Kipling Rudyard

réf. 06177 — Lahore : The Civil and Military Gazette Press 1886. First Edition of Kipling's First Published Book - Departmental Ditties KIPLING Rudyard. Departmental Ditties and Other Verses. Lahore: The Civil and Military Gazette Press 1886. First edition of Kipling's first published book. Narrow octavo 10 3/4 x 4 1/4 inches; 273 x 107 mm. Twenty-nine unnumbered leaves. Publisher's tan printed wrappers stapled as issued and imitating the form of an Indian civil service envelope complete with overlapping flap. There is an ink inscription at the bottom of the front wrapper "E.R.P to M.C.P." Light soiling to wrappers edge of front wrapper and flap with some light wear. The pink ribbon that originally passed through the slit on the flap is now lacking the flap itself and its very vulnerable hinge to the overlapping flap is unrestored and intact. Bookplate of Roger H. West and old booksellers description pasted onto blank verso of penultimate verse Giffen's Debt. Over-opened between penultimate and last leaf. Contained in a red cloth chemise which in turn is housed in a full red morocco slipcase smooth spine lettered in gilt. Aside from the aforementioned minor flaws this is still an exceptionally good unrestored copy. First edition of Kipling's debut published work. His previous writings had either been privately printed issued as offprints or included in collaborative books. At the time Kipling was serving as sub-editor of the Civil and Military Gazette an English-language newspaper based in Lahore that covered the lives of the Civil Service and the Indian Army in Punjab. His position combined with his family's social standing afforded him numerous opportunities to observe and explore the full spectrum of life in India. From an early age Kipling had been captivated by the vibrant and diverse world of native India and his keen observational skills allowed him to vividly capture its essence. As his engagement with journalism deepened he frequently filled the newspaper's pages with prose sketches and light verse. Eventually he began inserting his own poems under the title Departmental Ditties into the newspaper culminating in the publication of this edition designed to resemble a bundle of civil service memoranda. Livingston 10; Richards A7; Stewart 8. Lahore : The Civil and Military Gazette Press, 1886 unknown