Edward H. Schafer

This important exploration of Chinese mythology focuses on the diverse and evocative associations between women and water in the literature of the T'ang dynasty as well as in the enormous classical canon it inherited. By extension, it peers from medieval China back into the mists of ancient days, when snake queens, river goddesses, and dragon ladies ruled over the vast seas, great river courses, and heavenly sources of water, deities who had to be placated by shaman intercessors chanting hymns lost even by the T' ang. As with his other notable works, Professor Schafer's meticulous researches into the material culture of the past, coupled with a delightful writing style, allow us to better appreciate the literature of the T' ang by clarifying important contemporaneous symbols of fertility, mutability, and power, including the wondrous and ubiquitous dragon. With this new edition of The Divine Woman, first published by the University of California Press in 1973, Floating World Editions continues its program of reissuing all the out-of-print works of this great sinologist when possible incorporating the author's corrigenda.

The Golden Peaches of Samarkand: A Study of T'ang Exotics is a book written by Edward H. Schafer. It is a comprehensive study of the exotic goods and culture of the T'ang Dynasty in China. The book explores the trade routes that linked China with the West and the Middle East, and how these routes facilitated the exchange of goods, ideas, and cultural practices. The author delves into the history of the T'ang Dynasty, discussing the political and social changes that occurred during this period, and how these changes influenced the trade of exotic goods. The book is filled with fascinating stories and anecdotes about the various exotic goods that were traded during this period, including peaches, spices, silks, and precious stones. The author also discusses the impact of these goods on Chinese culture, and how they influenced the development of art, literature, and philosophy. Overall, The Golden Peaches of Samarkand is an informative and engaging book that provides a unique insight into the history and culture of the T'ang Dynasty. This scarce antiquarian book is a facsimile reprint of the old original and may contain some imperfections such as library marks and notations. Because we believe this work is culturally important, we have made it available as part of our commitment for protecting, preserving, and promoting the world's literature in affordable, high quality, modern editions, that are true to their original work.

In the author's own words, this work attempts to recreate, for the 20th-century reader, the sky and the apparitions that ornament it as they were conceived, imagined, and reacted to by the men of T'ang-dynasty China-that is, to suggest what the medieval Chinese thought they saw in the night sky, and how they treated those magic lights in their active lives, their private commitments, and their literary fabrications. Inevitably, this enterprise meant the exploration of the borderlands where science, faith, tradition, invention, and fantasy overlap. Armed with the new awareness that this fascinating work provides, we can better understand the great legacy of art and literature of this greatest period of cultural flowering in Chinese history. With the reprinting of this title, Floating World Editions has continued the reissue of all the out-of-print works of this great Sinologist. When possible, the reprinted works will incorporate the corrigenda compiled by Profesor Schafer, and the series will include a complete bibliography of his published work.