Groot,Jan Jakob Maria de. — The religious system of China. Its ancient forms, evolution, history and present aspect, manners, custom and social institutions connected therewith. Published with a subvention from the Dutch colonial government. Book II (= vols IV, V & VI). [Complete in 3 volumes].

Leiden, Librairie et Imprimerie ci-devant E.J. Brill / Late E.J. Brill, 1901-1910. 1 main part (of 2) in 3 vols. X,464,[3]; VI,[465] - 928,[2]; VI,[929] - 1341,[1] pp. B./w. figs & 21 plts (incl. frontispiece) with monochrome ills. Orig. uniform softcovers (printed wrappers). 8vo. - Pages unopened (as issued).- Wappers dam. along the edges; top of spine of vol. V missing; spine of vol. IV partly repaired with paper & some tape.Complete 3-volume set of the second main book: Vol. IV - VI: On the soul and ancestral worship. -- A complete copy of this monumental work by the Dutch sinologist Jan Jakob Maria de Groot is structured into two thematic main books divided into six chronological parts (volumes). Although De Groot originally intended to write a much larger series covering all facets of Chinese religion, the project was halted after six volumes (originally published between 1892 and 1910 by E.J. Brill in Leiden). The exact structure and organization of the published set is as follows: Book I (not present here): Burial of the dead (Vol. 1 - 3). This first main volume is entirely devoted to the Chinese approach to the dead, funeral rituals, graves, and the deep-rooted culture of mourning. The second main volume (offered for sale here) shifts the focus to Chinese animism, the workings of the human soul, the spirit world, and the origins of Taoism. - Text in English. -- This set of book two is composed of the following parts: Vol. IV, Part I: The soul in philosophy and folk-conception. Vol. V, Part II: Demonology. + Part III: Sorcery. Vol. VI, Part IV: The war against spectres. + Part V: The priesthood of animism.