1972 The Dragon Empress: Life and Times of Tz'u-hsi 1835-1908, Empress Dowager of China by Marina Warner 1972年版瑪麗娜·華納《龍女皇：慈禧太后的生平與時代》

Published in 1972 by The History Book Club (London, by arrangement with Weidenfeld and Nicolson), The Dragon Empress is acclaimed author Marina Warner’s vivid and comprehensive biography of Empress Dowager Cixi (Tz'u-hsi), the formidable woman who effectively ruled China for nearly half a century during the waning decades of the Qing Dynasty.

Warner explores Cixi’s rise from a low-ranking imperial concubine to the absolute ruler of over 400 million people. The book details the turbulent historical events that defined her reign, including the Taiping Rebellion, the Anglo-French invasion, the Hundred Days' Reform, and the Boxer Uprising.

Key Features of This Edition:

 Rich Visual Content: Includes numerous historical B&W photographs, full-color foldouts/plates of traditional Chinese paintings, architectural maps of 19th-century Peking (Beijing) and the Forbidden City, and detailed geographical maps.

 Striking Binding: Housed in a blue cloth hardcover featuring a metallic gold-stamped Imperial Chinese seal on the front cover, beneath a vibrant peacock-feather patterned dust jacket.

📜 Historical Significance & Provenance

 A Classic Western Biography of Cixi: Written with keen narrative insight, Warner’s work remains one of the most accessible and richly documented Western accounts of late Qing court diplomacy, intrigue, and the decline of imperial China.

 Provenance: Includes a neat vintage owner stamp on the front endpaper: "O. H. PERRY CABOT, Springfield, Va. 22150".

🔍 Condition Report

 Dust Jacket: Very Good condition. Vibrant colors with minor edge wear/rubbing along the top and bottom margins. Unclipped.

 Binding & Boards: Excellent condition. Bright blue cloth with crisp gold foil stamping on the front. Strong, square binding with firm hinges.

 Interior: Clean, bright, and tight text block. Pages exhibit light foxing/spotting on the top edge and preliminary pages, but interior text and color/BW plates remain clean, unmarked, and undamaged.

 Overall Grade: Very Good (VG) in Very Good Dust Jacket.

本書為英國著名學者、作家瑪麗娜·華納（Marina Warner）於 1972 年出版的慈禧太后權威傳記 《龍女皇：慈禧太后的生平與時代》（The Dragon Empress: Life and Times of Tz'u-hsi 1835-1908），由倫敦 History Book Club（歷史書俱樂部）精裝出版。

全書詳細記錄了慈禧太后（葉赫那拉氏）從一名五品蘭貴人一步步掌握清朝最高權力，並在 19 世紀後半葉至 20 世紀初統治四億人口長達半個世紀的傳奇一生。書中詳盡梳理了太平天國、英法聯軍、同治中興、甲午戰爭、戊戌變法以及義和團運動等重大歷史事件。

 西方晚清史研究的經典之作： 瑪麗娜·華納以敏銳的女性視角與嚴謹的史料，深刻剖析了晚清宮廷權謀、帝國危機與西方列強的角力，是西方了解慈禧太后與清末變局的經典圖書之一。

 藏書印記： 前襯頁蓋有美國維吉尼亞州私人藏書印（O. H. PERRY CABOT, Springfield, Va.），增添人文收藏價值。

書況說明

 護封（Dust Jacket）： 保存良好（Very Good），色彩鮮艷，僅頂部與底部邊緣有微小自然歲月磨損。

 外觀與裝訂： 天藍色布面精裝，封面金色印章燙金極為亮麗完整；書脊堅固，紙頁裝訂緊密。

 內頁狀況： 扉頁及頂部書頁邊緣有些許自然歲月黃斑（Foxing），內頁主體、歷史照片與彩圖均乾淨無劃線、無破損。

 整體評級： 良好（Very Good）。