[Rarebooks] FS: Fine Rudyard Kipling Letter to Alexander Gibb on Telford and civil engineering

[Charles Agvent]

KIPLING, Rudyard. AUTOGRAPH LETTER SIGNED (ALS). Burwash, Sussex, 21 
Dec. 1935. Superb handwritten two-page letter on both sides of Kipling's 
(5-1/4" x 8") Bateman's Burwash Sussex stationery, @250 words, to Sir 
Alexander [Gibb] dated 21 December 1935 regarding Gibb's book THE STORY 
OF TELFORD: THE RISE OF CIVIL ENGINEERING published the same year and 
dedicated "To Rudyard Kipling the Poet of Empire and Engineering." 
Kipling begins by commenting on the binding of Gibb's book that Gibb has 
sent to him: "'Crushed Levant' is not a dress that I am much used to but 
it is a fitting one for your 'Story of Telford' which has just come in. 
Instead of going on with my desk-work I've been skimming through it. It 
is the certainty of his character that impresses me. He seemed to be one 
of the few men who knew the strength of their own materials.... The 
other thing that sticks out is the marvel that, with appliances which, 
by present standards, were not much more than the shovel and the bare 
hand, he set down to face and overcome enormous physical difficulties, 
and to handle dirt as freely as though he had every sort of mechanical 
aid in existence. No wonder he was intolerant of inefficiency.... I 
haven't found out any reference to his applications as a 'speculative' 
Mason which I suppose he was: but I propose going over the book, 
luxuriously, this evening and enjoying myself as its dedicatee--of which 
I am extremely proud." This important letter is cited by Godfrey 
Harrison in his ALEXANDER GIBB: THE STORY OF AN ENGINEER on page 212. A 
rare Kipling letter with outstanding content. Normal creases from 
folding. About Fine. (#010185)        $3,500.00

See an image here:

http://home.ptd.net/~chagvent/010185.jpg

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