Mao Zhuxi Yulu [Quotations from Chairman Mao][The Little Red Book]. First Complete Edition, Third Edition Overall, First Printing. General Political Department of the Chinese People’s Liberation Army. Peking, 1965.

Mao Zedong was the founder of the People’s Republic of China. He is without question one of the most influential political leaders of the twentieth century. In China, his legacy remains in the form of the nation’s totalitarian regime and dominant political culture. He successfully liberated China from Japanese occupation. He also unified the nation like never before, increasing literacy, education, and infrastructure along the way. Yet under Mao’s leadership, China also suffered from famine and violent political persecution that resulted in the deaths of millions. His unrelenting grip on the country was reinforced by his Communist propaganda machine, especially in the 1960s and 70s, during the Chinese Cultural Revolution. In that period, Mao’s Little Red Book–as it became known in the West–was one of the most widely printed titles in the world. It contains dozens of quotations that form the foundations of Maoism: Mao’s interpretation of Marxist and Leninist political theory. Copies in the original wrappers were the first to be distributed, mainly to Communist Party officials. Copies distributed to the general public were bound in red vinyl. This first complete edition, third edition overall, is preceded only by the first edition and second edition from the previous year. Those editions had 30 chapters and 32 chapters, respectively. This first complete edition contains the text in Chinese as it would be reproduced in all subsequent editions and printings, 33 chapters total, making it an incredibly important artifact in the history of Maoist China.

This first complete edition, the third edition overall, is in good condition. In the original wrappers, good with back panel expertly reattached. Some rubbing, soiling, chipping, and closed tears. Text block good, cocked with some soiling to edges. Chairman Mao portrait present. Lin Biao calligraphic endorsement present.

A good first complete edition of the Quotations from Chairman Mao.