[CHINA - PHOTOGRAPHY - CHINESE REVOLUTION].
War scenes of the Chinese Revolution book 1.
Shanghai, Commercial Press, Limited, [1912?]. Oblong 8vo (15 x 22.5 cm). 160 black-and-white photographs, all protected by tissue paper guards. Original publisher's orange-brown pictorial cloth, marbled endpapers. [1], [1 blank], 40; 40; 40; 40, [2 blank] pp.
€ 6,500
First and only edition of a very rare work with photographic illustrations of the Chinese Revolution of 1911, with captions in Chinese and English. It was published specifically for circulation in the West and consists of 14 parts. The present work contains the first 4. However, any volume in this series is exceptionally rare, as we have not been able to find another copy in sales records of the past 100 years.
The Chinese Revolution of 1911 is an important event in Chinese history, as it resulted in the establishment of the Republic of China. The Revolution was preceded by decade of revolts, since Chinese citizens had already been dissatisfied with the rule of the Qing dynasty (1636-1912) for some time. The Revolution started in October 1911 with the Wuchang Uprising, after which similar revolts broke out across the country. The Qing court then initiated negotiations with the revolutionaries. Both parties came to the agreement that the emperor, who was just 6-years old, had to abdicate in February 1912. Revolutionary statesman Sun Yat-Sen (1866-1925) became the first provisional president.
The present work offers an authentic pictorial record of the first revolts. The work contains numerous portraits of important leaders of the Revolution and members of the Qing court, grim photographic illustrations of the battlefields in Wuchang (now the Wuchang District of Wuhan) and Hankow (or Hankou), and images of the attack on Nanking (now Nanjing), including the preparations and the aftermath.
The binding shows very slight signs of wear, the gutters of the front and back endpapers are weakened, causing the binding to be wobbly, but the boards are still attached. The tissue paper between the photographic illustrations has browned throughout. Otherwise in very good condition. WorldCat 891342401 (2 copies).
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