Highly sarcastic in spots, some absolutely gorgeous descriptions of scenery, cities, and people. I found the politics described in the San Fran section very amusing, mostly because they were so familiar - the attitudes and opinions of the handlers and the voters. San Fran and Buffalo were the most interesting, because I'm more familiar with them - I've never spent much time in Chicago. Or Yellowstone, but there descriptions differ only in details. His are lovely, but what he's describing is familiar from many many other sources... Actually, his descriptions of travel were reminding me of the stuff I saw in the Tahoe museums, about the early days at the lake - wagons and horses, multiple days of travel, and so on. Kipling is very sarcastic about America's defenses, which was interesting to read so soon after (this year's anniversary of) 9/11. Though he's talking mostly about bombardment from ships off the coast - and repeatedly commenting that it's too bad England is at peace with America. Also interesting that he points out China as a maritime danger - wonder if this kind of thinking contributed to the anti-Japanese hysteria after Pearl Harbor.

The following letters were written by Mr. Kipling in 1889, while on a trip from India to England by way of the United States. They were published as special correspondence in the Pioneer of India at that time.