5 tales, including 'The Man Who Would Be King' and 'My Own True Ghost Story'
The Man Who Would Be King
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Book Description
Frequently Bought Together
Editorial Reviews
Review
"I wanted them all, even those I'd already read."
—Ron Rosenbaum, The New York Observer
"Small wonders."
—Time Out London
"[F]irst-rate…astutely selected and attractively packaged…indisputably great works."
—Adam Begley, The New York Observer
"I’ve always been haunted by Bartleby, the proto-slacker. But it’s the handsomely minimalist cover of the Melville House edition that gets me here, one of many in the small publisher’s fine 'Art of the Novella' series."
—The New Yorker
"The Art of the Novella series is sort of an anti-Kindle. What these singular, distinctive titles celebrate is book-ness. They're slim enough to be portable but showy enough to be conspicuously consumed—tiny little objects that demand to be loved for the commodities they are."
—KQED (NPR San Francisco)
"Some like it short, and if you're one of them, Melville House, an independent publisher based in Brooklyn, has a line of books for you... elegant-looking paperback editions ...a good read in a small package."
—The Wall Street Journal --This text refers to an alternate Paperback edition.
—Ron Rosenbaum, The New York Observer
"Small wonders."
—Time Out London
"[F]irst-rate…astutely selected and attractively packaged…indisputably great works."
—Adam Begley, The New York Observer
"I’ve always been haunted by Bartleby, the proto-slacker. But it’s the handsomely minimalist cover of the Melville House edition that gets me here, one of many in the small publisher’s fine 'Art of the Novella' series."
—The New Yorker
"The Art of the Novella series is sort of an anti-Kindle. What these singular, distinctive titles celebrate is book-ness. They're slim enough to be portable but showy enough to be conspicuously consumed—tiny little objects that demand to be loved for the commodities they are."
—KQED (NPR San Francisco)
"Some like it short, and if you're one of them, Melville House, an independent publisher based in Brooklyn, has a line of books for you... elegant-looking paperback editions ...a good read in a small package."
—The Wall Street Journal --This text refers to an alternate Paperback edition.
About the Author
Rudyard Kipling was born in India to British parents in 1865. After a Dickensian childhood in an English boarding school, he returned to India and became a journalist. In the late 1880s his short fiction began appearing in inexpensive editions for rail travelers, and he soon became famous. In 1892 he married Caroline Balestier, moved briefly to the U.S., then returned to England after their daughter, Josephine, died of pneumonia. In the aftermath, Kipling wrote some of his best-known books and poems, including The Jungle Book, Kim, and Gunga Din, and in 1907 he became the first Englishman, and the youngest person ever, to win the Nobel Prize. After his only son, John, was killed in World War I, Kipling’s writing decreased, until he died in 1936.
--This text refers to an alternate
Paperback
edition.
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Customer Reviews
Most Helpful Customer Reviews
195 of 196 people found the following review helpful
Format:Kindle Edition|Amazon Verified Purchase
This is a story about two con men in British Imperial India who cook up a scheme to make themselves kings in Afghanistan. One of Kipling's better short stories, it was admired by writers as disparate as J.M. Barrie and H.G. Wells. It suffers a little from having had a zillion imitators in the intervening century or so, and like a lot of Kipling's works, there's an undertone of paternalistic imperialism that modern readers may find grating, but it isn't like he's showing the British in a positive light either -- this is Kipling at his best, and at his best he was too good a writer to let anyone, including the British, off the hook.
Read this if you're trying to figure out whether or not you like Kipling's works that are aimed for adults -- it's very different in tone from, say, The Jungle Book or _Just So Stories_, which were written for children. If you like this, I recommend you grab Plain Tales from the Hills, his first collection of stories set in British India; it should also be available online for free.
If you're interested in the historical background for this story, it was at least partially inspired by a real individual, an American named Josiah Harlan.
