route connected China to the Trans-Siberian Railway and Europe beyond. The railway thus became a key artery for the steady flow of tourists attracted to China during the golden age of travel. Octavo, 32 pp. Original red card wrappers, black title and gilt emblem to front cover, photographic illustrations to both covers in black. Folding map showing the railways and its connections, with inset map of Peking, illustrations throughout in text. Contemporary manuscript text correction to p. 15. Covers slightly faded, small bump to fore edge of wrappers and book block, small closed tear at map stub not affecting printed area, internally bright. A very good copy. £850 [152642] 34 CHRISTIE, Agatha. Crime Collection. London: Hamlyn, 1969–70 Complete set of the only major collection of Christie’s novels published to date, attractively bound. It includes all Christie’s published crime novels up to 1970, and features a foreword by her in the first volume.
24 volumes, octavo. Recent tan morocco, crimson and green morocco labels, raised bands, single rule to boards, marbled endpapers, gilt edges. The occasional minor blemish, else an excellent set. £7,500 [150111] 35 CHURCHILL, Winston S. Lord Randolph Churchill. London: Macmillan and Co. Limited, 1906 First edition of Churchill’s biography of his father. Lord Randolph was an often controversial politician prominent in British political life in the 1880s, serving as secretary of state for India, leader of the House of Commons, and chancellor of the exchequer, until his sudden resignation from the government in December 1886 on a point of principle. Winston’s relationship with his father was not warm, though respectful. However, his upbringing with a father at the centre of British politics inevitably shaped the character and outlook of the future statesman. Churchill had it in mind to write the biography soon after Lord Randolph’s death in January 1895,
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33 CHINESE IMPERIAL RAILWAY. Imperial Railways of North China. Peking–Mukden Line. Train Service General Information. Tianjin: Tientsin Press, Limited, January 1911 A rare guide to China’s first railway enterprise from the golden age of East Asian travel, recorded in only three institutions on WorldCat. This was printed shortly before the collapse of Qing imperial rule and the railway’s rapid republican rebranding. The guide offers railways users information on fares, baggage allowances, onboard facilities, timetables, and connections. The large number of illustrations showcase tourist hotspots such as the Forbidden City, the Great Wall, and the summer resort at Shanhaiguan, all accessible along the railway route. Noticeably absent are the scores of adverts that bombarded readers in the typical guides produced by travel agencies such as Thomas Cook & Son. In October 1911, rebels in the southern city of Wuchang raised the standard of rebellion against the Qing, sparking nationwide revolts that would eventually lead to the last emperor’s abdication in 1912. In keeping with the republican tenor of the times, Imperial Railways of North China was rebranded as “Chinese Government Railways”. With the Qing a relatively late adopter of railway technology, track for the new Imperial Railways of North China was first laid in 1881. By 1903, with the aid of foreign loans, the important Peking to Mukden
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SPRING 2022
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