Poems

Most people know Rudyard Kipling from novels such as Kim and The Jungle Book, but he also wrote a large body of verse that was widely read during his lifetime. Many critics regard him as the leading poet of the British imperial age. Across these poems he gives voice to ordinary people who rarely appear in print, and to children and animals, much as his stories do.

The mood changes constantly. Some pieces are sharp and mocking, some turn harsh, and others are tender and affecting, sometimes within the same collection. This volume gathers his complete verse in one definitive edition.

The collection suits readers of every age, whether they are meeting Kipling's poetry for the first time or already know his prose.