Kim Enhanced EBook Edition Illustrated and Annotated Includes Author Bio Image Gallery + Audio Links edition by Rudyard Kipling Literature Fiction eBooks
Download As PDF : Kim Enhanced EBook Edition Illustrated and Annotated Includes Author Bio Image Gallery + Audio Links edition by Rudyard Kipling Literature Fiction eBooks 
Kimball O’Hara grows up an orphan in the walled city of Lahore, India. Deeply devoted to an old Tibetan lama but involved in a secret mission for the British, Kim struggles to weave the strands of his life into a single pattern. Kim and the holy man roam about India. Kim’s intimate knowledge of India makes him a valuable asset to the English Secret Service, in which he wins renown while still a boy.
Charged with action and suspense, yet profoundly spiritual, Kim vividly expresses the sounds and smells, colors and characters, opulence and squalor of complex, contradictory India under British rule. The book abounds in brilliant descriptions of Indian scenes and deeply sympathetic portraits of her people. Long recognized as Kipling's finest work, Kim was a key factor in his winning the Nobel Prize for Literature in 1907.
Kipling’s classic novel is presented here in Enhanced E-Book format and includes the biographical essay “Who was Rudyard Kipling?”, an image gallery that pays tribute to the India-born author and links to free audio recordings of ‘Kim.’
“A work of positive genius, as radiant all over with intellectual light as the sky of a frosty night with stars.”
—The Atlantic Monthly
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*Image gallery.
*Includes essay “Who was Rudyard Kipling?”
*Links to free complete audio recordings of 'Kim.'
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Kim Enhanced EBook Edition Illustrated and Annotated Includes Author Bio Image Gallery + Audio Links edition by Rudyard Kipling Literature Fiction eBooks
What can a humble reader of good books say about KIm that hasn't already been said?I can say that Kim was nothing like I thought it would be - much like the previous Kipling book I read recently - "The Man who would be King". Both of these masterpieces are singular in style and content and make for a thoroughly interesting and magical excursion in British-ruled India at the turn of the century,
I remember Kipling with affection from my days as a wolf cub (cub-scout?) in East London, and his jungle book stories which formed part of our childhood fantasies. But as I grew up, I learned that Kipling was a racist and he believed that Imperial rule represented the proper order of things. So he was never on my reading agenda until quite recently.
Maybe he was a racist and maybe he did believe in white superiority, but I have found little evidence of this in his writing. Sure he uses the "N-word", but he was a man of his time, a time when most of the white colonial powers were racists and believed in their divine right to "bring order to the savages in the far corners of the world". In this, he was no different to his contemporaries.
Kipling was born and spent his early life in India, before being farmed out to relatives in England, only to return to India in his early teens to finish his schooling and find work. So his indoctrination into the ways of the British Raj must have had a strong influence.
Yet to read "Kim" (and also "The Man who would be King") a reader who knows nothing of Kipling would be hard put to recognise any racist - or indeed any supremacist ideas or doctrine in the narrative. He tells it as it was, without casting judgement. He used the 'N' word 6 times in the entire novel and on each occasion it was either in 'direct' or reported dialogue, by characters who used such derogatory words as a matter of course, and he never used it his own general narrative or description.
Kim is the orphan son of an Irish soldier who drunk himself to death. He survives by his own wits in the slums of Lahore. With his sunburnt skin, filthy Indian clothes, he is taken to be a young Indian beggar and petty thief and he is content to be regarded as such. He is street-wise and very smart; there is something about this young lad that seems to set him apart.
He has a compassion and empathy for the unfortunates around him that belies his age. This is manifested when he becomes attached to an aged, learned Buddhist Lama (spiritual guru) who has travelled from the far-away mountainous Kingdom of Tibet. Kim becomes the lama's 'chela' or disciple cum personal carer, and he joins the ancient sage as he journeys to the south of India seeking the legendary "River of the Arrow" to find ultimate enlightenment and exit the "Wheel of Life."
During his travels, Kim's military origins are discovered by a regiment who are en route to battle from a package of papers he has carried since a child and his father's masonic certificate he wears around his neck. He is adopted by the regiment's officers who plan to send him to a military school to learn to be a boy soldier. But the Lama, while fully supportive of endeavours to educate Kim, pays for him to attend a prestigious school in Lucknow.
During and after Kim's years at school, Kim meets and receives training in the arts of espionage by various folk - both Indian, (in the form of a Muslim horse trader, and a heroic Bengali) and some eccentric British. When his schooling is done, he is given permission to spend a few more months with the Lama in his quest for the "River of the Arrow."
