Maggs Bros.

Donald Mennie (1899-1944) was trained as a chemist in Scotland. He came to China in 1899 and initially worked for Mactavish & Lehman in Beijing but later moved to Shanghai where he was in the employ of the chemist wine, spirit, & cigar merchants A. S. Watson & Co. Mennie was a gifted amateur photographer of the “pictorialist” school, and many of his images capture the feeling of the end-of-an-era. The present book is Mennie’s first publication. Cooper’s introduction states that “Acknowledgement is also made to Mr. Donald Mennie of Shanghai, China, who took most of the photographs from which the illustrations have been made.” Curiously enough, eight of the plates actually show scenes in Japan. Elizabeth Cooper writes entertaining imaginary letters from a Chinese Lady to her husband, who is a high official travelling abroad.