Dunhuang: A Centennial Commemoration of the Discovery of the Cave Library, Fine

Zhang Wenbin (Editor), Dunhuang Research Institute (Compiler), et al. Morning Glory Publishers, 2000

Fine, First Edition, First Printing, 4to, 11 1/2" x 8 3/4." Dark blue cloth-covered boards with gilt lettering to front cover and spine. Decorative Chinese characters incorporated into cloth on front cover. Light sunning to the spine and a bit of the front cover, else covers pristine and intact, binding tight, sharp tips. Pages pristine and intact. Replete with color plates and illustrations, some are folding plates, colors clean and bright. Original paper obi with color illustrations is laid in, but ripped and wrinkled. 187 pp., including plates and illustrations. A survey of the famous Dunhuang Caves, or Mogao Caves, in China. Much of the book is composed of illustrations with intermittent text and descriptive captions. A number of the caves are examined. The Dunhuang Caves generally refer to the many Buddhist grottoes and temples in the Dunhuang area. The Dunhuang Caves, upon their re-discovery in the early twentieth century, revealed a treasure trove of historical manuscripts, artwork, sculptures, murals, textiles, paintings on silk and paper, woodblock prints, architecture, and other artifacts. The Caves include some of the earliest examples of Buddhist art in China. Of note is Cave 17, or the "Library Cave," which had been re-discovered in 1900 after being walled off in the early eleventh century. The Library Cave contained around 50,000 manuscripts from the fifth to early eleventh centuries and encompassed a variety of works including Buddhist manuscripts, Confucian works, Taoist works, Nestorian manuscripts, and manuscripts by the Chinese government.