Slip case has a small remnant of a price or shelf tag on the back of the box; light wear. The book is bright, tight, clean, flat, square, sharp and crisp with previous owner's name neatly penned to the FFEP. While this book was issued as a book club, there is no indication this is one of those copies.
The book is a beautiful book, neatly bound, with captivating drawings and a clean, open page design. This beauty and craftsmanship is a good reflection of the contents.
Translations from the Chinese covers the long history of Chinese literature (mostly poetry) from 300 B.C. to 1100 A.D. The poems selected by Arthur Waley have simple charm and beauty, often about everyday occurrences. They never flinch from the difficulties of life, the sorrow or the occasional futility. (I can’t say how much this attitude is reflected in all Chinese poetry, or if this simply reflects the editor’s personal interests – or what he perceives to be the interest of the Western reader.)
Most poetry lovers are familiar with Ezra Pound’s translations (rewrites?) of Li Po, who is represented in this book. The long section featuring the poetry of Po Chu-i is particularly good.
"The translations...were made over twenty years ago...In arranging the poems for this illustrated edition I have corrected a certain number of mistakes. But on the whole I have reprinted the poems as they stood in 1918 and 1919"