London: Macmillan and Co., Limited, 1901.
Octavo. Finely bound in goat, often referred to as "Morocco". Hand tooled with 23 carat gold leaf. Hand-sewn silk headbands. Five raised bands to spine, titles to spine labels. Covers bordered with a double gilt fillet, elaborate decoration to board edges and turn-ins, marbled endpapers, edges gilt.
First edition, with frontispiece illustration by J. Lockwood Kipling, the author’s father. A beautifully produced copy of Kipling’s great novel of espionage, empire, and identity in colonial India — often hailed as one of the finest English novels of the twentieth century.
This copy bears a presentation inscription dated November 28th, 1901 to Bryan Farrer, noted English footballer and Old Etonian who played in the 1881 FA Cup Final, from M. G. F., presumed to be his wife. The gift inscription, dated just days after Farrer’s birthday, provides an evocative touch of Edwardian domestic and sporting history, linking one of Britain’s greatest novelists to a figure from the earliest days of organised football.
A bright, elegant example in a superb fine binding, its craftsmanship perfectly complementing Kipling’s richly detailed prose - and with charming, early provenance from an accomplished and quintessentially Edwardian household.
