  8. 1967Walt Disney Presents The Jungle BookWestern Pub. Co
Books and editions

Which edition do you have?

The Man Who Would Be King

Rudyard Kipling · first published 1888

  1. Sampson Low, Marston, Searle & Rivington1890 Other Not yet valued I own The Man Who Would Be King, Sampson Low, Marston, Searle & Rivington 1890 Log in to want this
  2. Henry Altemus1898 Hardback Not yet valued I own The Man Who Would Be King, Henry Altemus 1898 Log in to want this
  3. George Newnes1935 Hardback Not yet valued I own The Man Who Would Be King, George Newnes 1935 Log in to want this

Just So Stories

Rudyard Kipling · first published 1902

Spot the first: Spine and front board, white blocking: white pigment is fragile and flakes, often leaving the spine lettering faint or gone (first issue binding)

  1. 1st Macmillan and Co.1902 Hardback Not yet valued I own Just So Stories, Macmillan and Co. 1902 Log in to want this
  2. Doubleday, Page & Company1922 Hardback Not yet valued I own Just So Stories, Doubleday, Page & Company 1922 Log in to want this
  3. Macmillan1950 Hardback Not yet valued I own Just So Stories, Macmillan 1950 Log in to want this
Questions collectors ask

Frequently asked questions

What order should I read Rudyard Kipling's books in?

In publication order they begin with Departmental Ditties and Other Verses (1886), then Plain Tales from the Hills (1888) and The Man Who Would Be King (1888). Books in a series are listed in series order on this page.

What was Rudyard Kipling's first book?

The earliest book we list is Departmental Ditties and Other Verses, first published in 1886.

When was Rudyard Kipling born?

Rudyard Kipling was born in 1865 and died in 1936.

How many Rudyard Kipling books does MyVolumes track?

We track 23 books by Rudyard Kipling across 37 editions, 8 of them first editions.

How do I know if my Rudyard Kipling book is a first edition?

Open the book's page here and compare the publisher, place, date and the issue points we list for the first printing with your copy's title page and copyright page.

Sources

Where these facts come from

Every fact on this page was checked against the sources listed. Checked 17 October 2026.

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