1909 珍惜签名版 The Real Chinaman 華游誌略

RARE SIGNED 1909 The Real Chinaman by Chester Holcombe (Diplomat & Author) – Inscribed & Signed by Author and Wife

An exceptional, rare 1909 copy of The Real Chinaman by Chester Holcombe, published by Dodd, Mead & Company, New York. This unique presentation copy features a full-page handwritten presentation inscription on the front endpaper, signed by both the author and his wife:

"Rebecca Lyon Webster with the sincere regards of the author Chester Holcombe and his wife Alice R. Holcombe. Rochester, September 1st 1910."

About the Author

Chester Holcombe (1844–1912) was a prominent American missionary, diplomat, and author who served as Interpreter, Secretary of Legation, and Acting Minister of the United States at Peking during the late Qing Dynasty. The Real Chinaman provides invaluable firsthand observations of Chinese social life, government, courts, and culture during a pivotal era of Sino-Western interaction. Inscribed copies by Holcombe, especially signed jointly with his wife, are extraordinarily rare on the antiquarian market, making this an outstanding piece for collectors of Sinology and diplomatic history.

Condition Report

• Binding: Original publisher's mustard-yellow cloth binding with gilt dragon emblem on the front cover and Chinese characters. Showing light shelf wear, softening at the spine ends, and mild rubbing to the corners.

• Interior: Clean and tight binding. Front endpaper features the original pen inscription dated September 1, 1910. Light, age-appropriate toning and minor foxing to preliminaries; text block and illustrations remain crisp and complete.

• Overall: Very Good (VG) antique condition.

【稀見作者手簽贈送本】1909年《華游誌略》（The Real Chinaman）中美外交官何天爵著 附夫婦雙簽名及贈言

本品為1909年由紐約 Dodd, Mead & Company 出版的《華游誌略》（The Real Chinaman）罕見作者贈送本（Presentation Copy）。扉頁含作者何天爵（Chester Holcombe）及其妻子的原筆跡題贈與親筆簽名：

"Rebecca Lyon Webster with the sincere regards of the author Chester Holcombe and his wife Alice R. Holcombe. Rochester, September 1st 1910."

（譯：獻給 Rebecca Lyon Webster，致以作者 Chester Holcombe 及妻子 Alice R. Holcombe 的誠摯問候。羅切斯特，1910年9月1日。）

作者何天爵（Chester Holcombe，1844–1912）為清末著名美國駐華外交官、傳教士，曾長期擔任美國駐華公使館館員、翻譯官及代理公使。他在晚清中國生活多年，親歷諸多重大歷史事件。《華游誌略》以生動客觀的視角記錄了清末中國的社會風俗、官場體制、司法與文化生活，是研究晚清中西交流史與漢學發展的名著。帶有何天爵本人及其妻子雙簽名的原版本在古籍市場上極為罕見，極具歷史學術與收藏價值。

書本狀態（品相描述）

• 封面/裝幀： 原裝黃褐色布面精裝，封面印有金龍徽標及中文「華游誌略」字樣。脊頭脊尾輕微磨損，邊角有歲月自然磨痕。

• 內頁： 結構緊實，環襯頁含1910年原筆跡墨水簽名題字。頁邊有自然歲月的微黃與少量輕微斑點（Foxing），插圖與正文內容完整無缺。

• 總體品相： 良好（Very Good）。