Description:

Rudyard Kipling Signed: "He travels the fastest who travels alone"

A piece of paper signed and dated by British writer Rudyard Kipling (1865-1936), as: "Rudyard Kipling June 13/30" at bottom left, beneath a couplet from Kipling's famous poem, "L'Envoi" or "The Winners" (from his short story collection, "The Story of the Gadsbys") likely printed above Kipling's signature sometime later. N.p. On a blue-lined paper fragment measuring 7.25" x 2." Expected wear including even toning, and isolated former collector's pencil inscriptions. Two minor closed tears no where near the signature have been repaired with tape verso, else near fine.

Rudyard Kipling published "The Story of the Gadsbys" in 1888. The "story" consisted of a collection of eight vignettes all relating to protagonist Captain Gadsby, an Anglo-Indian military officer of the Pink Hussars, and his love interest, Minnie Threegan. The last of the eight scenes from "The Story of the Gadsbys" is called "L'Envoi" or "The Winners": it is a four-stanza rhyming poem whose last lines contain variations on the declaration, "He travels the fastest who travels alone." Within the context of "The Story of the Gadsbys," the statement is interpreted as an indictment against marriage and family, since Captain Gadsby is weighed down by such deleterious entanglements.

The quote, "Down to Gehenna, or up to the Throne, He travels the fastest who travels alone" is the last couplet of the first stanza of the poem. Gehenna is a reference to the valley near Jerusalem where Old Testament kings of Judah sacrificed their children by fire. Cursed by the prophet Jeremiah, Gehenna later became the final destination of the wicked, or Hell. Thus, the first line of the couplet juxtaposes Heaven and Hell, where Heaven is represented by an eternal Throne.

This item comes with a Certificate from John Reznikoff, a premier authenticator for both major 3rd party authentication services, PSA and JSA (James Spence Authentications), as well as numerous auction houses.

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September 6, 2023 11:00 AM EDT
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University Archives

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