Kim's adventures - travelling across India with this magical mystic - who he grows to love - forms the backbone of the story. They get themselves into all manner of dangerous situations and escapades, and they meet a truly fascinating cross-section of people from many races, cultures, and religions.
It is a riotous romp of a story and it keeps you wondering what on earth will happen next. Along the way, we learn so much about the sub-continent - its terrain, its diverse peoples, their way of life and their superstitious beliefs. It was a time when Hindus and even Muslims gave unquestioned deep respect to a learned Buddhist mystic and treated him like a demi-God.
At no point during this long tale did Kipling ever' look down on' or patronise the folk who populate his story. He clearly had a great love and a high regard for all of them and the reader can only wonder at how he conjures up such intimate and fascinating details.
But of course, Kipling was a literary genius who had a wonderful command of our language. He succeeds in bringing to life the reality of early 20th century India - which probably hasn't changed much in some of the rural areas - right up to the present day.
Except, that is, with the terrible exception of inter-religious strife, which simply didn't really exist in those blessed, seemingly far off days. Much of the tale is seen through the eyes of our inquisitive and adventure-seeking youth, who is clearly happier living the role of an Indian than that of a white sahib.
The conclusion of the epic tale leaves some questions unanswered - in particular what route does Kim choose to take after his travels with his mentor finally come to a close.
Will he join his "British brothers" and play "The Great (Spy) Game" (against the Russians - was it ever thus?) or will he take a different route and maybe become a mystic like his mentor?
We can only guess at this, but it doesn’t seem to matter very much. We have become immersed in the life and times of an endearing, amiable youth who possesses a generosity of spirit and maturity that makes him seem so much older. We know he will choose well.
There can be no other rating than a five out of five for this sumptuous tale of a time that existed…really... not that long ago. My, my how the world has changed.
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Kim Enhanced EBook Edition Illustrated and Annotated Includes Author Bio Image Gallery + Audio Links edition by Rudyard Kipling Literature Fiction eBooks Reviews
I never tire of rereading this book. I read it for the first time some 50 years ago, in a different world altogether, but it never loses its magic.
All of life lessons are in this book.It is also a magic read. The characters come to life straight of the page.Don't let modern day problems with colonialism ruin what truly is a great book for all times, and a rattling good story.
Kim is classified a tale for children, but the
wealth of information about the multi-cultural
India of the time and Kim's relationship with
the Tibetan monk are worth the price of admission.
I strongly recommend the Edward Said Penguin
edition, as it is a wonder book of additional notes.
I really enjoyed this book. I read it after reading Laurie R. King's The Game and I think that increased the enjoyment for me by providing some modern cultural context to the story. Even though The Game was set in the past, it is written from a modern cultural perspective. Kipling had a beautiful way of describing India from Kim's point of view.
Kim is "friend to all the world". We see a gritty, vibrant, sometimes dangerous life through the eyes of this street smart gutter brat. His European parents died early, leaving him an orphan on the street. He has keen survival instincts and an ability to read the secrets in other's actions. He befriends a lost Tibetan lama. And, he is drawn into the British secret service. Much of his speech is in the native tongues. So, it cannot be rendered into a dialect of English. The turns of phrase, however, are close to Indian speech. This is why I compare it to Mark Twain's classic.
A classic story, a short read, about a time now gone. Thinking about it, how would a small country half a world away control vast India without a network of spies?
Although the characters are interesting, the descriptions poetic, not a lot actually happens - I counted three instances where Kim actually played the "Great Game." On the other hand, the novel is very evocative.
Frankly, this volume is not "annotated" - there are no explanatory notes in the text. It isn't difficult to follow the story but occasional vocabulary words peculiar to British India meant nothing to me. I do not consider a short biography of Kipling that is included in this edition enough to call the book "annotated." Neither are a few pictures of Kipling at the end of the volume enough to call it "illustrated."
Still, it is a five star novel!
Just seeing what illustrated classics are out there for free at the time of purchase. This one is fine albeit it is not unabridged & image gallery provided does not include captions, and while it does provide a short biography along with some images the same material can also be had in "The Man Who Would Be King" making the book less than notable overall. So long as it remains free tho and a condensed version is more to your liking then by all means give it a read as Kipling in general writes very well.
What can a humble reader of good books say about KIm that hasn't already been said?
