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.

The first English translation

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 (Book of History).

“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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