NOTES AND QUERIES
MISSING MAPS: SOWERBY'S "SPORT & SCIENCE ON THE SINO-MONGOLIAN FRONTIER”
The name of Arthur de Carle Sowerby (1885-1954) is closely connected with the North China Branch of the Royal Asiatic Society, of which he was President, 1936-1940. He was a contributor to the Hong Kong Naturalist and the author of numerous books on natural history and sport in northern China. The present note relates to one of his books.
In the author's introduction to his Sport and science on the Sino-Mongolian frontier (London, Andrew Melrose, 1918), speaking of the six scientific explorations and hunting trips between 1908 and 1912 which provided the subject matter of the book, Sowerby states (p.x):
The results of the compass traverses have been carefully reduced to a convenient scale (1,000,000), and maps will be found in the cover-pocket at the end of the book.
No copy of this work, however, has any maps, and the explanation is found in a brief manuscript note, date-stamped May 22 1922, attached to the front fly leaf of the Hankow Club Library copy, now in the University of Hong Kong Libraries. This reads:
Dear Dr. Skinner,
With reference to the maps mentioned in the preface of my book. They were never published — and the publisher failed to delete the notice of them in the preface.
Yours faithfully,
A. de C.S.
Dr. A. H. Skinner was the librarian of the Hankow Club for many years, and in his preface to the "China Class" catalogue, 1922, he acknowledges the advice received regarding book selection on special subjects from, amongst others, Dr. Arthur de C. Sowerby.
Hong Kong, June 1979
H. A. RYDINGS
NOTES AND QUERIES
MISSING MAPS: SOWERBY'S "SPORT & SCIENCE ON THE
SINO-MONGOLIAN FRONTIER”
The name of Arthur de Carle Sowerby (1885-1954) is closely connected with the North China Branch of the Royal Asiatic Society, of which he was President, 1936-1940. He was a contributor to the Hong Kong Naturalist and the author of numerous books on natural history and sport in northern China. The present note relates to one of his books.
In the author's introduction to his Sport and science on the Sino- Mongolian frontier (London, Andrew Melrose, 1918), speaking of the six scientific explorations and hunting trips between 1908 and 1912 which provided the subject matter of the book, Sowerby states (p.x):
The results of the compass traverses have been carefully reduc- ed to a convenient scale (1,000,000), and maps will be found in the cover-pocket at the end of the book.
No copy of this work, however, has any maps, and the explana- tion is found in a brief manuscript note, date-stamped May 22 1922, attached to the front fly leaf of the Hankow Club Library copy. now in the University of Hong Kong Libraries. This reads:
Dear Dr. Skinner,
With reference to the maps mentioned in the preface of my book. They were never published — and the publisher failed to delete the notice of them in the preface.
Yours faithfully,
A. de C.S.
Dr. A. H. Skinner was the librarian of the Hankow Club for many years, and in his preface to the "China Class" catalogue, 1922, he acknowledges the advice received regarding book selection on special subjects from, amongst others, Dr. Arthur de C. Sowerby,
Hong Kong, June 1979
H. A. RYDINGS
No comments yet.
Private notes are available after approval.