Puck of Pook's Hill. by Rudyard Kipling.
Rudyard Kipling (1865 - 1936)
Category
Books
Date
1906
Materials
Place of origin
London
Collection
Quarry Bank, Cheshire
NT 3215849
Caption
Puck of Pook’s Hill is a collection of short stories for children, each one set in a different period of British history. The stories are narrated by the three main characters of the book, two young children, Dan and Una, and Puck, the mythical and mischievous elf from Shakespeare’s Midsommer Night’s Dream, who the children accidentally conjure while rehearsing the play. Puck is the only fairy left in England and is able to conjure up characters from folklore and history. The children are transported into moments of historical importance, learning lessons about the way history is recorded, how small events can have enormous consequences, and the importance of individual actions. They also learn from history ways in which to deal with the challenges they face in their lives, such as how to make friends. At the end of each story the children are returned to their world, eager to learn more. Puck of Pook’s Hill is a book whose popularity has endured from the ‘golden age of childhood fiction’ when it was written. Part of this is due to Kipling’s fame but also his ability to write books that appealed to adults as much as children. Kipling was unashamedly nationalist and this collection of stories reveal the passion he held for the country, its cultural history, traditions and language. Here he aims to share this with his wide readership.
Summary
Bibliographic description
x, 306, [4] p. :. ill., frontis. ;. 8vo.,. 21 cm. Provenance: Blue rubber stamp on flyleaf half-title: `Styal Village Club Library'. Old nos.: 240 and 379. Old NT inventory number at rear: `890'. Binding: Publisher's case, covered in red cloth, with gold lettering on spine, and gold device (elephant's head) on front. Label on spine with shelf no. in ink. Dirty.
Makers and roles
Rudyard Kipling (1865 - 1936), author Harold Robert Millar (Dumfries 1869-1940), illuminator