Puck of Pook’s Hill By Rudyard Kipling
Arthur Rackham Summons Spirits of Old for Kipling’s Puck of Pook’s Hill
As Kipling’s celebrated 1906 short story collection, Puck of Pook’s Hill seeded an entire subgenre fusing historical fiction and fantasy still influential today. By framing vignettes of England’s past as tales magically told to modern children, the layers of storytelling itself mirror the nation’s layering traditions over generations. The book proved so resonant partially thanks to Rackham’s illustrations envisioning figures from ancient Romans to medieval knights.
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Buy Puck of Pook’s Hill
Rare 1906 US edition of Nobel winner Rudyard Kipling’s fantasy classic Puck of Pook’s Hill.
- Features 4 signature Rackham color plates visualizing figures from ancient knights to fairies
- Helped codify a storytelling subgenre fusing history and magic
- Essential Rackham collectible with legendary author entering creative prime
- A genesis glimpse into fantasy traditions seeded for generations
Format: Green cloth binding with gilt top and black & gold lettering (275 pages)
Size: 5 x 8 inches
Text: Puck of Pook’s Hill By Rudyard Kipling
Illustrated by Arthur Rackham, A.R.W.S.
New York
Doubleday, Page & Company
1906
Illustrations: 4 full page color illustrations by Arthur Rackham
Publisher: Doubleday, Page & Company (New York) Publication
Date: 1906 (Published October 1906)
Coming off high profile prestige projects cementing his reputation interpreting fantasy worlds in 1905-1906, Arthur Rackham uniquely provided illustrations outside Britain for Nobel Prize winner Rudyard Kipling’s 1906 historical fiction Puck of Pook’s Hill. Published in America by Doubleday, Page & Co., this 275 page volume featured 4 muted color plates from Rackham depicting key figures like Puck and Roman centurions.
The Rackham images visualize episodic tales told to children unearthing secrets on Midsummer’s Eve amidst the rolling English countryside. While Rackham frameworks complement Kipling’s visions, this rare foreign job indicates the growing publisher demand for Rackham’s signature atmospheric style harmonizing with acclaimed names during his meteoric rise. For collectors, it signals prestige aesthetic Bidder recognizing Rackham’s peerless talents rapidly earning elite icon status through haunting landscapes awakening imagination against intricately built literary settings.
Kipling’s device connecting eras through magical tropes became a common template for successors. Series like Susan Cooper’s acclaimed The Dark is Rising books explicitly continued his format into late 20th century children’s fiction. More recently, adaptations have returned to Kipling’s original Edwardian milieu, such as a 2009 BBC radio drama retaining the Sussex setting.
Through theater and audio resurrections, the tales endure by recalibrating modern resonance. Just as Rackham’s spirits emerge from burrows to engage new eras, each adaptation unearths fresh angles, using fantasy mechanisms to bridge ages by transcending temporal bounds. The book itself took inspiration from history cycling as infinite narrative renewal amid land’s eternal memory. Over a century later, its blueprint continues teaching imaginative bridges between ages using innocence as conduit to awaken our shared worn roots and ideals.
