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Shadow Plays of Peking -
Wang Hsun, Lu Ching Ta (Lu Jing Da)
1953 - People's Fine Arts Publishing House, Peking - First Edition
A large (52 x 38 cm) and rare silk bound and tied folio, presenting the history of Sung Dynasty (A.D. 960-1279) shadow play, with 15 stunning full page colour lithographs of Chinese shadow puppets by Lu Ching-ta, and an introduction by Wang Hsu, text in Chinese, together with loose eight page pamphlet giving the title and full introduction in English, and detailed description of each illustration, and in the original dust jacket.
Edited by the Department of Applied Arts, Central Institute of Fine Arts, Beijing.
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Price HK$ 13,000
1953 - People's Fine Arts Publishing House, Peking - First Edition
A large (52 x 38 cm) and rare silk bound and tied folio, presenting the history of Sung Dynasty (A.D. 960-1279) shadow play, with 15 stunning full page colour lithographs of Chinese shadow puppets by Lu Ching-ta, and an introduction by Wang Hsu, text in Chinese, together with loose eight page pamphlet giving the title and full introduction in English, and detailed description of each illustration, and in the original dust jacket.Edited by the Department of Applied Arts, Central Institute of Fine Arts, Beijing.
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Price HK$ 13,000
Queensland Past and Present 1897 - INSCRIBED -
Thornhill Weedon
1898 - Edmund Gregory, Brisbane - Second Issue
A wonderful association copy with links to Hong Kong. Inscribed by Weedon to ‘G.F. Bowen’ – Sir George Ferguson Bowen – former Governor of Queensland (1859-1868) and later the Governor of Hong Kong (1883-1887), to front endpaper, and with the author’s ‘with compliment’s’ card laid in.
An uncommon copy of this informative review of Queensland, first published in 1896 and updated over the following years, undertaken while Weedon was compiler of statistics for the Registrar-General’s Office. Includes chapters on geography, population, production, trade, and a brief historical sketch, among others. Illustrated with a folding colour map of Queensland, together with sixteen full page black and white photographs.
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Price HK$ 2,000
1898 - Edmund Gregory, Brisbane - Second Issue
A wonderful association copy with links to Hong Kong. Inscribed by Weedon to ‘G.F. Bowen’ – Sir George Ferguson Bowen – former Governor of Queensland (1859-1868) and later the Governor of Hong Kong (1883-1887), to front endpaper, and with the author’s ‘with compliment’s’ card laid in.An uncommon copy of this informative review of Queensland, first published in 1896 and updated over the following years, undertaken while Weedon was compiler of statistics for the Registrar-General’s Office. Includes chapters on geography, population, production, trade, and a brief historical sketch, among others. Illustrated with a folding colour map of Queensland, together with sixteen full page black and white photographs.
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Price HK$ 2,000
Mono-Alu Folklore (Bougainville Strait, Western Solomon Islands) -
Gerald Camden Wheeler
1926 - George Routledge & Sons, London - First Edition
The collection of Tales and Song Texts here given was made during a stay in Alu and Mono, Bougainville Strait, Western Solomon Islands in 1908-9 for ethnological research. Most of them were taken down from the dictation of the Mono-Alu man Bitiai, a blind man, son of the late chief Big Gorai. The song texts were given from dictation without the music. In the case of eight of the tales, the author had no Mono text. Many of the tales though gathered by Wheeler in Alu or in Mono, come from outside the islands in the Bougainville Strait, from Buim (South Bougainville). Mono is known as Treasure Island, Alu as Shorthand Island; with Fauru they may be grouped as the islands of the Bougainville Strait. - From the introduction.
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Price HK$ 1,200
1926 - George Routledge & Sons, London - First Edition
The collection of Tales and Song Texts here given was made during a stay in Alu and Mono, Bougainville Strait, Western Solomon Islands in 1908-9 for ethnological research. Most of them were taken down from the dictation of the Mono-Alu man Bitiai, a blind man, son of the late chief Big Gorai. The song texts were given from dictation without the music. In the case of eight of the tales, the author had no Mono text. Many of the tales though gathered by Wheeler in Alu or in Mono, come from outside the islands in the Bougainville Strait, from Buim (South Bougainville). Mono is known as Treasure Island, Alu as Shorthand Island; with Fauru they may be grouped as the islands of the Bougainville Strait. - From the introduction.
