The Philosophy of Confucius.

CONFUCIUS. TRANSLATED BY JAMES LEGGE. ,.

$650.00

Item Number: 130503

Mount Vernon and New York: The Peter Pauper Press, n.d..

First Peter Pauper edition of Legge’s translation of the Analects of Confucius. Octavo, bound in full pebbled morocco by Maurin with gilt titles and tooling to the spine in six compartments within raised gilt bands, double gilt ruling to the front and rear panels, gilt turn-ins and inner dentelles, all edges gilt, marbled endpapers, illustrations by Jeanyee Wong. In near fine condition. Housed in a custom slipcase.

"[B]asically a translation of Le Morale de Confucius, philosophe de la Chine" (Savouret, 1688), The Morals of Confucius was "translated and abridged from the Latin translation of Prospero Intorcetta, Philippe Couplet, and others, or from an intervening French translation attributed to Louis Cousin or Jean de La Brune" (ESTC, T140229). Chinese philosopher Confucius’s principles had a commonality with earlier Chinese tradition with an emphasis on personal and governmental morality, ancestral veneration, respect for one’s elders, and strong family loyalty. His teachings left a legacy of disciples and gained widespread prominence under the Han and Tang Dynasties, became the official imperial philosophy of China after his death in 479 B.C.E., and remained the dominant philosophy in China until the early 20th century. Likely compiled and composed by his disciples after Confucius's death, the Analects, or Maxims, grew to be one of the central texts of Confucianism by the end of the Han Dynasty. Scottish linguist, missionary, sinologist, and translator James Legge was best known as an early translator of Classical Chinese texts into English. Legge served as a representative of the London Missionary Society in Malacca and Hong Kong (1840–1873) and was the first Professor of Chinese at Oxford University (1876–1897). In association with Max Müller he prepared the monumental Sacred Books of the East series, published in 50 volumes between 1879 and 1891.