Mao Zedong Xuanji / Selected Works of Mao Tse-Tung, first edition, first issue, 1944

The rare first edition of Selected Works of Mao Tse-Tung, printed in May 1944 in a limited run of only 2,500 copies, marked the first systematic publication of Mao’s writings and the earliest effort to codify 'Mao Zedong Thought' as the ideological foundation of the Chinese Communist movement. Issued in five volumes by the Jinchaji Daily Press under the direction of Deng Tuo, with approval from the Central Committee’s Propaganda Department, the edition was compiled to promote mass political education in the Communist base areas during the critical final years of the Second Sino-Japanese War.

This 1944 edition holds profound historical importance: it predates the founding of the People’s Republic of China by five years, and represents the first time Mao’s speeches, essays, and theoretical writings were organized and disseminated in a coherent corpus. Its purpose was not merely educational but also strategic—intended to unify cadre ideology, mobilize the peasantry, and legitimize Mao’s rising dominance within the Party. Included are core texts such as On New Democracy, On the United Front, On Protracted War, On Coalition Government, and Against Liberalism.