 | This image from the Beinecke exhibit, "Kipling With Puppets," part of a series of 30 etchings by William Strang (London, 1901), shows the author surrounded by his own creations. |
Rudyard Kipling, the author of such enduring children's classics as "The Jungle Book" and "The Just So Stories," is the focus of an exhibition now on view at the Beinecke Rare Book and Manuscript Library.
The exhibition, titled "Rudyard Kipling: The Books I Leave Behind," is the first comprehensive show on the British author to be presented anywhere in over 50 years. It tracks the development of his work from his journalistic beginnings in India to his sudden and sustained success in England and the United States, through his later years, when he resisted the drive for the independence of India and foretold of the growing threat of Hitler.
Kipling (1865-1936) was one of the most popular writers in the English language -- in both prose and verse -- during the late 19th and early 20th centuries. He was among the last British poets to command a mass audience, appealing to readers of all social classes and ages. While his novels, with the exception of "Kim," were only a mixed success, in the medium of the short story Kipling is credited with extending the range of English fiction in both subject matter and technique, and with doing more than perhaps any other author in the English language to blur the division between popular and high art.
The exhibition gives special attention to the bibliographic intricacies of Kipling's printed output. His popularity meant that many editions of his work were issued -- with revised texts and variant bindings, in special formats and especially as unauthorized or "pirate" versions. The books and manuscripts in the exhibit, gathered over the years by collectors, provide a picture of how Kipling's stories and images traveled around the world in a wide range of formats.
Among the featured items on display are documents from Kipling's school days; manuscripts in the author's hand; a copy of "The Jungle Book" with a unique watercolor of the tiger Shere Khan; and a rare set of "The Friend," a South African newspaper published during the Boer War, annotated by Kipling to mark his contributions. Also on view are a scale model of Zam-zammah, the cannon from "Kim"; sheet music for songs by Kipling; a tea-set emblazoned with one of his most popular poems, "The Absent-Minded Beggar"; and a tin of "Kipling Plug Cut" tobacco from Louisville, Kentucky.
The exhibition, which runs through Sept. 15, is curated by David Alan Richards '67, '72 LAW, and the majority of items on display are from the Kipling Collection he created and donated to the Beinecke Library. The exhibition also draws from the Kipling collections of Chancey Depew and Matilda Tyler.
In conjunction with the exhibition, the Beinecke Library is publishing a catalogue that celebrates Kipling's multi-faceted achievements and underscores the variety and breadth of his printed production. Featuring 80 full-color illustrations, the catalogue includes an introductory essay by David Alan Richards tracing the challenges and joys of building a Kipling bibliography. Thomas Pinney, professor emeritus of English at Pomona College, has also contributed an essay.
The book is organized chronologically, beginning with Kipling's birth in India in 1865 and extending to movies, plays and new editions of his works that have appeared since his death in 1936. The selected items create a timeline of his life and popular works. The catalogue "Rudyard Kipling: The Books I Leave Behind" will be available through www.yale.edu/yup or at local bookstores.
The exhibition area of the Beinecke Library, 121 Wall St., is open 8:30 a.m.-8 p.m. Monday-Thursday, 8:30 a.m.-5 p.m. on Friday and 10 a.m.-5 p.m. on Saturday. For more information, visit www.library.yale.edu/beinecke.
T H I S
Exhibit showcases diverse
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