Read this if you're trying to figure out whether or not you like Kipling's works that are aimed for adults -- it's very different in tone from, say, The Jungle Book or _Just So Stories_, which were written for children. If you like this, I recommend you grab Plain Tales from the Hills, his first collection of stories set in British India; it should also be available online for free.
If you're interested in the historical background for this story, it was at least partially inspired by a real individual, an American named Josiah Harlan.
43 of 43 people found the following review helpful
By John Allgood
Format:Kindle Edition
What a great short story. Greed, guts and struggles for glory. If you haven't read this story but have only seen the movie, you are missing out. True, you can't see Sean Connery but you easily get the flavor of the period. And it is free! This is a great short story to read on your Kindle Iphone app.
12 of 13 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback
Kipling's "The Man Who Would be King" is an excellent read regarding both the decline of English Imperialism and Victorian literature as well. The book is a parable foreshadowing the consequences of British imperialist practices.
The story's protagonist reflects Kipling's own time spent in India and focuses on an encounter he held with two men who were determined to conquer an unclaimed region in Afghanistan as their very own empire. The reader will have to discover how the account unfolds, however a practical understanding of British imperialist history will perhaps foreshadow the story's plot.
The story also illustrates the transition towards Modern literature. The story's emphasis on moral obscurity and lack of finality in the conclusion show a break from traditional Victorian literature. Overall, a great novella to read utilizing the parable of the consequences of imperialism.
The story's protagonist reflects Kipling's own time spent in India and focuses on an encounter he held with two men who were determined to conquer an unclaimed region in Afghanistan as their very own empire. The reader will have to discover how the account unfolds, however a practical understanding of British imperialist history will perhaps foreshadow the story's plot.
The story also illustrates the transition towards Modern literature. The story's emphasis on moral obscurity and lack of finality in the conclusion show a break from traditional Victorian literature. Overall, a great novella to read utilizing the parable of the consequences of imperialism.
Most Recent Customer Reviews
5.0 out of 5 stars
As true today as then
Discussion of the tribalism that Great Britain encountered during their involvment in Afghanistan....... Read more
Published 20 days ago by apmsmom
3.0 out of 5 stars
The Man Who Would Be King
The plot was not that credible, and the language was a bit hard to decipher. Interesting though. It was okay.
Published 20 days ago by Murray Wynne
4.0 out of 5 stars
a strange twist to include secret clubs into a place of history.
a person enterested in early times of the British RAJ will enjoy this story of hard soliders interested in making a place for them selfs
in the British empire. Read more
in the British empire. Read more
Published 21 days ago by Bobby l estes
5.0 out of 5 stars
great
this book is wonderful. It is a short story and the price is right. great adventure read it for Peachy
Published 1 month ago by Blaue
5.0 out of 5 stars
Delightful Story About the British Raj and Afghanistan
I first saw the movie "The Man Who Would Be King" almost 40 years ago before I traveled to India and Pakistan. Read more
Published 1 month ago by Russell V. Olson Jr.
5.0 out of 5 stars
great books
i read this for great books and found it had a lot of things about today to talk/think about. like nation building
Published 1 month ago by xxoo
3.0 out of 5 stars
Out of the past
A different reading book for me. I wasn't taken up with it. If there was a message there, I didn't get it.
Published 1 month ago by Joy Christiansen
4.0 out of 5 stars
An oldie but a goodie
This was a good read but you have to put aside at least 2 hours to get into it. An interesting book and I would read more by Mr Kipling.
Published 1 month ago by Suzanne
5.0 out of 5 stars
The Man Who Would Be King
This was a very intertaining book. I love reading it. Just good all around product. I have read it several times.
Published 2 months ago by Carl Pouncy
5.0 out of 5 stars
I should have read this year's ago
A quite enjoyable book from a different time
Straight forward story telling at it's best
Very easy to read
Good book
Straight forward story telling at it's best
Very easy to read
Good book
Published 3 months ago by mick kilfeather
