Schlegel, Gustav

2 half-titles, 16 folding lithographed plates, pencil notes, EXTRA-ILLUSTRATED with PHOTOGRAPHS AND SECRET SOCIETY SEALS on paper and fabric tipped-in, Secret Society seal-stamps on half-titles and in the text, without final blank

[Ibid.] Hoa tsien ki of geshiedenis van het gebloemde briefpapier. Chinesche Roman, uit den oorspronkelijken text vertaald door G. Schlegel. Batavia: Lange & Co., 1865, half-title, title stamped with Chinese red seals, without final blank



[Ibid.] Iets over de Prostitutie in China. Batavia: Lange & Co., 1866, half-title, pencil annotations, without final blank



3 works in one volume (The Hung League bound second), being volume XXXII of Verhandelingen van het Bataviaasch Genootschap van Kunsten en Wetenschappen (Batavia: Lange & Co, 1866), 4to (278 x 230mm.), series half-title and title, contents leaf, EXTRA-ILLUSTRATED with full-page Chinese black stamp overstamped with red seals on linen bound before title, twentieth-century crimson half morocco by Hatchards of Piccadilly, red cloth, lower corner of upper cover with initials 'W.G.S.' in gilt, top edge gilt, general title and half-title with repairs and laid down, stains to boards, joints starting, slightly rubbed

William G. Stirling (b.1887), signatures and official stamp on title of The Hung League.

Cordier, Sinica 1760, 1896-1897, 1882

Condition is described in the main body of the cataloguing, where appropriate.
"In response to your inquiry, we are pleased to provide you with a general report of the condition of the property described above. Since we are not professional conservators or restorers, we urge you to consult with a restorer or conservator of your choice who will be better able to provide a detailed, professional report. Prospective buyers should inspect each lot to satisfy themselves as to condition and must understand that any statement made by Sotheby's is merely a subjective, qualified opinion. Prospective buyers should also refer to any Important Notices regarding this sale, which are printed in the Sale Catalogue.
NOTWITHSTANDING THIS REPORT OR ANY DISCUSSIONS CONCERNING A LOT, ALL LOTS ARE OFFERED AND SOLD AS IS" IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE CONDITIONS OF BUSINESS PRINTED IN THE SALE CATALOGUE."

RARE. AN IMPORTANT ASSOCIATION COPY: FROM THE LIBRARY OF WILLIAM GEORGE STIRLING, Assistant Protector of Chinese in Singapore (1921-31), who worked to eradicate the abuses of the coolie trade, regulate secret societies activities and arbitrate in their conflicts. He was the co-author (with J.S.M. Ward) of The Hung Society or the Society of Heaven and Earth (3 volumes, London, 1925-26). Stirling amassed a large collection of Secret Society artefacts many of which are now in the National Museum of Singapore; in 1999 the Museum published Secret Societies in Singapore, featuring the William Stirling Collection by Irene Lim.