The Four Books; or, the Chinese Classics in English :

for the use of those who wish to learn to translate English, and those gentlemen who wish to read the words spoken by the Chinese sages. Compiled from the best previous works, and arranged precisely, according to the pages of the Chinese text, by a Chinese compiler. In six volumes. Ho-nan : Printed at a Private Press, 1871 [but 1872]. Six volumes in two, duodecimo (140 x 105 mm), slightly later uniform bindings of half black calf double-ruled in gilt over green watered silk (only lightly rubbed), spines with raised bands in gilt and with red leather title-pieces stamped in gilt; marbled edges; marbled endpapers, front pastedowns with armorial ex libris of William F. Ross, with his motto “Think on”; original printed yellow upper wrappers bound in; pp. [4], [1]-50, [4], [51]-108, [4], [109]-181, [1 errata] ; [6], [1]-104, [6], 105-171, [blank], [6], 171-176, [two pages 181/176 bound in error], 177-181, [two pages 176/181 bound in error], 182-242; text in English; last 4 leaves with marginal tear partially restored, otherwise very good throughout.

A rare Chinese “forgery” printed with movable wooden type.

The Four Books (四書; Sìshū) are Chinese classical texts fundamental to the philosophy of Confucianism. They were selected by the scholar Zhu Xi in the Song dynasty to act as an introduction to Confucian thought. Much later, in the Ming and Qing periods, they became the core of the official curriculum for the civil service examinations. The Four Books comprise the Analects of Confucius, a collection of Confucius’s sayings compiled by his disciples; the Mencius, a collection of conversations between Mencius (circa 380-289 BCE) and the princes of his time; and two chapters from the Book of Rites.

This rare Henan imprint was printed on a private press using movable wooden type. Intended for Chinese speakers wishing to learn English, it is essentially a counterfeit version of the first English translation of the Four Books (published in parts in Hong Kong and London between 1861 and 1872) which does not acknowledge the original translators and compilers, the missionary and sinologist James Legge (1815-1897) and his assistant Wang Tao. It contains English translations of the works of Confucius (vols. I-III) and his later disciple Mencius (vols. IV-VI), together with biographical introductions to both philosophers by Legge.

The edition was issued in two formats which had an identical Ho-nan : Printed at a Private Press, 1871 imprint: the present pocket-size version, containing only the English text arranged in paragraphs following the Chinese original, was issued first; it preceded a larger format (270 x 140 mm) version with both the Chinese woodblock text as well as the English parallel translations. The preface in the first volume is dated March, 1872.

Based on holdings in OCLC, it would seem the pocket-size, English-only variant is the rarer of the two versions.