Product details
- ISBN 9781838866877
- Weight: 750g
- Dimensions: 196 x 265mm
- Publication Date: 16 Jun 2026
- Publisher: Amber Books Ltd
- Publication City/Country: GB
- Product Form: Hardback
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Claimed by some to have been compiled by Confucius in the 5th century BCE, the Book of Songs is an ancient anthology of Chinese poetry. Collecting poems over a number of centuries, the anthology – sometimes known as the Classic of Poetry (or Shi-jing) – is the oldest existing collection of Chinese poetry, comprising 305 works dating from the 11th to 7th centuries BCE.
Some poems are shorter lyrics in simple language that are folk songs which record the voice of the common people, addressing love and courtship, political satire and protest. Other poems are about court life and dynasties. Nearly all of the songs are rhyming.
In the same way that Homer’s epics took hold within the West, the Book of Songs played a role in spheres far beyond literature, with a lasting influence on education, politics and communal life.
Produced using traditional Chinese bookbinding techniques, this edition of the Book of Songs is a selected anthology of 25 classic poems presented in an exquisite dual-language edition.
Confucius - the Latinized name of K'ung Fu-tzu (Great Master K'ung) - was a descendant of a branch of the Shang dynasty that ruled China from around 1122 BCE to 221 BCE. He was born around 551 BCE in what is now the province of Shantung in northeastern China. He worked in a number of roles before becoming a teacher. Around 498 BCE, he began a long journey throughout eastern China accompanied by several of his disciples, during which he developed his ideas on philosophy and the art of government, as well as teaching. He acquired a large following which has become known as the school of Ju (Confucianism). Confucius died in 479 BCE.
James Trapp is the author of Chinese Characters: The Art and Meaning of Hanzi, Chinese Proverbs and also has translated a bestselling new multilingual edition of Sun Tzu’s The Art of War. A Chinese language graduate of the School of Oriental and African Studies (SOAS), University of London, he teaches Mandarin and was previously an Education Officer on the China Collection at the British Museum.
