Description:

Rudyard Kipling
Bateman's, Burwash, Sussex, England, various
Rudyard Kipling TLS Re: Villiers Street, Where He Worked On 1st Novel, Along With Bonus Initialed Envelope Cover
TLS and initialed envelope cover

Two items signed by British author Rudyard Kipling (1865-1936), the first a typed letter signed as "Rudyard Kipling"; and the second an envelope cover initialed as "RK." Various dates. Bateman's Burwash, Sussex, England. The largest item measures 4.5" x 7." Provenance: Ex-Shorey's Bookstore, 1965.

The lot includes:

1. A 1p typed letter signed by Rudyard Kipling as "Rudyard Kipling" near the bottom. January 8, 1928. [Bateman's, Kipling's home in Burwash, Sussex, England.] On watermarked custom stationery paper embossed with "Bateman's / Burwash / Sussex" letterhead. With two contemporaneous typographical errors found in the salutation and on the fifth line. Expected wear including flattened transmittal folds, along which closed tears have been discretely repaired verso. Damage to the upper left corner (closed tears and chips) have also been repaired verso. Minor edge darkening, else very good. 4.5" x 7."

Kipling wrote a correspondent named Carleton Tufnell - possibly the British cricketer Carleton Tufnell (1856-1940), who moved to India in the late 1870s - in part: "Yes. That is some time ago, but Villiers Street is very little altered…"

Kipling was recalling Villiers Street, a road in the Westminster section of London where he lived at number 43 between 1889 - 1891. This was where Kipling wrote part of his first novel, about a painter who goes blind, entitled "The Light That Failed," published in magazine form in 1891.

2. An envelope cover initialed by Rudyard Kipling as "RK" in the lower left corner. N.d. but postmarked from Burwash, Sussex, England. Addressed to: "Randolph Lewis Esq. / Savoy Hotel / Strand / W.C. 2." Bearing a cancelled George V 2-pence orange stamp, and with philatelic markings. Expected wear including chips, stains, and tape residue, else good. 4.75" x 3.625."

Rudyard Kipling, a poet, novelist, and journalist, had established his literary reputation in the 1890s with such works as "Gunga Din" (1890), "The Jungle Book" (1894), and "The White Man's Burden" (1899). He was the first English language recipient of the Nobel Prize in Literature in 1907. Bateman's, Kipling's home between 1902-1936, was located in southeastern England. It was a 17th C. stone manor house without plumbing or electricity. Kipling purchased the estate, complete with over 30 acres and a mill, for over £9,000.

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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  • Dimensions: letter: 4.5" x 7"
  • Medium: TLS and initialed envelope cover

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August 27, 2025 10:00 AM EDT
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