Glimpses of China and Chinese Homes

Combining close scientific observation and a connoisseur's delight in art, this classic volume by Edward Morse is a beautifully observed and meticulously recorded account of China and its traditional domestic architecture as they were in the 1880s. Morse's stature as a sensitive observer of Asian material culture is unrivalled, and his work preserves numerous features of everyday life that might otherwise have been lost, captured at a point in time before the forces of Westernization had become intrusive. Based upon journals kept during his travels in the country, the work describes the terrain through which he journeyed, houses and their construction, traditional building materials, furnishings, interior and exterior decoration, and other household matters, illustrated with his own exquisitely precise drawings which give a unique insight into the Chinese way of life.