Legends of Ancient China
[Chefoo, China]: [Women's Bible School, Self Help Dept., Presbyterian Mission], [1930]. String Binding. Wraps covered with cloth, oblong octavo size, [8] leaves of heavy paper, [7] leaves of glassine with text, with separate descriptive leaf loosely laid in. Near fine. Item #23062301
Temple Hill Cut-Outs, "are an adaption of figures of animals, plants, insects, dragons, etc., cut by the women of Shantung for unknown generations..." This skill was put to remarkable use in this amazingly detailed craft book made by women at the The American Presbyterian Mission of the Chefoo Station, as a fund-raising project.
The illustrations are cut-out silhouettes, accompanied by a short piece of prose, with the stories all adapted from well-known legends from Chinese history. The legends included are: "Wen Yen Beh and the Lost Ball", "Djang Liang and Whang Hsi Gung", " Han Hsin and Hsiao Nien", "Outwitting of Wang Shen", "The Friend Who Failed", "How the Frogs Got Their Croak", and the "Story of Si Mah Gwang".
An extremely delicate work, an example of exquisite hand-work by Chinese women done over 90 years ago.
___DESCRIPTION: Stab-bound decorative woven cloth wrappers, this with a repeat pattern of bridges and temples on the front and fishermen with larger temples on the back, Ex-libris on the front pastedown with the design also in silhouette, title page one of eight heavy leaves with black cut-outs mounted to rectos, seven glassine leaves with the title of the legend and some text within single rule, printed to versos, a small "Made in China" stamp at the bottom of the rear pastedown; oblong octavo size (7 1/8" by 9 1/8"). Loosely laid in is a single sheet on thin paper headed "Temple Hill Cut-Outs Chefoo China" in decorative lettering around a stylized pair of scissors, with the history of the cut-outs and an explanation, signed by the Women's Bible School, Presbyterian Mission (this sheet often lacking as it was loosely laid in).
___CONDITION: A near fine copy, the cloth wraps clean and unrubbed, the stab binding solid, the corners unrubbed, complete regarding the silhouettes and glassines, clean other than some minor specks of foxing and a scattered few spots of light soil, the Ex-Libris mentioned above the sole prior owner marking we see; some short closed tears to both pastdown endpapers. The descriptive sheet very good, clean, with some overall creasing and a short closed tear in the top margin. Overall near fine, a lovely volume.
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Price: $500.00