Rewards and Fairies was published by Macmillan in 1910, the sequel to Puck of Pook’s Hill. Puck continues to bring historical witnesses to Dan and Una — this time ranging from Elizabeth I’s astrologer to a Dobie who sailed with Drake to a medieval surgeon and a smuggler.
The collection contains Kipling’s single most famous poem: “If—” (“If you can keep your head when all about you / Are losing theirs and blaming it on you…”), which appears as a companion piece to the story “Brother Square-Toes” (about George Washington’s presidency). The poem has been voted Britain’s favorite poem in multiple polls and has been translated into more languages than any other English verse.
The finest story in the collection is “The Dobie and the Dobie” (a surgeon working without anesthesia or antisepsis must decide whether to amputate) — a meditation on professional duty under impossible conditions that resonates with Kipling’s broader theme of how civilizations maintain themselves through the silent competence of specialists. The stories are generally darker and more complex than those in Puck — the children are older, the history is more morally ambiguous, and Kipling’s own losses (his son John would die at Loos in 1915) cast a shadow forward.
”If—”
“If—” is the most popular English poem of the twentieth century, consistently topping polls as Britain’s favourite verse. Its twelve conditions for manhood — keeping your head, trusting yourself, risking everything and starting over — have been inscribed on walls, tattooed on arms, and quoted in speeches from Churchill to Obama. Kipling wrote it as a companion to a story about George Washington, and it draws on the example of Leander Starr Jameson (the Jameson Raid). The poem’s appeal transcends its imperial origins: its counsel of emotional discipline speaks to any culture that values self-control.
Collecting Rewards and Fairies
First edition (Macmillan, London, 1910): Red cloth boards with gilt.
Approximate market values:
- First edition, fine: $200–$500
- Very good: $80–$200
Value trajectory (2016–2026): Moderate appreciation, partly driven by the enduring popularity of “If—”.
Projected values (2026–2036): Fine copies should reach $500–$1,000.
Frequently Asked Questions
Do I need to read Puck of Pook’s Hill first? It helps — the frame story with Dan, Una, and Puck continues — but the individual stories stand alone. The tone is darker and more complex than in the first collection.
Is “If—” really in this book? Yes. Many readers know the poem but not its source. It appears between the stories “Brother Square-Toes” and “A Priest in Spite of Himself.”