Swashbuckling British adventurers find triumph and tragedy in nineteenth- century Afghanistan in this novella J. M. Barrie called "the most audacious thing in fiction." While on tour in India, a ...British journalist encounters Daniel Dravot and Peachey Carnehan, two foolhardy drifters with a plan. Claiming they've exhausted all the schemes and odd jobs they could find in India, the two are in search of an even greater adventure. They tell the journalist they're venturing to nearby Kafiristan—modern-day Afghanistan—to depose a weak ruler and establish themselves as kings. With a cache of the best rifles and knowledge of Masonic rituals that will baffle the native tribesmen, Daniel and Peachey don't see how they can fail. But they may have underestimated the locals... Inspired by tales of real-life explorers, Rudyard Kipling wrote The Man Who Would Be King when he was only twenty-two years old. Featuring vivid prose, exotic settings, and unforgettable characters, this dissection of the heroic pretensions of imperialism and colonialism is a swashbuckling tale for the ages, and served as inspiration for the 1975 John Huston film starring Sean Connery and Michael Caine.
This dramatic nineteenth-century nautical adventure and classic coming-of-age story is one of Rudyard Kipling's most enduringly popular works. Harvey Cheyne Jr., the teenage son of a millionaire ...American railroad tycoon, is sailing to Europe on a luxury liner when he falls overboard off the coast of Newfoundland. He's saved from drowning by the We're Here, a New England fishing schooner captained by Disko Troop. He's alive, but his tough new companions find him to be spoiled and ignorant. Desperate to get back to the world he knows, Harvey must prove his worth as one of the crew by mastering the challenging tasks and physical labor of life at sea. With help from the captain's son, Dan, he braves a number of risky exploits and adventures as they travel along the Grand Banks of Newfoundland. Shedding his expectations of a pampered life, Harvey begins to embrace the tough work of a fisherman. Filled with thrilling action, this classic sea story will delight and excite readers of all ages.
Kipling was one of the most popular writers in English, both prose and verse, in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. Henry James famously said of him: "Kipling strikes me personally as the most ...complete man of genius (as distinct from fine intelligence) that I have ever known." In 1907, he was awarded the Nobel Prize in Literature. This book is the world famous autobiography that Kipling penned toward the end of his life and sheds much detail on his life, career, travels and influences.
