Romance of the Three Kingdoms (Volume 1 and 2)

Author: Luo Guanzhong (Ming)
Publisher:
Publishing Date: 2005-10-01
Features: In China, Romance of the Three Kingdoms, Water Margin, Dream of the Red Chamber, and Journey to the West are widely known as the "Four Great Classical Novels," almost household names. As the ancients said, "Reading Romance of the Three Kingdoms is better than reading Water Margin. The writing of Water Margin is true, though it surpasses Journey to the West in fantasy, yet it creates and destroys at will, with no difficulty in craftsmanship, but it ultimately cannot match Three Kingdoms in narrating fixed events, which cannot be altered. The craftsmanship of Three Kingdoms is indeed more difficult, and its depiction of talents is outstanding, with each character shining brightly, far surpassing Wu Yong and Gongsun Sheng. I believe that among works of literary genius, Romance of the Three Kingdoms should be ranked as the top choice."
"Embroidered illustrations," also known as "embroidered woodblock prints" or "portraits," originally referred to embroidered images of Buddha or people. Since the mid-Ming Dynasty, illustrations of individual characters in plays, novels, and book covers published in markets were also called "embroidered illustrations" due to their fine line work and detailed depictions. Romance of the Three Kingdoms has many versions, with approximately 30 surviving Ming-era editions and over 70 Qing-era editions. The exquisite illustrations that accompanied its circulation have long been cherished by readers. Commonly, people assume these images were taken from Qing-era printed Romance of the Three Kingdoms embroidered illustrations, but in fact, they are mostly derived from early Qing painting albums, such as Late Laughing Studio Paintings by Shangguan Zhou, featuring depictions of Zhuge Liang and Pang Degong by the artist. Some were adapted, like depicting Han Xin as Fu Qian or Yan Zi as Kan Ze. Additionally, many original illustrations of Ming-era loyalists were also adapted to portray Three Kingdoms characters.
This edition is a supplemented "Embroidered Illustrations" of Romance of the Three Kingdoms. The text is based on the Qing-era revised and commented version by Mao Run and Mao Zonggang, published in 1928 by Shanghai Jinkuo Bookstore. The original text includes marginal annotations and double-line small-character comments. The illustrations primarily select nearly 100 exquisite works by Hong Nian Zineng of Wu Men, drawn from the Qing-era stone-printed Complete Portraits of Romance of the Three Kingdoms by Shanghai Wenbao Bookstore. Moreover, considering the vast number of outstanding embroidered illustrations related to Romance of the Three Kingdoms in existence, this book has incorporated many fine works from different dynasties and versions to delight the discerning eyes of readers.