An endlessly inventive collection of myths that betrays a deep love and respect for the natural world, the Penguin Classics edition of Just So Stories by Rudyard Kipling is edited with an introduction by Judith Plotz and a general preface by series editor Jan Montefiore. In these enchanting tales, we learn "How the Camel Got His Hump", "How the Leopard Got His Spots", and "How the Whale Got His Throat", as Rudyard Kipling brings to life far-off lands, beautiful gardens, splendid palaces, the sea, the deserts, the jungle, and all its creatures. Inspired by Kipling's delight in human idiosyncrasies and the animal kingdom, and based on tales he told to his daughter, these astonishingly imaginative parables explore creation myths, the nature of beasts, and the origins of language and writing. Interspersed with poems and scattered with Kipling's illustrations, which include hidden jokes, symbols, and puzzles. Among Kipling's best-loved works, the Just So Stories have been published continuously since 1902. Part of a series of new editions of Kipling's works in Penguin Classics, this volume includes a General Preface by Jan Montefiore and an introduction by Judith Plotz that explores the stories' origins in Kipling's life and folklore, their place in classic children's literature, and their remarkable language. Rudyard Kipling (1865-1936) was born in Bombay. In 1882 he began working as a journalist in India, where he produced a body of work, stories, sketches, and poems - particularly Plain Tales from the Hills (1888) - that instantly made him a literary celebrity when he returned to England in 1889. His most famous works include The Jungle Book (1894), Kim (1901), and Just So Stories (1902). Kipling declined the Poet Laureate role and other political honors, but he was the first English writer to receive the Nobel Prize for Literature, in 1907. If you enjoyed the Just So Stories, you might like Selected Tales by the Brothers Grimm, also available in Penguin Classics.
