A scarce 1938 first edition of China's Struggle for Tariff Autonomy: 1843-1938, published in Shanghai by the renowned Kelly & Walsh, Ltd.
Written by Stanley F. Wright, a former Commissioner of the Chinese Customs Service, this monumental work documents nearly a century of diplomatic and economic history as China sought to regain control over its customs administration from foreign powers.
Key Features:
Cover Calligraphy: The blue cloth cover features gold-stamped Chinese calligraphy titled "History of the Evolution of China's Tariff Autonomy," inscribed by Dr. H. H. Kung, the powerful Minister of Finance of the Republic of China at the time.
Publication Context: Printed in Shanghai in 1938, during the turbulent period of the Second Sino-Japanese War.
Provenance: This is an Ex-Library copy from a Japanese Economic Research Institute, bearing vintage classification labels on the spine and endpapers.
Condition Report (Grade C / Ex-Library):
Binding: Original blue cloth with gilt lettering. Shows shelf wear, rubbing at extremities, and a library sticker on the spine.
Interior: Heavy offsetting and foxing (browning) on the endpapers and title pages due to age and glue reaction. Text block is otherwise clean but age-toned.
Markings: Library labels and stamps on the front pastedown.
Collector's Note: An essential primary source for the study of the Chinese Maritime Customs Service and the Nanking Decade economy. Despite the ex-library condition, copies with the original H.H. Kung inscribed cover are highly sought after.
China's Struggle for Tariff Autonomy, Stanley F. Wright, 1938, Kelly & Walsh Shanghai, Chinese Maritime Customs Service, H.H. Kung, Republic of China History, Sino-Japanese War, Economic History, Rare Books China, Ex-Library, Treaty Ports, Nanking Decade, Shanghai History.