{"product_id":"the-story-of-the-gadsbys-rudyard-kipling-5th-edition","title":"The Story of the Gadsbys, Rudyard Kipling — 5th Edition","description":"\u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003ePublication:\u003c\/b\u003e Allahabad and London, A. H. Wheeler \u0026amp; Co. \/ Sampson Low, Marston, Searle, \u0026amp; Rivington, [n.d., c. 1890]\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003eFormatting:\u003c\/b\u003e 8vo, pp. [vi], 93, [3].\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003eCondition Report:\u003c\/b\u003e Poor. This volume has endured significant handling and environmental wear, typical of delicate 19th-century railway paperbacks, presenting substantial structural defects. The original paper wrappers are highly fragile and heavily chipped; the front cover exhibits significant marginal tearing and loss, particularly along the fore-edge and corners, while the backstrip has entirely perished, leaving the text block exposed. Although the covers are virtually detached, the internal pages remain precariously intact. The leaves are uniformly age-toned with occasional instances of light wear, yet the text remains complete, legible, and unmarred by modern annotations, offering a compromised but historically evocative survivor of early Anglo-Indian ephemeral publishing.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003eCatalogue Note:\u003c\/b\u003e This is the Fifth Edition of Rudyard Kipling’s \u003ci\u003eThe Story of the Gadsbys\u003c\/i\u003e, originally issued as No. 2 of the celebrated Indian Railway Library series. Primarily designed as accessible, throwaway entertainment for colonial railway passengers, the series played a foundational role in establishing Kipling’s early literary reputation. This unillustrated volume retains the iconic wrappers designed by the author's father, John Lockwood Kipling, which remain highly evocative of the period's ephemeral publishing efforts.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eWhile true first Indian editions command significant premiums, this early UK printing offers collectors a more accessible, yet increasingly scarce, piece of publication history. Finding these fragile paperbacks fully intact is notoriously difficult, as their very nature as inexpensive railway reading ensured most copies were either discarded or suffered heavy attrition over the ensuing century.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eWritten in a lively, dialogue-driven dramatic form, \u003ci\u003eThe Story of the Gadsbys\u003c\/i\u003e offers a satirical and intimate glimpse into Anglo-Indian society during the late 19th century. Through eight interconnected scenes, Rudyard Kipling charts the courtship, marriage, and subsequent lifestyle changes of military officer Captain Gadsby. Blending humour with poignant observations on duty, romance, and the complexities of colonial station life, the narrative captures the social etiquettes and interpersonal dramas of the British Raj with Kipling's characteristic wit.\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Broadhursts Books","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":54440182251859,"sku":"4857","price":36.0,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0960\/1469\/6787\/files\/20260727_143941.jpg?v=1785419388","url":"https:\/\/broadhurstsbooks.com\/products\/the-story-of-the-gadsbys-rudyard-kipling-5th-edition","provider":"Broadhursts Books","version":"1.0","type":"link"}