An Almanac of Twelve Sports – Rudyard Kipling 1899 | Illus. William Nicholson

An Almanac of Twelve Sports – Rudyard Kipling (1899), Illustrated by William Nicholson, Published by R.H. Russell

This exceptional limited edition—one of the most coveted collaborations between Rudyard Kipling and artist William Nicholson—presents twelve poetic tributes to British seasonal sports, each paired with Nicholson’s groundbreaking woodcut illustrations. Published by R.H. Russell in New York (simultaneously with Heinemann’s London edition), the volume showcases Nicholson’s avant-garde style, which reduced forms to bold silhouettes and flat colors, influenced by Japanese prints and the Beggarstaff Brothers’ graphic innovations. Kipling’s verses, from “Fox-Hunting in January” to “Skating in December”, blend rhythmic wit with nostalgic pastoralism, perfectly complemented by Nicholson’s dynamic compositions.

Edition Highlights:

• Illustrations: 12 full-page woodcuts with hand-stenciled color, plus decorative borders.
• Printing: Only 1,000 copies were produced; the R.H. Russell edition is scarcer than Heinemann’s.
• Design: Folio-sized (14″ x 10″) with original vellum-backed boards, though many surviving copies were rebound.

For the fans of William Nicholson:

• The Square Book of Animals (Nicholson, 1899) – Shares similar woodcut techniques.
• London Types (Nicholson, 1898) – Another iconic series of urban characters.
• Kipling’s Just So Stories (1902) – Later Nicholson-illustrated editions.

Note: The R.H. Russell edition sometimes surfaces with its rare dust jacket featuring Nicholson’s design.