This is a small booklet of poems (including Recessional, Vampire, and Fuzzy Wuzzy). I have learned more about the British occupation of India through Kipling's writing than any other source, even if you total up all those other sources (history books, films, fiction, whatever!). He is extremely gifted in getting to the crux of a particular matter.

One thing about his poetry that I really enjoy is that it is written for the ear, not the eye. Some poets, like William Cullen Bryant or Walt Whitman, are a feast for the eyes. You can drink in the words and phrases and they look so darned pretty. Not Kipling. You won't even know what he's said unless you read it aloud. And then you're in for a surprise. In one sentence you will be transported to the barracks room where common soldiers are talking. If not there, perhaps to the battlefields themselves, or maybe a high-falutin' well-born man's outpouring of love. You'll never know which until you open your mouth and read. I love that about him. ( )