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Price HK$ 1,200
Views In India, Chiefly Among The Himalaya Mountains -
Lieut. George Francis White, Emma Roberts (editor)
1838 - Fisher, London & Paris - Second Edition
A superior copy of this folio, in the publisher’s original gilt decorated burgundy morocco binding. With descriptions of White’s journey together with twenty nine full-page engraved plates, and extra illustrated engraved title page, after sketches by White, Grindlay as well as from water-colours by various artists including Turner.
Between 1829 and 1832 Lieutenant White (1808-98) travelled ‘in that portion of the Himalayan regions lying between the rivers Sutlej and Kelee’ making sketches of sites along the Ganges and Jumna, at Sutlej, the Keeree pass, Hardwar, Mussoorie, Jamnotri, Gangotri, Simla, Nahaun, including an account of the ascent of Choor, there are also views in Rajputana, Bombay, the Deccan and Kathiawar.
First published in 1836, but without the valuable input and editing of Emma Roberts (1794-1840) who worked as an editor and writer in India whilst staying with her sister, and later under commission form the Asiatic Journal.
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Price HK$ 9,000
1838 - Fisher, London & Paris - Second Edition
A superior copy of this folio, in the publisher’s original gilt decorated burgundy morocco binding. With descriptions of White’s journey together with twenty nine full-page engraved plates, and extra illustrated engraved title page, after sketches by White, Grindlay as well as from water-colours by various artists including Turner.Between 1829 and 1832 Lieutenant White (1808-98) travelled ‘in that portion of the Himalayan regions lying between the rivers Sutlej and Kelee’ making sketches of sites along the Ganges and Jumna, at Sutlej, the Keeree pass, Hardwar, Mussoorie, Jamnotri, Gangotri, Simla, Nahaun, including an account of the ascent of Choor, there are also views in Rajputana, Bombay, the Deccan and Kathiawar.
First published in 1836, but without the valuable input and editing of Emma Roberts (1794-1840) who worked as an editor and writer in India whilst staying with her sister, and later under commission form the Asiatic Journal.
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Price HK$ 9,000
Exploration of Mount Kina Balu, North Borneo -
John Whitehead
1893 - Gurney and Jackson, London - First Edition
A beautiful copy of this stunningly illustrated and unsurpassed large folio containing 32 lithographed plates, comprising 11 natural history plates, hand-coloured and heightened with gum arabic, and 21 tinted lithographed views and ethnographic subjects, and with map and an additional 21 woodcut illustrations in the text.
A detailed narrative of John Whitehead's (1860-1899) travels from October 1884 to August 1888 in Borneo, Java, Palawan and Balabac Islands, especially of his three efforts (the last one successful) to ascend Mount Kina Balu. He brought back examples of many new animals, including no fewer than forty-five new species of birds. The author's primary interest was ornithology, but he also provides much information on head-hunting, religion and custom of the peoples of the region. Besides visiting North Borneo he spent several months in Java and Palawan, and made an expedition into the state of Malacca.
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Price HK$ 40,000
1893 - Gurney and Jackson, London - First Edition
A beautiful copy of this stunningly illustrated and unsurpassed large folio containing 32 lithographed plates, comprising 11 natural history plates, hand-coloured and heightened with gum arabic, and 21 tinted lithographed views and ethnographic subjects, and with map and an additional 21 woodcut illustrations in the text.A detailed narrative of John Whitehead's (1860-1899) travels from October 1884 to August 1888 in Borneo, Java, Palawan and Balabac Islands, especially of his three efforts (the last one successful) to ascend Mount Kina Balu. He brought back examples of many new animals, including no fewer than forty-five new species of birds. The author's primary interest was ornithology, but he also provides much information on head-hunting, religion and custom of the peoples of the region. Besides visiting North Borneo he spent several months in Java and Palawan, and made an expedition into the state of Malacca.
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Price HK$ 40,000
A Missionary Voyage to the Southern Pacific Ocean, Performed in the Years 1796, 1797, 1798, -
William Wilson, James Morrison, Samuel Greatheed
1799 - Printed for T. Chapman by T. Gillet, London - First Edition [The Gillet Edition]
Large quarto with six engraved plates and seven folding engraved maps.
