Vare’s The Maker of Heavenly Trousers as a Penguin Modern Classic – Sneak Preview
Posted: December 13th, 2011 | 1 Comment »It’s not out till February 2012 in China and globally in July but it is great to see that Penguin are issuing the old Italian diplomat Daniel Vare’s The Maker of Heavenly Trousers as a Modern Classic. It’s one of the best and most charming accounts of old Peking by a man of class, culture and erudition and I hope people do read it if they never have, and if you have then it’s well worth a return journey.
Ah, I just started this book, in a 1951 Methuen edition. Noel Perrin’s A Reader’s Delight suggested it, and I’m already happy I followed the suggestion.