Many Inventions


Many Inventions is an 1893 collection of short stories by Rudyard Kipling. 11 of the 14 stories appeared previously in various publications, including The Atlantic Monthly and The Strand Magazine. Eight of the stories were written in England, while the other six were written in Vermont after Kipling had married and settled with Caroline Starr [Balestier Kipling|Caroline Balestier].
The title refers to a verse from Ecclesiastes, which is quoted on the title page: "Lo, this only have I found, that God hath made man upright; but they have sought out many inventions."

The stories

The fourteen stories are preceded by a poem, "To the True Romance", and followed by another poem, "Anchor Song".
  • The Disturber of Traffic
  • A Conference of the Powers
  • My Lord the Elephant
  • One View of the Question
  • 'The Finest Story in the World'
  • His Private Honour
  • A Matter of Fact
  • The Lost Legion
  • In the Rukh
  • 'Brugglesmith'
  • 'Love-o’-Women'
  • The Record of Badalia Herodsfoot
  • Judson and the Empire
  • The Children of the Zodiac