poliphilo

We were in Kipling's study, with the big desk facing the window and the wastepaper basket full of scrumpled manuscript beside it and the desk for the typist against the side wall- and one of the guides was telling us how Kipling had written most of his best known work before he moved to Batemans- and I had to stop myself asking, "But have you actually read any of his later stories...?"

OK, she said "best-known"- which is strictly speaking true. The Just So Stories, The Jungle Books and Kim were behind him. But some of his very best work dates to the second half of his career- and I hate to see it brushed aside...