KIPLING, Rudyard. Just So Stories for Little Children.
London: Macmillan and Co., Limited, 1902. First edition, first impression.
Kipling’s celebrated collection of twelve fantastical origin stories, including How the Camel Got His Hump, How the Leopard Got His Spots, The Cat that Walked by Himself and, most famously, The Elephant’s Child.
Written initially as bedtime stories for Kipling’s daughter Josephine, the tales explain with characteristic humour and invention how animals acquired their familiar features and habits. The book is particularly important within Kipling’s work as the only volume he illustrated himself, with 22 full-page illustrations alongside his distinctive decorative designs and maps.
Finely bound in full red morocco, the upper board with a large black leather onlay depicting the pivotal scene from The Elephant’s Child, the young elephant’s nose being pulled by the crocodile, detailed and outlined in gilt. The boards are framed with double gilt rules and corner ornaments; the spine has raised bands, gilt lettering and richly tooled compartments, with 1902 at the foot. Marbled endpapers complete the binding.
The first-impression text extends to page 249 and retains Kipling’s original illustrations throughout.
