Description
Foreign Languages Press, Published 1984. Paperback, 54 pp.; 21 cm; First Edition; illustrated throughout with color paintings.
Rare, out-of-print & unusual books · Since 1997
112
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Catalog notes
Condition & notes
In Good condition. Blue illustrated paper covers (front with a woman playing the qin before an assembly of immortals) have a 1/4-inch nick at foot of spine on both joints; light bumping and creasing to edges and corners; mild to moderate edge wear, with some color loss along edges and spine. Rear cover just beginning to pull away from spine at foot; text block still attached and binding otherwise tight. Patterned endpapers; front free endpaper with a red seal in seal script, apparently printed as part of the design. Small reddish spot at foot of rear free endpaper near gutter. Pages mildly toned, otherwise unmarked. English-language picture-story adaptation of "Celestial Island" (Xianren Dao), a tale from Pu Songling's Strange Tales of Liaozhai (Liaozhai Zhiyi), the classic seventeenth-century collection of more than 400 supernatural stories. The arrogant young scholar Wang Mian is carried by a Taoist priest to an island of immortals, marries the celestial maiden Fang Yun, has his poetry mocked by the company, and at last returns home. Adapted by Yu Rulong, with a full-color painting in traditional Chinese style by Chen Huiguan on every page above the English text. No. 4 of the Foreign Languages Press Picture-Story Series of Liaozhai tales (The Boat-Girl Bride; A Lovely Girl; The Taoist Priest of Laoshan Mountain; Celestial Island; Hongyu, the Fox Fairy), published in Beijing for foreign readers and distributed by China International Book Trading Corporation (Guoji Shudian). Chinese colophon on rear pastedown gives the original title, credits, and cover prices (1.40 yuan paperback, 2.40 yuan hardcover).