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an old book with chinese writing on it sitting on a white surfacean old book with chinese writing on the coveran old book with chinese writing and a red star on the coveran open book with chinese writing on it sitting on top of a tablean open book with chinese writing on it on a white surface
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796 - MAO ZEDONG (1893–1976), The ‘Little Red Book’
See original version (French)

Estimate €1,500 - €1,700
Sale commission
Description
MAO ZEDONG (1893–1976), The ‘Little Red Book’ Mao Zhu Xi Yu Lu [Quotations from Chairman Mao] [Beijing, General Political Department of the People’s Liberation Army, 1964]. Text in Chinese. First edition. 250 pp. Paperback, white cover, title in black ink on a red background. Half-title printed in red, title page in red and green with double border, portrait of Chairman Mao printed in sepia, handwritten sheet of approval by Lin Biao (uncorrected) printed in black, 2 pages of preface, 2 pages of table of contents. 14 x 10 cm. Slight wear and stains; yellowing of the pages at the beginning and end of the book. The famous edition with a red vinyl cover was printed at the same time as the first editions with paper covers; however, the production of the vinyl covers took longer and so it appeared shortly afterwards. The paper-covered copies were intended for army officers, whilst those with red vinyl covers were distributed to squads of no more than eight soldiers (Schiller, *Quotations from Chairman Mao. A Short Bibliographical Study*, The Grolier Club, New York, 2014). The book ‘Quotations from Chairman Mao’, sometimes referred to as the ‘Chinese Bible’, was first published in a very limited print run in May 1964 and probably still holds the world record for the number of copies printed in less than four years: by the end of 1967, 720 million copies had been printed (Oliver Lei Han). At the buyer’s request, we shall be happy to provide a general report on the condition of the lot described above. However, as we are not professional conservators or restorers, we strongly advise potential buyers to carry out their own inspection or to consult a specialist of their choice to obtain a full assessment of the lot’s condition. Descriptions of items provided in the catalogue or by correspondence are for guidance only and should not be regarded as a definitive assessment. NOTWITHSTANDING THIS REPORT OR ANY DISCUSSION REGARDING A LOT, ALL LOTS ARE OFFERED AND SOLD ‘AS IS’, IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE GENERAL TERMS AND CONDITIONS OF SALE PUBLISHED IN THE CATALOGUE.
See original version (French)
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About the sale RARE BOOKS & MANUSCRIPTS: Antique books § Autographs, rare editions, photographs § Works on paper
Auction location
Auction time 10/29/2026 at 2:30 PM
Pictures credits: Contact the Auction House
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