Rudyard Kipling was born in Bombay, India in 1865. One of the most revered writers in recent history, many of his works are deemed classic literature. To this day, he maintains an avid following and reputation as one of the greatest storytellers of the past two centuries. He published hundreds of short stories, novels, and poetry collections, including the short story “The Man Who Would Be King” and the famed poem “If.” In 1907, he received the Nobel Prize for Literature. He died in 1936, but his stories live on—even nearly one hundred years after his passing.
Michael Patrick Hearn is a literary scholar and one of the leading experts on children’s literature in America. His works include The Annotated Wizard of Oz, The Annotated Lewis Carol, The Annotated Huckleberry Finn, The Porcelain Cat, and From the Silver Age to Stalin: Russian Children’s Book Illustration. Additionally, he has written for the New York Times, the Nation, and many other publications. Hearn resides in New York City.