Sold by David Brass Rare Books, Inc., Calabasas, CA, U.S.A.
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AbeBooks Seller since 1 February 2007
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One of Rudyard Kipling's Earliest Publications Containing the First Appearance of "The Phantom Rickshaw" KIPLING, Rudyard. 1885 Quartette. The Christmas Annual of the Civil & Military Gazette by Four Anglo-Indian Writers. Lahore: The "Civil and Military Gazette Press, 1885. First Edition. Tall octavo (9 5/8 x 5 3/4 inches; 245 x 146 mm.). [2, blank], [2, title printed in red and black, verso blank], [2, Contents, verso blank], [1]-125, [1, blank], seven leaves of advertisements: 2 pink, 2 gray, 3 thinner cream-colored). Handsomely bound by C. Fox of London (ca. 1885) with their stamp on verso of free endpaper. Full green morocco, covers decoratively bordered in gilt. Spine with five shallow raised bands, decoratively ruled and lettered in gilt in compartments, gilt ruled board edges, decorative gilt turn-ins, marbled endpapers. Armorial bookplate "Think and Thank" on front pastedown. Original front and rear printed wrappers bound in. Front wrapper with design by the Mayo School of Art, Lahore, with early ink signature "L.C. Ibbetson?" on top blank margin. This is a complete copy of the first edition, first impression of a book authored by members of the Kipling family. Published in a limited run of 250 copies, it was bound around the time of publication and it is particularly rare to have its original wrappers and advertisements at the end. The book marks the first appearance of The Phantom 'Rickshaw and The Strange Ride of Morrowbie Jukes, C.E. Rudyard Kipling later described the origins of this work in his 1937 autobiography, Something of Myself, recalling that "in the cold weather of [18]85 we four made up a Christmas annual, which pleased us a good deal and attracted a certain amount of attention. (Later, much later, it became a 'collector's piece' in the US book-market, and to that extent smudged the memories of its birth)." The collection consists of 16 pieces-eight in prose and eight in verse-written by "four Anglo-Indian writers," as stated on the title page. The authors, who remained anonymous throughout, were Kipling himself, his father, mother, and sister. Kipling took the initiative to publish the book through the Civil and Military Gazette, selling it by subscription. At just 19 years old, he contributed half of the content, using this opportunity to bring his work into print. His ghost stories gained wider recognition when they were later reprinted in The Phantom 'Rickshaw and Other Tales (1890). Kipling's father, however, was somewhat reluctant about the publication. He wrote to Margaret Burne-Jones, expressing his hope that someone would "rap [Rudyard's] knuckles for the unwholesomeness of The Phantom 'Rickshaw and the coarseness of The Tragedy of Teeth." The book's binding process was notably chaotic. Kipling recalled that the work took place at night by candlelight, with workers on overtime incentivized with brandy and free tobacco to keep production moving. Over forty men, including binders, were involved in assembling Quartette. The publication was officially announced on 19 December, and its cover design is believed to have been created by Kipling's father, John Lockwood Kipling, who was then the first principal of the Mayo School of Art in Lahore. Livingston 5; Stewart 7.
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