Kipling and the Sea by Rudyard Kipling
KIPLING may be best known as a commentator on the British Empire, but he was also a vivid observer and chronicler of the sea - and of ships and all who sailed in them. For him the sea was the glue which bound the British Empire together. To reach distant lands, you needed to sail. So Kipling wrote copiously about his own voyages - to India, across the Pacific and Atlantic, down to South Africa and Australia - and about the voyages of others. Sailors were particular heroes of his, as adventurers who braved every kind of element and danger in order to reach distant lands. In writing about them, he was enthralled by the romance of the sea, touching on everything from pirates to technical changes in ships. His output reflected his deep historical understanding, so he could write equally about three sailors reminiscing about their shipwreck with St Paul off Malta in 66ad and a ship on fire in the Indian Ocean. He was also a great advocate of the navy. He wrote about its exploits, customs, history and contemporary role in a variety of different forms. At all stages of his life Kipling peppered his many letters with observations about the sea, encompassing his own voyages and his other nautical interests. Edited and with a commentary by Kipling expert and author of the much praised Kipling Abroad, Kipling and the Sea illuminates a side of Kipling's work that has for too long languished in the shadows.
Praise for Kipling Abroad: '[Kipling] was one of the great travel writers.. But despite his wonderful fluency, quality inevitably suffers with volume, making a selection such as this particularly valuable. This excellent selection shows us once again, if we were in any doubt, that this man really could write.' Jad Adams, Guardian 'This perfect bedside book collects the most descriptive and revealing of Kipling's travel writing, never before published in a single volume. Kipling comes across as an engaging travel companion - thoughtful, curious, acute - and a writer perfectly able to evoke and crystallise the sights, sounds and spirit of a place.' Clover Stroud, The Telegraph 'Andrew Lycett has had the good idea of making a collection of Kipling's travel writing...[he] has compiled a very enjoyable anthology. There is scarcely a single piece that isn't worth reaing. Kipling's keen observation and gift for illuminating phrase are everywhere apparent and book will be welcomed by aficionados' Allan Massie, Literary Review 'Kipling's biographer Andrew Lycett presents a useful anthology of the author's travel writings, drawing on letters and journalism as well as on Kipling's published books and poems.'- London Review Bookshop 'Lycett has looked at Kipling warts and all, and conducts us through his life and times with authority, dispassion and clarity. This is an excellent biography, with everything in its place.' Lawrence James, Literary Review
Andrew Lycett is author of the acclaimed biography of Rudyard Kipling and our own successful and acclaimed book, Kipling Abroad (I.B.Tauris). As a former foreign correspondent, he has travelled widely and worked in most parts of the world written about by Kipling. His other books include highly regarded lives of Ian Fleming, Dylan Thomas and Sir Arthur Conan Doyle. He is a member of the Council of the Kipling Society and a Fellow of the Royal Geographical Society.
| SKU | Unavailable |
| ISBN 13 | 9781780762739 |
| ISBN 10 | 1780762739 |
| Title | Kipling and the Sea |
| Author | Rudyard Kipling |
| Condition | Unavailable |
| Binding Type | Hardback |
| Publisher | Bloomsbury Publishing PLC |
| Year published | 2014-02-12 |
| Number of pages | 272 |
| Cover note | Book picture is for illustrative purposes only, actual binding, cover or edition may vary. |
| Note | Unavailable |