Nomad Life in Mongolia

Zhang, Mu. Menggu youmu ji [Record of Nomad Life in Mongolia].

€ 14,000.00

First edition. Arguably the most important history of the Mongols to appear in the 19th century, and the best-known work of the scholar and historian Mu Zhang (1805-49), who devoted most of his life to the study of northwestern frontier geography and Mongolian history. The original 1867 woodblock edition comprising 16 juan.

The book, left incomplete upon the author's early death, was completed and edited by his friend and scholar Qiutao He (1824-62). The first six fascicles describe the tribes in Inner Mongolia, the last ten that of Outer Mongolia and the Dzunghars. The text is arranged according to the Mongol administrative banners and leagues. Each chapter begins with geography and history before proceeding to customs and habits; the consistent structure of the book thus provides reliable information on all matters in the Mongol lands. The author derived much of his information from older sources, thus referring not only to contemporary affairs, but also giving information on the historical development of the various Mongolian tribes, and so forms a useful supplement to the official dynastic histories.

In 1891 the text was printed in the series "Xiaofanghuzhai yudi congchao", and is also part of the series "Huangchao fanshu yudi congshu" (1903). Very scarce; copies of the first edition rarely appear on the market: the Chinese rare book platform Kongfz lists only two copies, while no copies surface in Western auction records whatsoever.