Bird of Sorrow

London England: W. H. Allen. Very Good. 1957. First Edition. Cloth. 8vo - over 7¾" - 9¾" tall Hardback When the Communists took over China the Bird of Sorrow descended indeed on a remote little mission run by Father Roman - as Monsignor Romaniello calls himself in this book. in which, except that the names have been altered and some of the characters are composites of numerous individuals, he tells the true story of the Chines reaction to the new order. This book does not indulge in political analysis, yet a candid picture is built up which gives a better idea of what Communisim means to China than that contained in many a more dramatic book. Not that drama and violence have no place in the author's account. The story of Li Li Pan, for example, who denounces her relatives and volunteers to kill her grandfather, is an unusually powerful episode. What comes through most clearly is the unquenchable spirit of the Chinese people, who meet their new problems with the same fortitude and attitude of hope that fashioned the proverb that gives the book its title. (We carry a wide selection of titles in The Arts, Theology, History, Politics, Social and Physical Sciences. academic and scholarly books and Modern First Editions etc.) .