Palaces of the Forbidden City

New York; London: Viking Press; Allen Lane, 1984. First English language edition. Hardcover. vg. Folio. 332pp. Original pictorial wrappers over tan cloth with gold lettering on spine. Pictorial title page. Book housed in its original publisher's slipcase. This fascinating work provides not only a comprehensive survey of the overall design and layout of the Forbidden City (the Peking Imperial Palace), but also an analysis of each building, detailing the craftsmanship involved and the materials used on each of its component parts, with the help of maps, charts and diagrams. For the first time, photographers have been allowed into parts of the City normally closed to visitors. Illustrated with some of the most beautiful photographs of Chinese architecture ever taken, this work brings to the reader, a highly authoritative and visually stunning guide to what must surely be one of the great wonders of the Eastern world. Slipcase, wrappers, binding and interior in fine condition.