1, 6, 11, 47 folding leaves. Large 8vo, orig. yellow patterned wrappers (wrappers a little soiled), orig. block-printed title label on upper cover, new stitching. [Korea: 1870s].

A rare anonymous manual for the general education of writers of classical Chinese from late Chosŏn Korea. The term “bamboo slips” originally referred to the material supports of writing in antiquity. In classical Chinese usage of later ages — and in this title — the phrase was used metonymically in reference to the implements and genres of classical Chinese writing.

This book covers the four “rites” of capping, marriage, funerals, and sacrifices. Each... More

Nine full-page & one double-page woodcut illus. and one vignette. Four vols. 8vo, orig. wrappers, old stitching. [China]: Dun hua tang 敦化堂, 1718.

A commercial edition of the Confucian Document Classic, probably intended for candidates for the civil service examinations.

The Document Classic, or Venerated Documents, “was recognized during the Han dynasty as one of the ‘Five Classics’ and has served for more than two-thousand years as the foundation of Chinese political philosophy. The text contains the earliest writings in China’s traditional literature, with some chapters dating nearly a thousand years before its recognition as a classic” (Edward... More

56; 46; 71; 48 folding leaves. Four vols. of manuscript. Various 8vo formats, cont. semi-stiff wrappers (one lower wrapper rather defective). [China:]: 18th or 19th century.

Collection of materials to help prepare for the Qing civil service examinations. The Chinese civilian administration of the Qing empire was carried out by six ministries and various court agencies in Beijing, which headed the regional and local governments of the provinces, prefectures, and counties of China proper. Officials who served in most of the posts in this civilian administration were recruited through a system of examinations. While success at the highest level... More

Ten vols. 8vo, orig. wrappers, old stitching. [China]: 1909-12.

An important, one-of-a-kind trilingual textbook. In 1905, the Qing government took the radical move to abolish the civil service examinations, which had been contested for a long time and reformed in 1901. Rather than a system of examinations supported by schools preparing students for the lowest level of the exams, the court instituted a tiered system of schools, from elementary to advanced, with students across the country using new textbooks. Our book is a product of the extension of this new educational regime to “present-day” Inner Mongolia.

One of... More

Edited by Yusuishi Tanaka. Woodcut frontis. & eight fine double-page woodcut illus. 21; 18 folding leaves. Two vols. Large 8vo, orig. blue wrappers (wrappers rather worn & rubbed), orig. block-printed title labels on upper covers (rubbed), new stitching. Osaka, Edo, & Kyoto: 1749.

First edition of this beautifully illustrated book; the fine woodcuts are by Sukenobu Nishikawa (1671-1750 or -51 or -54), who “counts among the foremost masters of so-called ukiyo-e (primitive) prints. His subject matter, like that of his contemporaries, revolved around images of women walking. These images are stylised, lending the rhythmic movement of the sumptuous robes an... More

Black & white illus. throughout. [48] pp. 4to, pictorial softcover with flaps. Poznan, Poland: Krajowa Agencja Wydawnicza, 1986.

A very rare catalogue published by the pARTner group to recapitulate their activities in 1984 and ‘85, some of which involved correspondence art; according to WorldCat, no copies outside of Poland. The collective included Jacek Bukowski, Janusz Byszewski, Blanka Gul-Olszewska, Eugeniusz Józefowski, and Wieslaw Karolak. Many of the projects presented here touched upon art education of children; for example, one entailed the establishment of a reading room.

From the introduction: “‘pARTner’ program clearly determines the need of creativity in human life, it... More

Numerous woodcut illus. Four vols. 8vo, later wrappers, new stitching. [Japan]: Shōgetsuro 嘯月廬, 1861.

First edition of this richly illustrated work written for instructing Japanese children to read and write kanshi 漢詩, classical Chinese verse. Such instruction was part of the kangaku curriculum.

“Kangaku (literally ‘Chinese learning’) means mainly Confucian studies, but also Chinese history and culture in a wider sense, kanbun (classical Chinese and Sino-Japanese language and the literature written in it) and kanshi (Sino-Japanese poetry in the Chinese style). Education before 1868 meant chiefly education in kangaku, and a knowledge of kangaku continued to be viewed... More

Woodblock printed. 85; 63 folding leaves. Four parts in two vols. Large 8vo (306 x 208 mm.), orig. brown semi-stiff wrappers (wrappers somewhat soiled), old stitching. [Korea]: n.d., but 1672?

A rare and early Korean edition of this famous Confucian florilegium (WorldCat 35891613). The author is Song- dynasty thinker and educator Zhen Dexiu (also known as Zhen Xishan 真西山, 1178-1235), who was a follower of Zhu Xi 朱熹 (1130-1200). Zhen had “a considerable influence on the formation of Neo-Confucian ideology in the Yüan and early Ming” (Chu, “Chu Hsi and Public Instruction,” 273). His book The Classic of... More