The Jungle Book

The Jungle Book by Rudyard Kipling (1894)

Mowgli, Baloo, Bagheera, Shere Khan, and Kaa — the timeless stories of a boy raised by wolves in the jungles of India, learning the Law of the Jungle and finding his place between two worlds.

Historical Significance:
Rudyard Kipling wrote The Jungle Book in 1893-1894 while living in Brattleboro, Vermont, with his American wife Carrie. He was already the most famous writer in the English-speaking world, and these stories cemented his reputation as a master storyteller.

Born in Bombay (now Mumbai) in 1865, Kipling spent his early childhood in India before being sent to England for education — an experience of abandonment and cruelty he never forgot. The Jungle Book reflects his deep love for India and his understanding of the complex relationship between civilization and nature.

The Mowgli stories are set in the Seoni hills of central India, and Kipling researched Indian wildlife extensively, consulting Robert Armitage Sterndale's "Natural History of the Mammalia of India." The non-Mowgli stories ("Rikki-Tikki-Tavi," "Toomai of the Elephants," "The White Seal") are equally beloved.

In 1907, Kipling became the first English-language writer to receive the Nobel Prize in Literature.

Cultural Impact:
Disney's animated adaptation (1967) with its beloved songs became one of the most popular animated films ever made. The 2016 live-action/CGI remake grossed nearly $1 billion worldwide. The Cub Scouts movement adopted Jungle Book terminology (Akela, den, pack). Kipling's "Law of the Jungle" — "the strength of the pack is the wolf, and the strength of the wolf is the pack" — is quoted in contexts from business to military.

This public domain classic was originally published in 1894. Free to read and share.