Strange Tales from a Chinese Studio: Illustrated in Two Volumes

Author: Pu Songling
Publisher:
Publish Date: 2003-01-01
Features: This book can be considered the finest among illustrated editions of Ming and Qing Dynasty fiction. Since its first publication, Strange Tales from a Chinese Studio (Liaozhai Zhiyi) has achieved the status of being "widely popular and widely read," with almost every household owning a copy. This "Illustrated Lyrics" edition features a unique approach: for each story, a representative scene or plot point is illustrated with a corresponding seven-line poem, highlighting the story's essence and meaning, allowing readers to grasp the deeper implications and enhance their reading experience from multiple angles. Among the various versions of Liaozhai Zhiyi, this edition stands out as particularly innovative. The book contains 444 meticulously crafted illustrations, praised by the compiler, the owner of Guangbai Studio, as "a collection of illustrations by renowned artists of the time, each capturing the key moments with vivid expressions, whether in humor or satire, truly conveying the spirit of the scenes." In this new printing, the illustrations and captions retain the original engraved style, striving to provide readers with a harmonious and aesthetically perfect visual and textual experience. This book vividlys the novel Strange Tales from a Chinese Studio in a richly illustrated format. The chapter arrangement follows the new annotated edition of Liaozhai Zhiyi, with textual references to the Qingke Pavilion edition, the Cast Snow Studio manuscript, the Twenty-Four Volume manuscript, and others. Each story is accompanied by illustrations drawn by contemporary artists, complementing the narrative content with over four hundred images.