THE HISTORY OF THE GREAT AND RENOWNED MONARCHY OF CHINA: Where In All The Partic by SEMEDO, F. Alvarez. & [Martin Martini]

London 1655, Crook. Recent full calf, etched folding map, 2 etched plates, 19 x 29.2 cm., lower edge of map in facsimile else clean, firm, solid, internally clean & bright,very good plus example, parts 1,2, 248p. FIRST ENGLISH EDITION . *** **** *** . . . A FABULOUS & EARLY JESUIT ACCOUNT . . . OF LIFE IN CHINA . . . A FASCINATING 1655 PRIMARY RESOURCE . *** SUBTITLE: continued: "Together with the Traffic & Commodities of that Country. Now put into English by a Person of Quality, and Illustrated with Several Maps and Figures, to Satisfy the Curious & Advance the Trade of Great Britain." . THE FIRST & BEST ENGLISH EDITION: This is the First English translation of the original Italian title Semedo wrote in 1643: RELATIONE DELLA GRANDE MONARCHIA DELLA CINA, translated into English, by "A Person of Quality." . *** WRITTEN IN "OLD" ENGLISH" These two titles were written in "Old English" of the period & commonly used "F" for "S" therefore below, we faithfully repeat the spelling on the title page, as issued. . *** THE AUTHOR: FATHER ALVAREZ F. SEMEDO, S.J. [1585/86?-1658] Semedo was a Portuguese Jesuit, and was known by variant names depending on which language was used: Álvaro de Semedo, in Latin: Alvarus de Semedo. In China he was known as Xie Wulu and later as Zeng Dezhao. He lived and worked some 20 years in China. . *** BIOGRAPHY OF THE AUTHOR: Álvaro Semedo was born in Nisa, Portugal in 1585 or 1586. He entered the Jesuit novitiate in 1602, and on 29 March 1608, he left for Goa and the Far East aboard Nossa Sra. do Vencimento. He arrived in Macao [Aomen] in 1610, and Nanjing in 1613. Along with another Jesuit, Alfonso Vagnoni, he was imprisoned during an anti-Christian campaign in Nanjing in 1616 and then sent back to Macao [Aomen in Chinese, a Portuguese Colony], where he stayed until 1621. . As the persecution campaign in the mainland China abated, Fr. Semedo changed his Chinese name from Xie Wulu to Zeng Dezhao and re-entered China, now working in Jiangsu and Jiangnan provinces. He spent most of his term in China in the central and southern provinces. Perhaps his only trip north was made to Xi'an in 1625, during which he was the first European to see the recently unearthed Nestorian Stele. . In 1636, Semedo went back to Europe as a procurator, sent by his Order to recruit people for the China mission and to ensure continued assistance from the church in Europe. During his sojourn in Europe, he published a long report on China, best known under its Spanish title, IMPERIO DE LA CHINA. . After his return to China, Semedo served in Guangzhou [Old Canton Guangdong] as the Vice-Provincial of the Jesuit China Mission. During several years after the fall of Beijing to the Manchus in 1644, he continued to work with the Ming loyalist regimes in the Southern China [notably, sending Michal Boym to the court of the Southern Ming Yongli Emperor], even as most of Jesuits elsewhere in China were switching their loyalty to the recently established Qing Dynasty. Once the Qing took Canton, Semedo was detained, but was freed a few months later, reportedly due to the interference of Beijing-based Johann Adam Schall von Bell. He spent the rest of his life in Guangzhou, where he died. . *** CONTENTS: Semedo arrived in China in 1613, and wrote about the general kingdom of China, based on his travels, with very lucid commentaries on the thirteen provinces, reporting on each. Chinese habits, manners, language, doctors, books, sciences, arts, civilization, games, marriage, funerals, religion, superstitions, sacrifices, military, arms, role of Tartars, Kings & Queens, nobility, government, peculiarities, Mandarin badges, law, prisons, punishments, Moors, Jews, Christians. With some good focus on preaching of the Gospel. Persecutions of Fathers [Catholics] in Nanking & Peking and other places, martyrdom of Christians. Supplement of the cruel war with the Tartars. . *** VALUABLE PRIMARY RESOURCE A nicely done early and valuable primary source and stunning middle 17th. century