Simultaneously hailed as one of the greatest tellers of stories in the English language and derided as an apologist for the British Empire, Rudyard Kipling’s works remain invaluable today because of his genius and his inimitable first-hand accounts of life in the Empire. Kipling’s writing resonates with wry irony, and that irony is often directed towards his fellow Englishmen while displaying remarkable compassion for the oppressed subjects of British rule.

The Definitive Rudyard Kipling displays the full range of his talents. His science-fiction and ghost stories display remarkable imagination and humour, while The Jungle Book and Kim, two of his most-loved books, are compelling, compassionate narratives meant as much for children as for adults. Kipling’s penchant for describing locations and scenes of daily life find expression in Tales from India. The wistful and charming memoir, Something of Myself, and his equally amusing travelogues serve to give the reader a comprehensive idea of Kipling’s oeuvre.