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Puck of Pook's Hill is a fantasy book byRudyard Kipling,[1] published in 1906, containing a series of short stories set in different periods of English history. It can count both ashistorical fantasy – since some of the stories told of the past have clear magical elements, and ascontemporary fantasy – since it depicts a magical being active and practising his magic in the England of the early 1900s when the book was written.
The stories are all narrated to two children living nearBurwash, in theHigh Weald of Sussex, in the area of Kipling's own houseBateman's, by people magically plucked out of history by the elfPuck, or told by Puck himself. (Puck, who refers to himself as "the oldest Old Thing in England", is better known as a character inWilliam Shakespeare's playA Midsummer Night's Dream.) The genres of particular stories range from authentic historical novella (A Centurion of the Thirtieth, On the Great Wall) to children's fantasy (Dymchurch Flit). Each story is bracketed by a poem which relates in some manner to the theme or subject of the story.
Donald Mackenzie, who wrote the introduction for the Oxford World's Classics edition[2] ofPuck of Pook's Hill in 1987, has described this book as an example of archaeological imagination that, in fragments, delivers a look at the history of England, climaxing with the signing of Magna Carta.
Puck calmly concludes the series of stories: "Weland gave the Sword, The Sword gave the Treasure, and the Treasure gave the Law. It's as natural as an oak growing."
The stories originally appeared in theStrand Magazine in 1906 with illustrations byClaude Allin Shepperson, but the first book-form edition was illustrated byH. R. Millar.Arthur Rackham provided four colour plates for the first US edition.Puck of Pook's Hill was followed four years later by a second volume,Rewards and Fairies, featuring the same children in the following summer.
T. S. Eliot included several of the poems in his 1941 collectionA Choice of Kipling's Verse.
A poem which introduces some of the themes of the stories that follow.
A story of Burwash in the 11th century just before theNorman Conquest, told by Puck himself.
A poem about English trees, emphasising the symbolic nature ofOak,Ash andThorn. The poem is used as the lyrics for the song "Oak, Ash and Thorn", set to music byPeter Bellamy and subsequently covered by otherfolk musicians includingTony Barrand,John Roberts, andThe Longest Johns.
A story that continues the previous one just after the Norman Conquest. It is told by Sir Richard Dalyngridge, aNormanknight who took part in the Conquest and was awarded aSaxon manor.
The poem of Sir Richard Dalyngridge and how he adapted to living in England despite his Norman origins.
A lament by the Danish women for their menfolk who leave to go on aviking on the grey sea.
The story of a daring voyage to Africa made byDanes after they captured Sir Richard and his Saxon friend Hugh at sea. This story was adapted byHal Foster as an episode ofPrince Valiant in 1942.
A song by a Danish seafarer hoping for wind.
A tale of intrigue set in Pevensey at the beginning of the reign ofHenry I in 1100. Kipling implies that Henry created "England", an entity which dominates Kipling's national and imperial philosophy, by abandoning claims to his estates in Normandy.
A poem that summarises the stories in the book to this point.
A poem that comments on how "cities, thrones and powers" are as transitory as flowers that bloom for a week.
A story that introduces a new narrator, aRoman soldier named Parnesius, born and stationed in Britain in the 4th century. He tells how his military career started well because the generalMagnus Maximus knew his father.
The song of a Roman Briton serving Rome although he and his forebears have never seen the city.
A story of the defence ofHadrian's Wall against the nativePicts andScandinavianraiders.
A hymn to the godMithras.
A return to Hadrian's Wall and the fate of Magnus Maximus.
The song of the Picts, explaining how, although they have always been defeated by the Romans, they will win in the end.Billy Bragg included a musical setting of this poem on his 1996 albumWilliam Bloke.
A poem about how prophets are never acknowledged or celebrated in their native village.
A tale of deception told by Sir Harry "Hal" Dawe, involving the explorerSebastian Cabot and the privateerAndrew Barton near the end of the 15th century.
Sung by a smuggler advising people to look the other way whencontraband is being run through the town.[3] The mention of "King George" places the supposed date of the poem between the years 1714 and 1830, and perhaps more specifically during the NapoleonicContinental System of 1806–1814.
A poem that explains howhoney bees must be told all the news or else they will cease to producehoney.
A fairy tale told by Puck (in disguise) and set around the time of thedissolution of the monasteries (about 1540).
A poem that tells of the three main landscapes ofSussex: theWeald,Romney Marsh and theSouth Downs.
How God assigned the four great rivers of theGarden of Eden to men, butIsrael was later assigned the secret fifth great river, the River of Gold.
A story of money and intrigue, told by a Jewish moneylender named Kadmiel, leading up to the signing ofMagna Carta in 1215. Here we learn the eventual fate of most of the African gold brought back to Pevensey by Sir Richard Dalyngridge.
A patriotic prayer to God to teach the children how to live correctly so that their land will prosper.
Puck of Pook's Hill public domain audiobook atLibriVox