I have here for sale both volumes of the rare book entitled TI-PING TIEN-KWOH, THE HISTORY OF THE TIPING REVOLUTION, including a narrative of the Author's personal adventures by LIN-LE, Augustus, Lindley, formerly honorary officer, Chung-Wang's Guards; Special Agent of the Ti-Ping General-in-Chief; and late Commander of the "Loyal and Faithful Auxiliary Legion". Published in 1866 by Day and Son, Lithographers and Publishers of Gate Street, Lincoln's Inn Fields, London.

The Tai-Ping Revolution was a Chinese revolution against the Manchus who had conquered China in the seventeenth century, and still considered it their private property throughout the nineteenth century. Chinese people had to wear the queue as an outward sign of submission, the word of a Chinese person was not worth the same as that of a Manchu, top positions were held by Manchus. The Tai-Ping swept up the Yang-Tse from the West and for twenty years posed a serious threat to the Manchu government - and they were led by a  man who claimed to be the Little Brother of Jesus and promised to bring a version of Christianity to China. For a while the European Powers were not sure whether to celebrate that the China market would soon be wide open for Christian missionaries, or whether to support the tottering Manchu dynasty and thereby cement the prominent role of Europeans at the Manchu court. When the chips were down, the European Powers threw in their lot with the Manchus - arms were supplied to the Imperial forces, the Western navies prevented arms reaching the Tai-Ping, mercenaries such as General Gordon moved in to help the Manchus and the Ever Victorious Army was formed and eventually became one of the premier Manchu military formations.

Lindley, or Lin-Le was a Royal Navy trained Briton who managed to join up with the Tai-Ping; he publicised the cause of the Tai-Ping in the West and he then returned to China to fight in the final months of the rebellion. His wife Mary became a sniper in the Tai-Ping army.

Fully bound in the original maroon hardboards with gilt motifs of Chinese Leader and servant with banner on the front of each volume. Blind embossed panels on the front and rear boards. The spines have been professionally repaired and are faded, but readable. All four boards are firmly attached but worn at corners and with some stains and bumps - please look at the photos. No pages loose or missing but two of the plates have been replaced by facsimiles - so the books are complete but two plates are modern. The plates replaced are the map of China in Volume II and the Official Tai-Ping pass given to Lin-Le to help him around the Tai-Ping provinces. 

Vol I - xvii, List of Illustrations, 424 pages - Chinese Commission fold out (in facsimile), double page Map of China (original) and 12 other plates and 7 woodcuts in the text. 

Vol II - vii, pages 425-842 - Map of the Present State of China (in facsimile) plus 6 other plates and 2 woodcuts in the text. 

Postage will be by Air Mail outside the UK.  If you buy more than one item then the second and further items as I will put them into one parcel - so you save money. We wrap and post the parcels on Monday and Tuesday - therefore if you pay before midday on Tuesday we will get it in the postal sacks on Tuesday night, and if it is after that time then it will go into the postal service on the following Monday.