Hsiao Ch'ien — The Dragon Beards Versus the Blueprints

London, The Pilot Press Ltd. 1944. First edition. Cloth. A smart first edition of this collection of essays from Chinese journalist and translator Hsiao Ch'ien. First edition. A collection of essays intending to describe the position of Chinese intellectuals caught between the preservation of tradition in China and the movement into a more global space, and to indicate possible futures. With titles such as: Some Reflections on the Machine, Ibsen in China, and Literature and the Masses. Written by Hsiao Ch'ien, or Xiao Qian, a famous Chinese essayist, editor, journalist and translator. With a frontispiece by George Claude Leon Underwood, a British artist, primarily known as a sculptor, printmaker and painter. In the original blue cloth binding. Externally, smart with minor wear and fading to the extremities. Original price-clipped dust wrapper is sound with light wear and chipping to the extremities. Minor loss to the panel edges with closed tears to the spine. Sunning to the spine and panel edges. Internally, firmly bound. Pages are very bright with light spotting and age toning to the endpapers. A contemporary ink inscription to the front endpaper. Very Good . Ill.: Leon Underwood. Very Good/Good.