I can say that Kim was nothing like I thought it would be - much like the previous Kipling book I read recently - "The Man who would be King". Both of these masterpieces are singular in style and content and make for a thoroughly interesting and magical excursion in British-ruled India at the turn of the century,
I remember Kipling with affection from my days as a wolf cub (cub-scout?) in East London, and his jungle book stories which formed part of our childhood fantasies. But as I grew up, I learned that Kipling was a racist and he believed that Imperial rule represented the proper order of things. So he was never on my reading agenda until quite recently.
Maybe he was a racist and maybe he did believe in white superiority, but I have found little evidence of this in his writing. Sure he uses the "N-word", but he was a man of his time, a time when most of the white colonial powers were racists and believed in their divine right to "bring order to the savages in the far corners of the world". In this, he was no different to his contemporaries.
Kipling was born and spent his early life in India, before being farmed out to relatives in England, only to return to India in his early teens to finish his schooling and find work. So his indoctrination into the ways of the British Raj must have had a strong influence.
Yet to read "Kim" (and also "The Man who would be King") a reader who knows nothing of Kipling would be hard put to recognise any racist - or indeed any supremacist ideas or doctrine in the narrative. He tells it as it was, without casting judgement. He used the 'N' word 6 times in the entire novel and on each occasion it was either in 'direct' or reported dialogue, by characters who used such derogatory words as a matter of course, and he never used it his own general narrative or description.
Kim is the orphan son of an Irish soldier who drunk himself to death. He survives by his own wits in the slums of Lahore. With his sunburnt skin, filthy Indian clothes, he is taken to be a young Indian beggar and petty thief and he is content to be regarded as such. He is street-wise and very smart; there is something about this young lad that seems to set him apart.
He has a compassion and empathy for the unfortunates around him that belies his age. This is manifested when he becomes attached to an aged, learned Buddhist Lama (spiritual guru) who has travelled from the far-away mountainous Kingdom of Tibet. Kim becomes the lama's 'chela' or disciple cum personal carer, and he joins the ancient sage as he journeys to the south of India seeking the legendary "River of the Arrow" to find ultimate enlightenment and exit the "Wheel of Life."
During his travels, Kim's military origins are discovered by a regiment who are en route to battle from a package of papers he has carried since a child and his father's masonic certificate he wears around his neck. He is adopted by the regiment's officers who plan to send him to a military school to learn to be a boy soldier. But the Lama, while fully supportive of endeavours to educate Kim, pays for him to attend a prestigious school in Lucknow.
During and after Kim's years at school, Kim meets and receives training in the arts of espionage by various folk - both Indian, (in the form of a Muslim horse trader, and a heroic Bengali) and some eccentric British. When his schooling is done, he is given permission to spend a few more months with the Lama in his quest for the "River of the Arrow."
Kim's adventures - travelling across India with this magical mystic - who he grows to love - forms the backbone of the story. They get themselves into all manner of dangerous situations and escapades, and they meet a truly fascinating cross-section of people from many races, cultures, and religions.
It is a riotous romp of a story and it keeps you wondering what on earth will happen next. Along the way, we learn so much about the sub-continent - its terrain, its diverse peoples, their way of life and their superstitious beliefs. It was a time when Hindus and even Muslims gave unquestioned deep respect to a learned Buddhist mystic and treated him like a demi-God.
At no point during this long tale did Kipling ever' look down on' or patronise the folk who populate his story. He clearly had a great love and a high regard for all of them and the reader can only wonder at how he conjures up such intimate and fascinating details.
But of course, Kipling was a literary genius who had a wonderful command of our language. He succeeds in bringing to life the reality of early 20th century India - which probably hasn't changed much in some of the rural areas - right up to the present day.
Except, that is, with the terrible exception of inter-religious strife, which simply didn't really exist in those blessed, seemingly far off days. Much of the tale is seen through the eyes of our inquisitive and adventure-seeking youth, who is clearly happier living the role of an Indian than that of a white sahib.
The conclusion of the epic tale leaves some questions unanswered - in particular what route does Kim choose to take after his travels with his mentor finally come to a close.
Will he join his "British brothers" and play "The Great (Spy) Game" (against the Russians - was it ever thus?) or will he take a different route and maybe become a mystic like his mentor?
We can only guess at this, but it doesn’t seem to matter very much. We have become immersed in the life and times of an endearing, amiable youth who possesses a generosity of spirit and maturity that makes him seem so much older. We know he will choose well.
There can be no other rating than a five out of five for this sumptuous tale of a time that existed…really... not that long ago. My, my how the world has changed.
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