The Analects of Confucius. Translated from the Chinese, with an Introduction and Notes.

Limited edition, number 334 of 1,500 copies, the copy of George Macy (1900-1956), the founder of the Limited Editions Club, with his inked initials and blind stamp on the limitation page. Lionel Giles's translation of the Analects was first published in 1907 and is distinctive for grouping Confucius's sayings thematically rather than according to the classic chapter arrangement. Giles produced his interpretation as a rejoinder to the efforts of the great missionary sinologist James Legge. According to the introduction, Legge, with his belief in the innate superiority of Christianity, misinterpreted Confucianism's "very core and essence" (p. 4). Large octavo. Original decorative silk brocade wrappers, white thread xianzhuang stitching, spine ends capped with blue and silver silk pattern, front cover with xylographic title label speckled with gilt, gilt-flecked yellow endpapers. Housed in original redwood box with hand-incised green lettering and red Chinese seal. With 4 lithographed plates. Covers bright, light creasing and toning: a near-fine copy in shiny box with one repair and a few light abrasions.…