Luo Guanzhong - Three Kingdoms

Published Place United Kingdom
PublisherFolio Society
Published Year 2013
EditionFirst Thus
Inventory number141287
ISBN B00FWC0B1Y
Weight7500 g

Description

4 Fine Hardbacks. No inscriptions or bookplates. Good slipcase. Two invh tear to bottom corner of slipcase. Slight fading to panels of slipcase. Introduced by Ma Jian. Translated by Moss Roberts. Bound in vendome cloth. Blocked with images from an 1883 edition of the novel, redrawn by Neil Gower. Set in Swift. 1,664 pages in total with 280 black and white illustrations. Book size: 11" x 7.25". In Chinese culture, the era of the Three Kingdoms (AD 168�280) has achieved the status of legend. Retold in novels, celebrated in operas and echoed in modern media, from television to video games, it permeates Chinese consciousness like no other. It was an era of chaos, of conflicts so bloody that the country's population fell by almost 50 million. But it was also a time of ideological change, with the rise of Buddhist ideals and Taoist principles that rejected the tumult and violence of the warring dynasties. And it produced the country's first professional painters, such as Cao Buxing, often called 'the father of Buddhist painting'. It is from this rich strand of history that Luo Guanzhong's Three Kingdoms emerged. Written in the 14th century, this remarkable novel is one of the great classics of Chinese literature. It is among the most beloved works of literature in East Asia, with an influence in China comparable to that of Shakespeare in the British Isles. While attributed to Guanzhong, it is as much the product of 11 centuries of oral tradition as the fruit of one author's labour, encompassing and cementing the quasi-mythical status of the era. Introducing this edition, Chinese author-in-exile Ma Jian describes Three Kingdoms as 70 per cent history and 30 per cent fiction. The only English language illustrated edition in print. This edition features 280 integrated woodcuts from a 19th-century edition, sourced with the kind assistance of Frances Wood, Curator of Chinese Collections at the British Library. They were probably created in the workshops that thrived throughout the Qing dynasty (1644 to 1911), when the visual arts were prized as a means of reaffirming social values. There are 240 dramatic scenes and 40 character portraits. The books are bound in shimmering cloth, blocked with four key figures redrawn by Neil Gower: Liu Bei (Xuande), Lady Mi, Zuo Ci and Deng Ai. Lady Sun, the daughter of a warlord and third wife of Liu Bei, appears on the slipcase. Please see our other listings for more Folio Society items.

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Item Descriptions

We use the following standard terms to describe the general condition of the book; any major faults (inscriptions, tears, missing pages marks etc) are noted separately.

FINE (F) - Our top rating. The item is in excellent as new condition. A FINE slipcase or dust wrapper is as new; any faults such as marks or bumps will be mentioned but will be very minor - in these cases we use the term NEAR FINE.

VERY GOOD (VG) - The item is not in FINE condition, but there are no major faults. A VERY GOOD slipcase or dust wrapper is clean with maybe some marks, but no tears or pieces missing unless noted otherwise.

GOOD (G) - The item is obviously secondhand, but complete unless noted otherwise. A GOOD slipcase or dustwrapper may be marked, scuffed, torn or creased and with general signs of wear.

POOR (P) - The item is in bad condition. It may be warped from poor storage, have pages missing or scribbled on and the spine may be broken. The item may have many other major faults. A POOR slipcase or dustwrapper may have heavy marking, tears, missing pieces and general heavy wear.

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