Published by Eyre & Spottiswoode for The Daily Mail, London, 1899. First Illustrated Edition.
A striking piece of Boer War ephemera and Kiplingiana, this is the first illustrated edition of Rudyard Kipling’s patriotic poem The Absent-Minded Beggar, famously penned at the outbreak of the Second Boer War to support the families of British reservists. Sales of this publication helped raise significant funds through The Daily Mail’s charitable appeal.
Folio (approx. 31 x 21 cm). Single folded sheet forming six printed pages in triptych format. Includes cover portrait of Kipling by John Collier and an interior illustration of “A Gentleman in Kharki” by R. Caton Woodville. The poem is printed in facsimile of Kipling’s manuscript.
An excellent copy of this ephemeral item, with only light foxing to the upper panel, uncommon in such condition.
