Old library book

Book cover: 民族风情
Originally uploaded by Constance Wiebrands.

Found this book in Elizabeth’s in Fremantle (the South Terrace shop) the other day. Written by 徐佩印 Xu Peiyin and 施桂英 Shi Guiying and published by 河南人民出版社 Henan ren min chu ban she (Henan People’s Publishing House), it is entitled 民族风情 Min zu feng qing “Ethnic customs“.

I’ve only flicked through the book and not read it closely so I don’t have a lot to say about its contents (bought it because it looked vaguely interesting – a popular, as opposed to academic, overview of some of the cultural traditions of some of the ethnic minority groups in mainland China), but at the moment I find the fact that the book is an ex-library book more interesting. I didn’t realise this until I looked at the book more closely when I got home.

Inside back cover

Here’s the book’s original card pocket (I don’t even know the proper term!). The text says (reading from left to right):

Do not allow books to be overdue or damaged.

(1) Borrowed books must be taken care of, and may not be scribbled on or torn.

(2) In case of damage or loss, compensation must be made in accordance with the library’s “Compensation regulations for damaged books”.

(3) Observe the library’s lending rules, please do not return materials late or fail to return materials.

(4) Should this book be required by the library at any time, a recall notice may be issued.

Books are socialist property.

I note the book’s shelf number: K 892.3 227. Definitely not Dewey – in Dewey, 892 corresponds to “Afro-Asiatic literatures Semitic”. I don’t know anything about the classification system(s) used in China.

Frontispiece

I don’t know which library originally owned this book. The library stamp in red is on the front page, but the first character in the name of the library is not clear. I think it says 淅江图书馆藏 Xijiang tu shu guan cang “Xijiang Library Collection”. I don’t know where in China Xijiang is.

I wonder how this book arrived in Fremantle, Western Australia…

(There’s lots I don’t know! )