[Indian Railway Library Series] Group of five titles comprising Soldiers Three, The Story of the Gadsbys, Under the Deodars, The Phantom Rickshaw and Other Tales, Wee Willie Winkie And Other Stories.

KIPLING, Rudyard (1865-1936).

Allahabad: Messers. A. H. Wheeler and Co., [and] London: Sampson Low, Marston, Searle, & Rivington Ltd., no date [1888-91]. [Strange Tales] Octavos (21 x 14cm). 'Wheeler' pamphlets, published in India at 1 Rupee or in the UK at 1 shilling. Mixed printings, including TWO FIRST EDITIONS. Bound in the publisher's printed grey covers. Some dustiness and age-toning. Covers and spines rather chipped as usual, some covers detached. 'Deodars' with ink ownership and cloth reinforced spine. Good only. Soldiers Three is 6th edition (published by Sampson Low only), remainder are English issues of the Indian edition; The Story of the Gadsbys (no edition stated, i.e. 1st); Under the Deodars (2nd edition); The Phantom 'Rickshaw (no edition stated, i.e. 1st); Wee Willie Winkie (10th edition). 'The Phantom Rickshaw' is a classic of 'the psychopathic state' and this tale, along with 'The Strange Ride of Morrowbie Jukes' (originally titled 'The Village of the Dead'), have been likened in manner to the weird tales of Edgar Allan Poe, successfully re-created in a Simla, rather than Gothic setting. This collection also includes the classic adventure 'The Man Who Would Be King', often cited as the best of the stories Kipling wrote in India, or further, as Kipling's masterpiece. 'In Black and White''s 'The Sending of Dana Da' is a 'miracle' tale being the first of Kipling's several short stories to use the elements of the supernatural and the psychic, which was inspired by Madame Blavatsky and her 'occult phenomena'. Item #74253

Bleiler; Checklist of Fantastic Literature [243].

Price: £350.00