Confucius (551-479 BC) praised jade as 'the embodiment of virtue'. Excavations in China since the 1970s have shed much light on the use and production of jade in neolithic and early dynastic periods. Excavated jade artefacts dating from the seventh to seventeenth centuries are rare, so it is particularly valuable that a number of specimens have been unearthed from tombs and pagoda foundations during the past two decades, thus allowing heirloom jades to be compared with these excavated examples and correctly dated. This book is a timely reassessment of what is known about Chinese jade, which has been a central element of Chinese material culture for an uninterrupted span of seven thousand years, and will appeal to collectors and newcomers to the subject alike.

Hailed as the most important and most comprehensive single study of Tang poetry to have appeared in English when originally published by Yale University Press in 1981, this Quirin Press Revised Edition brings back into print this much sought after title and offers the full original text with the following features: Older Wade-Giles transliteration fully updated and revised to the current Pinyin standard; Fully re-typeset and proofed for typographical errors and inconsistencies. New expanded index including Chinese characters; Also available in a fully searchable E-book format including Chinese unicode characters ISBN: 978-1-922169-07-5 (pdf) Following Owen's analysis in "The Poetry of Early Tang" (also available from Quirin Press) of poetry as an art of social gesture and occasion this title explores the poetry of the High Tang which has often been referred to as "apogee of all Chinese poetry." Rather than merely defining the poetic art of eighth century China through Wang Wei, Li Bai, and Du Fu, Owen delves into the norms of the age to become acquainted with the symbiotic relationship that existed both between the major and lesser talents of the age, and the overall literary tradition. In these pages the poetry of the High Tang comes to life as a self-conscious art form, which, combined with a rekindling of China's poetic past, lead to a more personal mode of expression and individual voice that culminated in the unprecedented and dazzling efflorescence of the art. Extracts available on www.quirinpress.com Keywords: Chinese Poetry - Tang Dynasty 618-907 - Poetics - History & Criticism. Owen's companion volume on the Early Tang is also available from Quirin Press ISBN: 978-1-922169-02-0 (paperback) ISBN: 978-1-922169-03-7 (pdf). For further information and extracts visit www.quirinpress.com

A precious commodity since ancient times, the powerful presence of perfume lies not in the fragrance alone, as you'll discover after spending just a few minutes with the beautiful new reference to the regal world of antique and vintage perfume bottles. Each of the bottles in this book (which includes commercial successes such as Avon and Coty, and high-end spectacles including Chanel No. 5 and Lalique) is represented in a stunning color photos, accompanies by recent auction and realized pricing, plus, production information to assist the accurate identification of these containers.