Strange Beasts of China – Yan Ge
NF/NF

For sale: a rare and exceptional edition, second printing hardcover copy of  Strange Beasts of China by Yan Ge. First Edition unstated, July 2021 Melville House. Second Printing with incomplete number line 3 5 7 9 10 8 6 4 2.

The book is in Near Fine condition with bright boards with a few discolored sections, strong title ink on a straight spine, clean page blocks, tight binding, mild spine tilt, lightly rounded spine ends, mild edge wear, and strong corners. The interior of the book is also in Near Fine condition with the ghost of an erased price on the first free end paper. No other marks, inscriptions, or other signs of ownership inside. The end papers and the interior pages are clean and bright, making it an excellent addition to any collection.

The dust jacket is in Near Fine condition with the price on the front flap, and mild surface and edge wear. Looks great in a new Brodart archival wrap.

In the fictional Chinese city of Yong’an, an amateur cryptozoologist is commissioned to uncover the stories of its fabled beasts. These creatures live alongside humans in near-inconspicuousness—save their greenish skin, serrated earlobes, and strange birthmarks.
Aided by her elusive former professor and his enigmatic assistant, our narrator sets off to document each beast, and is slowly drawn deeper into a mystery that threatens her very sense of self.

Part detective story, part metaphysical enquiry, Strange Beasts of China engages existential questions of identity, humanity, love and morality with whimsy and stylistic verve.