historical primary work on China by resident Jesuits. . *** COPPER ENGRAVED PAGES: PLEASE NOTE: Not all copies have these plates. Copies vary, please carefully read the descriptions for each copy prior to ordering. . a. Frontispiece of Semedo b. Title page c. AN EXACT MAP OF CHINA, 1655, after p. 1, large folding. d. Mandarin and his Wife, p.29 e. Mingus, Emperor of Western Tartars f. Map 2, Sitvs Provinclar Vm Imperii Sionici MDCLIV [1654] . *** VARIANT EXAMPLES: NOT ALL COPIES ARE IDENTICAL, some copies may also contain the below additional articles: . "BELLUM TARTARICUM, OR THE CONQUEST OF THE GREAT AND MOST RENOWNED EMPIRE OF CHINA, BY THE INVASION OF THE TARTARS, WHO IN THESE LAST SEVEN YEARS, HAVE WHOLLY SUBDUED THAT VAST EMPIRE. Together With A Map Of The Provinces, And Chief Cities Of The Countries, For The Better Understanding Of The Story, Written Originally In Latin By Martin Martinius, Present In The Country at Most of the Passages Herein Related, And Now Faithfully Translated into English." . Pages 250-304, plus engraved plate: portrait of Emperor of Western Tartars, and map: Sitvs Provinclar Vm Imperii Sionici MDCLIV [1654] . * Together with: "MAP OF THE PROVINCE AND CHIEF CITIES OF THE COUNTRIES, FOR THE BETTER UNDERSTANDING OF THE STORY. Written originally in Latin by Martin Martinius... London 1655." From pages 250-304. * Followed by: "AN ADDITION TO THE FORMER HISTORY, TAKEN OUT OF THE LAST LETTERS FROM CHINA WRITTEN IN THE YEARS 1651," 52 AND 53, pages 305-308. . * Followed by: "BOOKS PRINTED FOR, AND TO BE SOLD BY JOHN CROOK AT THE SIGN OF THE SHIP IN ST. PAUL'S CHURCH-YARD," [2] unnumbered pages of adverts. . *** ORDER WITH CAUTION: We have more than one copies of this book. . Not all copies are identical, some lack Bellum and following pages, please carefully read the description and note the pagination differences of each copy prior to ordering. . *** ADDITIONAL INDIVIDUAL COPY DETAILS: . COPY 1: This is the best of we have seen in the past 55 years of tenure. Full size map, contents clean, solid & firm. It has been rebound in full tooled calf, with 5 raised bands, with red spine label and gold titles & decorations. There are new endpapers in the front & back. . * COPY 2: It is bound in the period full calf leather. . * COPY 3: The lower edge of the first map is trimmed away. Else clean, solid & complete. It has been rebound in full tooled calf, with 5 raised bands, with red spine label and gold titles & decorations. There are new endpapers in the front & back. . *** GENERAL CONDITION: Please read details of each copy to see more exact details of each unique copy, the below is a 'general statement of generic condition' of this book. . This title some 365 years old, as such there will be some of the usual minor defects, paper toning, transfer, oxidation, minor restorations to very small ancient worm holes & closed tears and the like. . There may be some minor stains, discoloration, foxing spots, folds and other typical minor issues associated with books of this age. Any major defects will be pointed out. . Please inquire about a specific copy prior to ordering, we will provide additional details if needed. . The book contains 2 copper-engraved maps and other copper engravings, please see each copy for the number and more details. . * ** Color photos are posted to our website. . *** BIBLIOGRAPHY: . Wing: S249 * Lust: WESTERN BOOKS ON CHINA PUBLISHED UP TO 1850, #72. * Oriental Library: THE ASIATIC LIBRARY OF G. MORRISON, vol. 1, p.667 * NUC * BM * Mungello, David E.: CURIOUS LAND: Jesuit Accommodation and the Origins of Sinology. * L. Carrington Goodrich & Chao-Ying Fang (red.): Dictionary of Ming Biography. * M. Takahashi: CATALOGUE OF SPECIAL BOOKS ON CHRISTIAN MISSIONS, Tenri 1932 vol. 2 p.122 item # 106 for more details and illustrations of the title page. * WorldCat: Cites three authors: Alvaro Semedo; Manuel de Faria e Sousa; Martino Martini * ALVAREZ F. SEMEDO: en.wikipedia.org/wiki/%C3%81lvaro_Semedo * worldcat.org/search?q=ti%3ATHE+HISTORY+OF+THE+GRE AT+AND+RENOWNED+MONARCHY+OF+CHINA.+au%3ASEMEDO%2C+F.+Alvarez &qt=advanced&dblist=638 . *** .