The Story of The Gadsbys, A Tale Without a Plot

Allahbad, India: A.H. Wheeler, 1890. Hardcover. Good +. Octavo size, 97 pp. Joseph Rudyard Kipling (1865-1936) remains a literary force today through his many stories, including "The Jungle Book" and poems such as "Gunga Din". A recipient of the Nobel Prize in Literature in 1907 at the age of 42, he remains the youngest recipient to date; considered for the British Poet Laureateship and a knighthood, he refused both.

This is one of Kipling's earliest published writings, this volume was number two in the "Indian Railway Series", first published in 1888 in wrappers. This volume seems to a variant of the first English edition, with the title page listing "Author of 'Soldiers Three', 'Wee Willie Winkie,' Etc." directly beneath the author's name; however, while showing Messrs. A.H. Wheeler & Co., Allahabad as publisher, it does not also list Sampson Low, Marston, Searle, & Rivington. Pagination also most closely matches the first English, without the three leaves between the contents and text, and with two leaves of advertisements at the end, not one. Interestingly, the portion of the front wrap tipped onto the front board does not match exactly that shown in Livingston, although clearly it is the same scene with minor details having been changed.

___DESCRIPTION: Bound between boards covered with marbled paper, green cloth shelfback, the illustration only from the front wrapper tipped onto the front board and the illustration from the back wrapper tipped onto the back board, with a library number assigned to the cloth spine in white, to the illustration on the front board in red, and to the front free endpaper in red (but no other library markings, no pockets); octavo size (8.75" by 5.5"), pagination: [i-ii] ads, [iii] title page, [iv] ads, [v]-vi preface, [vii] contents, [viii] blank, [1]-86, [87] "Opinions of the Press", [88-89] ads.

___CONDITION: Good overall, the binding, while worn, is sturdy and the text is complete; with the library markings as set forth above, the boards somewhat rubbed, corners worn and bumped, prior owner name stamped to front paste down, wear and old damp stains to the first leaf and the final two leaves, otherwise internally quite good, title page with "0/800" in black to middle of the page, gutter crack between last two pages of ads. An interesting variant that is worn externally, readable as is, a good copy.

___CITATION: Variant of Livingston 33.

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