Books by Alfred Koehn of Peking

Embroidery Wishes, a collection of 47 tipped in woodcuts or wood engravings self published by Alfred Koehn a German diplomat and botany enthusiast in Peking in WW2. He had previouisly been posted to Tokyo. In Peking, he established a hutong residence and his own publishing house, “The Lotus Court”. He wrote and printed a number of books on the two countries. he also published The Year of the Pig in 1947 – a guide to the complex beliefs enshrined in the traditional Chinese calendar, listing auspicious and inauspicious activities for each day of the year, as well as important weather forecasts. Also included is a catalogue of “commonly accepted superstitions”: the twitching of the right eye in the late evening foreshadows a new business opportunity, while the chatter of a magpie in the early morning brings wealth, happiness, and plenty to eat and drink.