One of the Western books on China destined for the Shanghai Library.

By Zhang Cao

The world's largest private collection of Western books on China has been purchased by the Shanghai Library and will go on display on December 20.

Swedish collector Bjorn Lowendahl spent 23 years collecting these 1,551 books and manuscripts about China, published from 1477 to 1877 in 10 languages including Latin, French, English, Spanish, Portuguese, Russian and Swedish.

"It is the first systematic collection of Western books about China in the country," said Wu Jianzhong, the curator at the Shanghai Library.

According to Wu, there were some Western books about China in the National Library of China and the Peking University Library in Beijing, "but those were not systematically collected."

This collection covers four centuries, from the first edition of Marco Polo's Il Milione which was printed in 1477 to the first volume of Ferdinand von Richthofen's monumental work on the geography and geology of China published in 1877.

"These books record how the West discovered China and learned about China. The collection covers Sino-European relations, Western concepts of China, Chinese cultural influences, the idea of sinophilia and sinophobia, and the development of sinology," Wu said.

The collection includes two incunables (books or pamphlets printed before 1501 in Europe, when the moveable type invented by Gutenberg was first used).

One of these is the Venetian version of De Situ Orbis (A Description of the World) in Latin published in 1477. The book describes India and China. The other one is the Milanese version of Tractato de le piu maravegliose cosse (The Travels of Sir John Mandeville) in Latin published in 1480, a supposed journey from England to central Asia, India and China.

There is no Chinese translation of De Situ Orbis and neither of the two has been seen in China before.

According to Huang Xiangong, an associate researcher at Shanghai Library, there are about 40,000 incunables in the world, most of which are in the West. In China, there are only 11 incunables, four in the National Library of China, one belonging to a collector in Beijing, and six in the National Taiwan University Library.

Lowendahl's collection includes all types of literature, from accounts of travels, journals, letters, and fiction to scholarly works, and covers topics that range through history, religion, customs, language, geography, dress, science, and Chinese architecture and gardens.

The collection includes the works of missionaries from the West, like Matteo Ricci and Alvaro Semedo, and the writings of early sinologists, such as A. Muller and Etienne Fourmont. There are also books by European philosophers like Voltaire and Montesquieu.

Most of the world's sinological works are in collections outside China. "Scholars who want to research sinology have to travel to the West and Japan, which is one reason why sinologists are rare in China," Wu said. "The purchase of this collection will make sinological research in China easier."

The 69-year-old Lowendahl is a Swedish encyclopedia writer and book collector. He traveled the globe for more two decades searching the books about China. "I spent five years compiling the 638-page catalogue for this collection," he said.

Bjorn Lowendahl  Photos: Courtesy of Shanghai Library

It has taken the Shanghai Library two years to buy the collection. In July 2008, Zhou Zhenhe, a professor from Fudan University, came across the 638-page catalogue of Lowendahl's collection by accident. He was stunned to find that all these antique books concerned China, and many of them were books he had never heard of.

At the beginning of 2009, Zhou was told by Swedish friends that Lowendahl was willing to find an institution, preferably in China, to take care of the collection as a whole. Zhou and two other academics recommended that the Shanghai Library buy the books.

The library first contacted Lowendahl by e-mail. He came to Shanghai and discussed the purchase procedure and price. At the end of last year, two staff members flew to Stockholm to examine the collection.

Two weeks ago, Lowendahl returned to Shanghai and signed a contract with the library, though the library has not disclosed the price.

The collection has arrived at Shanghai Customs and will be catalogued and restored by the the library. Only scholars and researchers will be allowed to actually handle the books themselves.

Opening date: December 20

Venue: Shanghai Library

上海图书馆

Address: 1555 Huaihai Road Middle

淮海中路1555号

Admission: Free

Call 6445-5555 for details