The story is set after the Second Anglo-Afghan War (which ended in 1881), but before the Third (fought in 1919), probably in the period of 1893 to 1898.
Kim (Kimball O'Hara) is the orphaned … 展开

• Kimball "Kim" O'Hara – an orphan son of an Irish soldier, the protagonist; "A poor white, the poorest of the poor"
• Kimball O'Hara Sr. – … 展开

Considered by many to be Kipling's masterpiece, opinion is varied about its consideration as children's literature or not. Roger Sale, in his history of children's literature, concludes "Kim is the apotheosis of the Victorian cult of childhood, but it shines … 展开

Film and television
• An MGM film adaptation of the novel, directed by Victor Saville and produced by Leon Gordon, was released in 1950. It was adapted by Helen Deutsch and Leon Gordon, and starred Errol Flynn, Dean Stockwell 展开

• The first part of Robert Heinlein's 1957 novel Citizen of the Galaxy depicts a clever boy of mysterious parentage living in a feudal planet and guided by an interstellar spy. Peopled with fakirs, street vendors and wealthy elites, the beginning of the novel parallels Kim in … 展开

The town of Kim, Colorado, is named in honour of the book.
British spy and defector Kim Philby was born Harold Philby in Ambala, then in British India. His father, a member of the Indian Civil Service, gave him the nickname 'Kim' on … 展开

Editions
The Sussex edition is standard for Kipling's works. Noted critical editions include:
• Kipling, Rudyard. Kim (Harmondsworth: Penguin, 1987). ISBN 0-14-018352-3 With an introduction and … 展开