The Abbot and the Widow: Tales from the Ming Dynasty [*SIGNED* by translator]

Norfolk CT: EastBridge. Fine. (c.2004). First Edition. Hardcover. (pictorial boards; no dust jacket, as issued) [a nice as-new copy with no discernible wear]. (woodcut illustrations) SIGNED by translator Chen Chen on the half-title page. This collection of ten newly-translated 17th Century tales is "a long overdue contribution to the treasury of translated Chinese literature" (from the Introduction). In her Preface, co-translator Chen Chen discusses how she came to be familiar with these stories -- first, in her teens in China, in editions that were censored for their sexual content; and then later in life, returning to them after settling in the United States. She describes the approach taken by her and her collaborator in making the selection for this volume, including re-reading "all two hundred [original] tales several times to gauge their respective merit and value," and praises the stories as "fascinating tales about merchants, scholars, housewives, magistrates, craftsmen, courtesans, abbots, nuns, and even children, spanning a broad spectrum of Chinese urban and rural life." A companion volume containing stories by another writer, Feng Menglong, "The Oil Vendor and the Courtesan," was issued in 2007. (The print run on this volume was much smaller than for the later book, with the hardcover printing being exceptionally uncommon.) Signed by Translator .