Ancient China: the Shoo-king, or, The Historical Classic: Being the mo

MEDHURST (Walter Henry).

Ancient China: the Shoo-king, or, The Historical Classic: Being the most Ancient Authentic Record of the Annals of the Chinese Empire.

FIRST ENGLISH TRANSLATION OF THE SHU-JING

Illustrated by later Commentators. First edition. 3 double-page plates on Chinese paper and 12 maps (double-page on Chinese paper), & several diagrams and illustrations in the text. Interspersed throughout with printed Chinese characters. 8vo. Contemporary vellum-backed boards, minor damage (repaired), but overall still a very good copy. [xvi], 413pp. Shanghai, Mission Press, 1846.

£4,800.00

This is the first English translation of the Confucian classic, the Shu-jing (Classic of History). This is collection of documents and speeches alleged to have been written by rulers and officials of the early Zhou period (1046-256 BC). It is one of the Five Classics of Chinese antiquity, and possibly dates from the 6th to the 4th century BC. For over 2000 years it was regarded as the foundation of Confucian political philosophy and it includes some of the earliest examples of Chinese prose.

“For the benefit of students in Chinese, the text is interspersed with the translation, so as to afford a pretty correct clue to the meaning of each particular character.” (preface, p. IX). Medhurst also supplies extracts from the Historical Classic covering the period of the Shu-jing as well as two appendices on Chinese Constellations and Astronomy, in particular the Chinese Zodiac.

Medhurst (1796-1857) was a famous English missionary in China and one of the early translators of the Bible into Chinese. After spending some twenty-five years in Malacca Medhurst went to Shanghai where he founded the Mission Press.

Rare. Cordier II, 1378; Lust 739.

Stock No.

256700

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