Rudyard Kipling in early French editions

Rudyard Kipling in a few words

Child of British India, raised in England, Kipling returned to Lahore as a journalist and published his first stories, Plain Tales from the Hills. Later settling in Vermont and then Sussex, he wrote The Jungle Book and The Second Jungle Book, Captains Courageous, Kim, Just So Stories—which he illustrated himself—Puck of Pook’s Hill, and Stalky & Co. A popular poet and balladeer, known for the famous If, he was also a storyteller of military and colonial life. The Nobel Prize crowned him at a young age. The losses of the Great War cast a shadow over his final years.

What we offer

Our collection includes several dozen French editions of Kipling: volumes from Mercure de France in the translations by Louis Fabulet and Robert d'Humières, Delagrave’s youth editions, reprints in paperback and hardcover, popular collections, and a few illustrated books. The grid above shows titles currently available; The Jungle Books and Kim are the most common, while poetry and short story collections are rarer.

Identifying a fine French edition of Kipling

The early Mercure de France translations are unassuming paperbacks whose value lies in the edition and condition. The illustrated editions established Kipling’s reputation among bibliophiles in France: The Jungle Book inspired great animal artists such as Paul Jouve and Maurice de Becque, among others, in limited print runs where paper quality, numbering, and the presence of suites matter. For publisher’s bindings intended for young readers, check the freshness of the boards and the presence of colour plates. A copy of Just So Stories should retain all of the author’s drawings.

Buying and conservation advice

For reading or gifting, a common edition in good condition works perfectly; for collecting, aim for the first translation or a complete illustrated set. Early 20th-century paperbacks have fragile spines: do not open them flat and store them upright, away from light. Illustrated books in sheets remain in their dust-jackets and slipcases. All our listings describe the copy as it is, including any defects; additional photographs are available upon request.

To go further

The books for young readers and the publishers’ bindings are gathered in the Cartonnages and Children’s Books section, the illustrated works in the Fine Books, Art and Bindings section. The H. G. Wells page features another English author translated by Mercure de France, while Jules Verne’s page showcases the large adventure publishers’ bindings. For a gift, see Offering an Antique Book.