‘The London Missionary Society was founded in 1795, mainly to send missions to Polynesia. The voyage of the Duff was undertaken for the purpose of establishing a mission in Tahiti, and a settlement of twenty-five persons was formed. Apart from the missionary interest of this account, the voyagers made many important discoveries of islands, including Timoe, Mangareva, and Pakarua in the Tuamoto Archipelago; Ongea and Fulanga Islands; Vanua Mbalavu, and Satawal, Lamotrek, Elato, Ifalik, and Woleai atolls in the Western Carolines, before putting in at Macao. A new group of islands, named the Duff Group, was discovered among the Santa Cruz Islands. On the outward voyage, the expedition visited Rio de Janeiro.
The narrative is fresh, although sometimes naive, and provides a glimpse of everyday life on the islands that the mariner or naturalist didn't consider worth reporting.’ -Hill, Pacific Voyages.
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Price HK$ 8,000
1799 - Printed for T. Chapman by T. Gillet, London - First Edition [The Gillet Edition]
Large quarto with six engraved plates and seven folding engraved maps.‘The London Missionary Society was founded in 1795, mainly to send missions to Polynesia. The voyage of the Duff was undertaken for the purpose of establishing a mission in Tahiti, and a settlement of twenty-five persons was formed. Apart from the missionary interest of this account, the voyagers made many important discoveries of islands, including Timoe, Mangareva, and Pakarua in the Tuamoto Archipelago; Ongea and Fulanga Islands; Vanua Mbalavu, and Satawal, Lamotrek, Elato, Ifalik, and Woleai atolls in the Western Carolines, before putting in at Macao. A new group of islands, named the Duff Group, was discovered among the Santa Cruz Islands. On the outward voyage, the expedition visited Rio de Janeiro.
The narrative is fresh, although sometimes naive, and provides a glimpse of everyday life on the islands that the mariner or naturalist didn't consider worth reporting.’ -Hill, Pacific Voyages.
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Price HK$ 8,000
A Brief History of Hongkong -
Winifred A. Wood
1940 - South China Morning Post, Hong Kong - First Edition - Limited to 1, 000 Copies, this being number 440
A fine copy of this rare little book, starting with a list of administrators and governors, followed by chapters in chronological order, chapter 1 - 1841; Chapter II (1841-1848); and so on, ending with ‘The Colony at the Present Time’. This last ebullient chapter giving no indication of the dark times to come, although briefly mentioning the large influx of refugees from China due to Sino-Japanese hostilities, but also noting that this has been beneficial for the manufacturing industry (giving examples of increased demand for gas masks, metal helmets, field telephones and receiving sets etc.).
With a nice sketch map of Hong Kong, New Territories and the outlying islands.
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Price HK$ 3,500
1940 - South China Morning Post, Hong Kong - First Edition - Limited to 1, 000 Copies, this being number 440
A fine copy of this rare little book, starting with a list of administrators and governors, followed by chapters in chronological order, chapter 1 - 1841; Chapter II (1841-1848); and so on, ending with ‘The Colony at the Present Time’. This last ebullient chapter giving no indication of the dark times to come, although briefly mentioning the large influx of refugees from China due to Sino-Japanese hostilities, but also noting that this has been beneficial for the manufacturing industry (giving examples of increased demand for gas masks, metal helmets, field telephones and receiving sets etc.).With a nice sketch map of Hong Kong, New Territories and the outlying islands.
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Price HK$ 3,500
Twentieth Century Impressions of Hongkong, Shanghai, and Other Treaty Ports of China -
Arnold Wright, H. A. Cartwright
1908 - Lloyd’s Greater Britain Publishing Company, London - First Edition
A massive and exhaustive work, illustrated with well over a thousand black and white photographs. Containing 270 detailed pages dedicated to Hong Kong, 324 pages to Shanghai, and 150 pages to the remaining treaty ports.
Covering not only history, culture and government, but details on the major conglomerates, companies, industries, clubs (business, social and sporting), and leading figures of the day. There is nothing comparable.
Scarce and even more so in such exceptional condition in the original publisher’s gilt decorated binding.
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Price HK$ 45,000
1908 - Lloyd’s Greater Britain Publishing Company, London - First Edition
A massive and exhaustive work, illustrated with well over a thousand black and white photographs. Containing 270 detailed pages dedicated to Hong Kong, 324 pages to Shanghai, and 150 pages to the remaining treaty ports.Covering not only history, culture and government, but details on the major conglomerates, companies, industries, clubs (business, social and sporting), and leading figures of the day. There is nothing comparable.
Scarce and even more so in such exceptional condition in the original publisher’s gilt decorated binding.
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Price HK$ 45,000