"Out of India" is not strictly by Rudyard Kipling. It was an
illegal/unauthorised book published against his firm instructions by his
publisher. The content was never intended for publication, though it had
been previously printed under other titles; and was a collection by Wheeler
of newspaper sketches. A piracy, in other words.
As a title, "Out of India..." first appeared 1895, G.W.Dillingham, New York.
340pp., 8vo. Stewart 137. Second printing 1896.
The material from which this book was compiled has an interesting print
history; Kipling seized and destroyed as many copies of them as he could. A
copy of "Letters of Marque", first edn, Allahabad 1891 (A.H.Wheeler, in one
vol.) made the colossal sum of $US 402 at Anderson's Art Auction on apr.28th
1920; a figure one might expect to have risen by a factor of 100 to 1000
today. But Advanced Book Exchange (abe) offers several copies at $US 280 up.
Of 1000 printed, all but about 100 were destroyed. Martindell 47, Stewart
95. Of the London edition, later in 1891, by Sampson Low, Marston, Searle &
Rivington, Kipling supressed volume 2.
Of the other constituents of "Out of India", "The City of Dreadful Night..."
was published first by A.H.Wheeler in 1891, Allahabad, one known copy
existing, the rest destroyed. And later the same year by Sampson Low etc. at
London. And "The Smith Administration", for which I have no details,
presumably the same . (But six known copies exist). This is perhaps slightly
garbled/incomplete; the story is fascinating but rather complicated. Lord
Birenhead's biography has only a bibliography of major works, & I have no
access to Bestermann.
John Barton
----- Original Message -----
From: "Allison Rich" <Allison_Rich@brown.edu>
To: "Multiple recipients of list" <exlibris@library.berkeley.edu>
Sent: Saturday, March 16, 2002 3:05 AM
Subject: website for 1st editions
> Dear ExLibrans:
>
> This is being posted for a colleague who is not on list.
> Any information you might have will be greatly appreciated.
>
> You can reply off list to me or on list if you feel that the answer will
> benefit the list.
> I have suggested that she look in Bestermann for a bibliography of Kipling
> first editions.
> But her query is also relating to first editions in general. Her
> institution is a member library and
> does not have access to a great deal of bibliographical tools.
>
> Many thanks for your time,
>
> Allison Rich
>
>
> >>Hi Allison,
> >>Do you have any websites that you would recommend for locating
> information about 1st editions? I am looking for information about
> Rudyard >>Kipling's "Out of India". I usually look on the book dealers
> sites, but I was looking for a more reliable and informative site.
> >>Thanks,
> >>Kate>>
>
> Allison Rich
> Catalogue Librarian
> John Carter Brown Library
> Brown University
> Box 1894
> Providence, RI. 02912
>
> Email: Allison_Rich@brown.edu
> Phone: (401) 863-2726
> Fax: (401) 863-3477
>
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------
--------------
> "Librarians are the secret masters of the world
> They control information."
> -- Spider Robinson.
>
> Visit my *new and improved* home page:
> http://alysoun.homestead.com/index.html
>
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------
--------------
>
>
>