University Archives
& Special Collections
Rudyard Kipling Collection
History of the Kipling Collection
In 1889, the year that Kipling launched his
literary career in London, James McGregor Stewart, Jr. was born in Pictou,
Nova Scotia. Ill as a child, James spent many hours with his father. Kipling's
Departmental Ditties, set to psalm tunes, became their family songs. After a
distinguished academic career at the Pictou Academy and Dalhousie University,
Stewart joined a Halifax law firm in 1914. He quickly rose to the forefront in
the field of corporate law, becoming an influential member of Nova Scotia's
industrial community.
In spite of the demands on his time and energy, Stewart continued to read
and study Kipling's work. In the late 1920s, Stewart started to actively collect
everything he could find by or about Kipling. Most of the major purchasing was
done through book dealers--James F. Drake Inc. of New York and Maggs Brothers
in London. His wife, while accompanying Stewart on business trips, would comb
the used book stores for interesting Kipling works. Many titles were personal
gifts from family and friends.
Stewart also took on the challenge of untangling the author's complicated
publishing history. During a 63-year writing career, which spanned six
continents, Kipling had produced approximately 3,800 imprints. The bibliography
of Kipling's works compiled by James McGregor Stewart is still considered the
'definitive Kipling bibliography.'
Stewart donated the published portion of his Kipling Collection to
Dalhousie University in 1954. The manuscript portion was purchased in 1982 with
a cultural property grant from the Secretary of State, Government of Canada.
Through his extraordinary collecting efforts, Stewart has given Kipling scholars
the opportunity to access an internationally significant research collection. By
making it possible for others to study the full range of Kipling's work, Stewart
fulfilled his desire to have Kipling inspire others.
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