LINQING.

Hong xue yin yuan tu ji [An Illustrated Record of Goose Tracks in the Snow].

Numerous illus. in the text. Six vols. Small 8vo, orig. protective wrappers (some protective wrappers defective or detached) over orig. blue wrappers (some foxing & waterstaining), orig. block-printed title labels on upper covers, orig. stitching. Shanghai: Dianshizhai, 1879.

A reduced lithographic reprint of this famous book, the autobiography of Linqing (1791-1846), who belonged to a family closely associated with the Imperial family. As a high government official, he travelled widely in China. His autobiography gives a clear account of the workings of the Qing government during the first half of the 19th century. He served in several posts in which he oversaw many river-control projects, recorded here. Linqing was also deeply interested in garden architecture, and many passages in these volumes recount his visits to temples and their gardens.

This work was originally published over a series of years; the first fully illustrated edition in six volumes appeared 1847-49. Our edition was published by the famous Dianshizhai Lithographic Bookstore, the first privately owned commercial Shanghai lithographer to print books.

Good set, preserved in a modern cloth slipcase.

❧ Christopher A. Reed, Gutenberg in Shanghai. Chinese Print Capitalism, 1876-1937, pp. 79-83.

Price: $1,250.00

Item ID: 7501