(CHINESE ALMANAC.) 19th-century illustrated woodblock almanac. 185 pages, illustrated throughout, contemporary English translation leaves bound in. 8vo format, 9 1/4x5 inches, later stitching; without covers or title, pages friable with some damages to preliminary leaves. China, [1838]
Curious Qing dynasty almanac neatly explained by contemporary English translations. A loose manuscript leaf is present which we can approximate as a title reads: "Chinese Almanac for the 18th year of the reign of Taou Huang the present Emperor of China - annuary to A.D. 1838, with explanatory notes".
The first page represents the beginning of the New Year with a picture of an old man leading a buffalo into a field; the remainder of the volume includes directions for ceremonies to be observed at the opening of the year; rules of fortune telling; celestial indications of propitious days for trading, building, burying and marrying; a map of the Chinese Empire; tables and a diagram of solar movements appointing the best days for personal health and agricultural prosperity; a lengthy anecdote of filial piety; mantras of protection; a treatise on medicine; and pages 147-185 contain a general table of lucky and unlucky days throughout the year. "The days marked with large characters are lucky, with small unlucky, & with medium size, indifferent".
