The story of Mowgli, the abandoned "man-cub” who is brought up by wolves in the jungles of Central India, is one of the greatest literary myths ever created. As he embarks on a series of thrilling escapades, Mowgli encounters such unforgettable creatures as the bear Baloo, the graceful black panther Bagheera and Shere Khan, the tiger with the blazing eyes. Other animal stories in The Jungle Books range from the dramatic battle between good and evil in "Rikki-tikki-tav” to the macabre comedy, "The Undertakers.” With The Jungle Books, Rudyard Kipling drew on ancient beast fables, Buddhist philosophy, and memories of his Anglo-Indian childhood to create a rich, symbolic portrait of man and nature, and an eternal classic of childhood. This edition contains both of Kipling's Jungle Books, as well as "In the Rukh,” the story that introduced readers to Mowgli.

Part of Penguin's beautiful Hardcover Classics series, designed by the award-winning Coralie Bickford-Smith, these delectable and collectible editions are bound in high-quality, tactile cloth with foil stamped into the design

Rudyard Kipling was born in Bombay in 1865 and started work as a journalist in India in 1882. His most famous works include The Jungle Books (1894), Kim (1901) and the Just So Stories (1902). He died in 1936, having become he first English writer to be awarded the Nobel Prize, in 1907.

Jan Montefiore is Professor of 20th Century English Literature at the University of Kent. Her most recent book is Rudyard Kipling (2007).

Kaori Nagai is a Research Associate at the University of Kent and author of Empire of Analogies (2006).