An early, if not the first, publication on the Chinese puzzl...

Hammer

£300

An early, if not the first, publication on the Chinese puzzle Tangrams. The lot comprising: 1813 - Complete Tangram Diagrams [ New Score of Seven Skills ] in 2vol - Bi Wu Jushi ('Scholar of the Green Parasol Tree'), diagrams by Sang Xie Ke ('Guest Under the Mulberry Tree'), along with a second volume containing the solutions. Daoguang period, bound in contemporary early 19th century calf with tooled spines, boards rubbed and joints worn (one front board loose but present). Puzzles have been numbered by a Western hand contemporary to the period. One with leather bookplate 'Ross' to the front endpaper, the other with the evidence of this same bookplate having been removed and with wax seal stamps to the rear pastedown.

'Complete Tangram Diagrams' is the earliest known publication to feature the tangram puzzle, which later inspired publications in the U.S.A. and Europe in the early - mid 19th century.