Below is the complete list of Neil Gaiman’s Rudyard Kipling Short Story Collections books in order. For this series, the chronological reading order is the same as the order of publication.
Publication Order of Rudyard Kipling Short Story Collections Books
- The Man Who Was (1924)
(By Rudyard Kipling)
Published in 1924, The Man Who Was is listed as book #17 in the Rudyard Kipling Short Story Collections series. 
- Victorian Short Stories of Troubled Marriages (2005)
(By Rudyard Kipling)
Victorian Short Stories of Troubled Marriages was first published in 2005; within the Rudyard Kipling Short Story Collections series, it is listed as book #30. 
About Rudyard Kipling Short Story Collections
Rudyard Kipling’s short stories occupy a distinctive place in English literature, ranging from sharp observations of colonial society to unsettling tales of ghosts, mysterious creatures, and supernatural forces. Published across several decades, his collections reveal a writer equally comfortable with military adventures, psychological suspense, children’s fantasy, and stories examining the contradictions of human behaviour. Although these works were written by Kipling, they also have a literary connection to Neil Gaiman, who contributed an introduction to a major modern collection of Kipling’s supernatural fiction.
Born in Bombay, British India, in 1865, Kipling spent much of his early life between India and England. His experiences as a journalist in Lahore and Allahabad provided material for some of his earliest fiction, particularly stories involving British administrators, soldiers, railway workers, and the communities surrounding them.
Plain Tales from the Hills (1888) established his reputation as a short-story writer. Set primarily in colonial India, the collection examines the social ambitions, romantic complications, professional rivalries, and private disappointments of British residents. Kipling’s economical prose and sharp dialogue allowed him to reveal considerable information about characters within relatively brief narratives.
His supernatural interests emerged prominently in The Phantom ‘Rickshaw and Other Eerie Tales (1888). Its title story follows a man whose betrayal of a former lover becomes associated with a terrifying apparition. The collection also includes The Strange Ride of Morrowbie Jukes, a disturbing account of a man trapped among people believed to be dead.
These stories demonstrate Kipling’s ability to create horror through uncertainty. Rather than explaining every supernatural occurrence, he frequently allows characters to confront experiences that undermine their confidence in rational explanations.
The military stories collected in Soldiers Three focus on the experiences of Privates Mulvaney, Ortheris, and Learoyd, three British soldiers whose adventures combine humour, hardship, and criticism of military authority. Their contrasting personalities give the stories an unusually strong conversational quality, reflecting Kipling’s familiarity with the speech and circumstances of ordinary soldiers.
Life’s Handicap (1891) and Many Inventions (1893) broadened his fictional territory, bringing together stories involving soldiers, colonial society, revenge, supernatural encounters, and unusual psychological experiences.
Among his best-known supernatural works is The Mark of the Beast, in which an Englishman’s disrespectful treatment of a religious image leads to a terrifying transformation. The story combines bodily horror with cultural conflict, exposing the arrogance of characters who dismiss beliefs they do not understand.
Kipling’s storytelling took a different direction with The Jungle Book (1894) and The Second Jungle Book (1895). Although frequently presented as children’s novels, both are collections of interconnected and independent stories. Mowgli’s adventures provide their most recognisable narratives, but the books also feature animals and human characters whose experiences explore survival, authority, courage, and belonging.
The later Just So Stories (1902) adopts a playful approach to mythology through imaginative explanations of animal characteristics and natural phenomena. Its rhythmic language, humour, and direct address to young readers distinguish it from the darker atmosphere of Kipling’s adult fiction.
Collections such as Traffics and Discoveries (1904), Actions and Reactions (1909), and Limits and Renewals (1932) demonstrate his continued interest in experimentation. Their stories incorporate technological speculation, psychological mystery, spiritual questions, and the changing circumstances of the modern world.
The connection with Neil Gaiman is particularly evident in Rudyard Kipling’s Tales of Horror and Fantasy (2008), edited by Stephen Jones. Gaiman wrote the introduction, reflecting on Kipling’s literary imagination and the challenges of appreciating his fiction while recognising the troubling imperial attitudes associated with his work.
This distinction matters because Gaiman did not write or continue Kipling’s short-story collections. His contribution was introductory and critical, bringing a modern fantasy writer’s perspective to an earlier author’s supernatural fiction.
Kipling’s original collections also differ from later thematic anthologies. Modern editions frequently reorganise previously published stories into selections devoted to horror, fantasy, science fiction, or particular characters. Consequently, similarly titled volumes may contain overlapping material rather than entirely new works.
Kipling received the Nobel Prize in Literature in 1907, becoming the first English-language writer to receive the award. His literary achievements remain significant, although his portrayal of empire, race, and colonial relationships continues to attract critical examination.
His short fiction remains notable for its narrative economy, distinctive voices, and willingness to move between realism and the inexplicable. Whether depicting soldiers confronting institutional absurdities or individuals encountering forces beyond human understanding, Kipling creates stories in which familiar assumptions are repeatedly challenged.