Kipling - Sahib Edition Vol. VI: Under the Deodars & American Notes (c.1909)

Handsome early 20th-century volume from the Sahib Edition of Kipling's collected works, attractively bound in deep maroon cloth with gilt spine titling and decorative paneling. The gilt swastika ornaments, appearing on the spine and title page, reflect the traditional Indian symbol of auspiciousness, prosperity, and good fortune, a motif widely used in Anglo-Indian publishing and decorative arts long before the symbol's appropriation in Europe in the 1930s. In this historical context, the swastika carries no political or ideological association, but instead signals the edition's cultural orientation and Kipling's formative connection to India. This volume includes the full text of Under the Deodars and Kipling's American travel essays (American Notes), with tissue-guarded illustration dated 1909 by Burne-Jones and others. The book is in Very Good condition: cloth shows minor rubbing and light wear to spine tips, but gilt remains bright; binding is strong with both hinges intact; endpapers are clean aside from a small pencil mark on the rear; text pages are evenly toned but unmarked, with all plates present and well-preserved. This is the Sahib Edition issued by P. F. Collier & Son ca. 1909-1913, produced as part of a uniform multi-volume set without discrete printing statements. Edition identification is based on characteristic Collier features: maroon cloth, gilt-decorated spine, Indian good-luck swastika devices, tissue guarded 1909 plate, and New York imprint. …