Disappearing Shanghai: Photographs and Poems of an Intimate Way of Life

Howard W. French, Qiu Xiaolong

ISBN 10: 1931907811 / ISBN 13: 9781931907811

Published by Homa & Sekey Books, 2012

About this Item

SIGNED by poet Qiu Xiaolong on title page, no inscription. Stated First Edition - first printing (number line contains "1"). Book cover like new - pages clean, bright and unmarked - spine like new. Jacket like new. Proceeds benefit Friends of the Library; books sold are NOT ex-library. "Honest and reliable service - every book hand-packaged with care". This book is a photographic exploration of life in the old and rapidly disappearing quarters of Shanghai, with accompanying poems and essays by the author of fiction and poetry, Qiu Xiaolong. The photographs, all taken in a documentary style over a period of five years, represent an intimate and invaluable visual natural history of a way of life in the workers quarters and other central districts of the city that held sway throughout the 20th century and into the early years of the 21st century, before yielding to the ambitious ongoing efforts at urban reconstruction. Mr Qiu, whose best-known books are largely set in this old city, where his protagonist Inspector Chen walks around in investigations, is suited like few others to provide a lyrical accompanying text whose purpose is to celebrate the life, beauty and texture of this world before it has vanished altogether. No photographer has pursued this subject with more dedication and persistence than Mr French, whose photographs of Shanghai have been exhibited on four continents Taken together, the work of these two contributors offers compelling esthetics and lasting historical value for lovers of Shanghai, past, present and future.

Seller Inventory # SFOLABE167

Bibliographic Details

• Title: Disappearing Shanghai: Photographs and Poems of an Intimate Way of Life
• Publisher: Homa & Sekey Books
• Publication Date: 2012
• Language: English
• ISBN 10: 1931907811
• ISBN 13: 9781931907811
• Binding: Hardcover
• Edition: 1st Edition
• Condition: Near Fine
• Dust Jacket Condition: Dust Jacket Included
• Signed: Signed by Author(s)
• Seller catalogs:
  • Arts & Photography
  • Signed Books

About this title

Synopsis

This book is a photographic exploration of life in the old and rapidly disappearing quarters of Shanghai, with accompanying poems and essays by the author of fiction and poetry, Qiu Xiaolong.

The photographs, all taken in a documentary style over a period of five years, represent an intimate and invaluable visual natural history of a way of life in the workers quarters and other central districts of the city that held sway throughout the 20th century and into the early years of the 21st century, before yielding to the ambitious ongoing efforts at urban reconstruction.

Mr. Qiu, whose best-known books are largely set in this old city, where his protagonist Inspector Chen walks around in investigations, is suited like few others to provide a lyrical accompanying text whose purpose is to celebrate the life, beauty and texture of this world before it has vanished altogether.

No photographer has pursued this subject with more dedication and persistence than Mr. French, whose photographs of Shanghai have been exhibited on four continents. Taken together, the work of these two contributors offers compelling esthetics and lasting historical value for lovers of Shanghai, past, present and future.

About the Author

Howard W. French is an associate professor at the Columbia University Graduate School of Journalism. Howard is a former foreign correspondent and senior writer for the New York Times, where he worked from 1986 to 2008. He was the newspaper's Shanghai Bureau Chief from 2003 to 2008. He is the author of A Continent for the Taking: The Tragedy and Hope of Africa, which was selected as book of the year by several newspapers. He is also author of a forthcoming book about China's relationship with Africa.

Qiu Xiaolong is a writer who has published, among others, six novels featuring Inspector Chen, including Death of a Red Heroine, which won the Anthony Award for best first novel in 2001. His book, Years of Red Dust, a collection of linked stories in Shanghai, was on the list of Publishers Weekly Best Books of 2010. Qiu was born and raised in Shanghai, where he was a renowned poet and translator. He came to the United States in 1988 and holds a PhD degree in Asian Studies from Washington University.