Commentary on the Essence of the Twenty-Four Histories by Mao Zedong -- Color Illustration Edition

Author: None
Publisher: China Archives Press
Publication Date: 2002-03-01
Features: Mao Zedong was deeply fond of reading history throughout his life, especially favoring The Twenty-Four Histories. In 1952, Mao acquired a Twenty-Four Histories edition from the Qing Dynasty's Wuying Palace during the reign of Emperor Qianlong. From then on, this historical book accompanied him throughout the final chapters of his life. Until 1975, even while plagued by severe illness, he used a trembling hand to mark the covers of several volumes of The History of the Jin Dynasty with inscriptions such as "Revisited in August 1975," "Revisited in September 1975," and "1975.8." In this way, this great leader who managed countless affairs daily read through approximately 40 million words of The Twenty-Four Histories over twenty-four years, some sections even twice, thrice, or four times. While studying the Twenty-Four Histories, he used pens of different colors to heavily underline and annotate, revealing the spontaneous of the emotions and thoughts of this. From these annotations, we can glimpse into Mao's mindset, soaring thoughts, and unique historiographical perspective while he read history. These annotations are a precious spiritual legacy left by this great leader; they are invaluable materials for researching The Twenty-Four Histories and Mao Zedong Thought; they serve as a learning example for us to study Chinese history, learn from the past, and apply ancient wisdom to the present. Mao Zedong's Critical Interpretations of the Essence of the Twenty-Four Histories (Color Illustration Edition) is a four-volume work with over 500,000 words, supplemented by more than 2,000 exquisite illustrations, fully reproducing Mao Zedong's significant critiques of over 100 historical figures mentioned in The Twenty-Four Histories over more than 4,000 years. It also provides interpretations of the numerous annotations left by Mao when he critiqued the Twenty-Four Histories. The entire book is co-authored by researchers from the Central Documentation and Research Office and historians, based on materials provided by the Central Archives.