English Life in China.

London, Smith, Elder & Co., 1885. 1st Edition . Hardcover. .. Octavo. Pp. ix, 333, (6) publisher's catalogue. Half-title present. HARDCOVER, bound in the original publisher's full brown cloth, upper cover and spine lettered and decorated in gilt and black, some stray spots on back cover, floral endpapers, trimmed rough, spine ends very lightly bumped, inner hinges about starting. In fine condition. Excellent copy, bright and fresh, beautifully preserved interior. ~ FIRST EDITION. Sir Henry Knollys (1840-1930) served as a major in the Royal Artillery, later became private secretary to King Edward's daughter Maud, queen of Norway. He was a descendant to a distinguished British family. Sir Francis Knollys (1514-1596) was an English statesman, became a member of parliament in 1542 and was knighted in 1547. His father, Robert Knollys, a courtier in the service of both Henry VII and Henry VIII. Sir Francis's three sons were all courtiers and served Queen Mary in parliament or in the field. Henry Knollys published extensively; on "English Life in China" he said: "The statements contained in this book have, at all events, the advantage of having been recorded on the spot, and at the time when they were originally deduced. Taken down day by day in shorthand, I venture to hope that the opinions may possess the freshness, sometimes so conductive to accuracy, of first impressions; while the authenticity of the facts has been safe-guarded by subsequent careful revision." See further: Peter J. Kitson (General Editor): "Nineteenth-Century Travels, Explorations and Empires: Writings from the Era of Imperial Consolidation, 1835-1910." 8 volumes. (London, Pickering & Chatto, 2003-2004). Also: Albert Smith: "To China and Back: Being a Diary Kept Out and Home." (Hong Kong, 1859). TIMO-1 OUT