As a child of the Raj, Rudyard Kipling became famous for tales of Indian life, such as Kim and The Jungle Book in which the country is described with a detail, love and colour which have never been surpassed. Kipling wrote verse in every classical form from the epigram to the ode, but his most distinctive gift was for the songs and stories in which he presents memorable characters, often speaking in their own voices. Said to be the most quoted English poet after Shakespeare, he articulated profound truths and subtle states of mind in colloquial language. His work darkened in later years but never lost its extraordinary vitality. All aspects of his verse are represented in this selection, from party pieces such as ‘Mandalay’ and ‘If ’, to the powerful epigrams he produced in response to World War I.