KIPLING, Rudyard.
The Absent-Minded Beggar.
England and The United States: The Daily Mail Publishing Co , 1899.
$200.00
In Stock
Item Number: RRB-149009
+$450
First Illustrated Edition of Rudyard Kipling's The Absent-Minded Beggar
First illustrated facsimile edition of Kipling's poem The Absent-Minded Beggar, a souvenir specially printed by The Daily Mail. Quarto, silk moire wrappers, six pages, tissue-guarded frontispiece, with tissue-guards between the two pages of facsimile stanzas, cover portrait of Kipling by John Collier. Originally printed as a single folded sheet forming six printed pages in triptych format. The souvenir marked the 100th performance of Sydney Grundy's The Degenerates at the Garrick Theatre on Friday 24th October 1899, when Lillie Langtry (who was playing Mrs. Trevelyan in the production) recited Kipling's poem The Absent-Minded Beggar from the stage after the final curtain. The proceeds of the sale of the poem benefited the wives and children of the reservists. In good condition. Interior illustration of "A Gentleman in Kharki" by R. Caton Woodville.
Rudyard Kipling’s The Absent-Minded Beggar, first published at the outbreak of the Second Boer War (1899–1902), is a notable example of patriotic literature mobilized for imperial causes. Written to rally support for British troops and their families, the poem was quickly transformed into a piece of popular ephemera, with the first illustrated edition marketed through The Daily Mail as part of a charitable appeal. The publication’s sales generated significant funds for the reservists’ families, illustrating how literature, journalism, and philanthropy intersected within the culture of British imperialism.
The Absent-Minded Beggar.
$200.00
In Stock
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