Benefactors, The

New York NY: [none], 1930. First edition. Hardcover. fine/no dustjacket (as issued). As far as I can tell, this is the first and only separate edition of this short story, which is appears only in the Sussex and Burwasheditions of his work. This is a short story, not to be confused with the poem of the same name, about the inventors of the bow, armor, gunpowder and such in Hell, lamenting their fates and claiming to be benefactors of mankind because they caused progress. Suffice to say this is a scarce item, just the thing for a Kipling collector who thinks he has everything. This copy is numbered 39 of 91 copies for private distribution -- actual numbered copies seem less common than unnumbered ones. Bound in orange boards with cloth back-strip printed in gold. The lower fore-corners show slight wear, and the gilt on the spine title has faded somewhat -- otherwise, this is an immaculate copy. Laid in is a small note by a previous bookseller talking about the scarcity of the item and claiming that it isn't included in any collected edition. 28 pages, deckle edge, nice letterpress work -- quite a nice little volume, all in all, and in excellent condition. tw from WFW