First published in 1888, &quot;Plain Tales from the Hills&quot; was Kipling&#39;s first volume of prose fiction. Most of the stories it includes had already appeared in the <i>Civil and Military Gazette</i> and they were written before Kipling reached the age of 22, showing already a remarkably precocious literary talent.&nbsp;<br /><br />This vignettes of life in British India a hundred years ago give vivid insight into Anglo-India at work and play, into a barrack-room life, and into the character of Indians themselves.