Zapiski o Mongolii

An important, early description of Mongolia; first edition. A lovely example of this rare book, with hand-coloured plates and interesting provenance.

Bichurin (1777-1853) was named in 1805 leader of the 9th Russian Mission to Peking and head of the Sretenskiy monastery in this town. During his 14-year stay he learnt Chinese and compiled his own dictionary and prepared other scholar works for later publication. The first volume of the present work gives an account of the journey and the second volume a detailed examination of the geographical and political condition of the Mongols and their life and customs.

Angus Ivan Ward (1893-1969) served in the U.S. army during World War I before becoming U.S. Vice Consul in Mukden, China, in 1926, and then in Tientsin. In 1938 he was sent to Moscow, serving as U.S. Consul General in Vladivostok during WWII from 1943. Before becoming U.S. Ambassador in Afghanistan (1952-56), he was back in Mukden as Consul in 1948, where he and several consulated staff were imprisoned and held under house arrest by Mao Zedong's People's Liberation Army for almost a year, creating a diplomatic rift with the United States. Ward built a very good collection of travel accounts and language books related to China and the Far East, most books being bound similarly to this one.

First edition. Two vols in one, 8vo. xii, 231pp with 5 hand-coloured lithographed plates; vi, 339 pp., folding engraved map with hand-coloured outlines. Later half-calf over dark red cloth, gilt lettering to spine and upper cover; spine a bit faded.

Obolyaninov 1027.