First edition Jungle Book with Kipling's inscription to daughter found

London, April 9 (ANI): A first edition of Jungle Book has been found at a former home of one of Rudyard Kipling's daughters.

The inscribed version is dedicated to the author's first daughter, Josephine, who died of pneumonia at the age of 6.

Published in 1894, the edition was found in Wimpole Hall library near Cambridge, which was home to Kipling's second daughter, Elsie, from 1938 to 1976, reports Times Online.wner of the library, The National Trust, said that the cataloguing staff of the library discovered the book.

Kipling's inscription for her daughter says, "This book belongs to Josephine Kipling, for whom it was written by her father, May 1894."

The book, which is on display at Wimpole Hall, does not bear a sign but the handwriting is said to be Kipling's.

"There are nearly 7,000 books in the Wimpole library and this has been a big project to catalogue them all properly, but as one of the nation's favourite children's books of all time, this first edition of The Jungle Book with its rare inscription is very special," Mark Purcell, Trust's libraries curator said.

Wimpole Hall curator, Fiona Hall, said, "This inscription is very touching, especially when you consider that Kipling lost not only Josephine, but also his youngest child, John, who died in the Great War. As Kipling's only remaining child, Elsie would have really treasured this book." (ANI)