‎E. Bretschneider‎
‎Early European Researches into the Flora of China‎

‎Shanghai 1881 American Presbyterian Mission Press Hardcover 1st Edition ‎

Reference : 030014

‎Hardcover The original soft covers are bound in. The hard cover has the usual minor signs of wear. The text section is in very good condition. ex library book, 20 x 13 cm, 194 pp., English, 1st Edition, book condition: Very Good. This work was originally published as a paper in the Journal of the North-China Branch of the Royal Asiatic Society (New Series, Vol. XV) for the year 1880. The separate book edition followed in 1881.rnEmil Bretschneider was a Baltic German physician attached to the Russian legation in Beijing. Unlike many of his contemporaries who focused on physically collecting plants, Bretschneider was fascinated by sinology (the study of Chinese texts).rnHe noticed that Western botanists had difficulty identifying plants mentioned in ancient Chinese medical and agricultural texts. This 1881 edition was his first large-scale attempt to bridge that gap.rnContents of the 1881 editionrnThe publication is not so much a flora in the modern sense (a list of plants in an area) as a bibliographical and historical overview. It contains:rnAnalyses of the Pên-ts'ao (Materia Medica): Bretschneider discusses the most important Chinese herbal books, in particular Li Shizhen's Bencao Gangmu.rnIdentification: He attempted to link the Chinese names of plants to their scientific Latin names.rnClassical Literature: He examined plant references in the Shijing (Book of Songs) and other ancient Chinese classics.rnThe Publisher: American Presbyterian Mission PressrnThe choice of the American Presbyterian Mission Press in Shanghai was logical for the time. This was the most advanced printing press in China in the 19th century.rnThey had the necessary typefaces for both Latin script and Chinese characters, which was essential for Bretschneider's work.rn‎