Mao Tse-Tung.

[Quotations from Chairman Mao]. [Peking: Central Political Department of the Chinese People's Liberation Army, 1964], frontispiece portrait, Lin endorsement (uncorrected state) printed in black, original printed wrappers, some dampstaining throughout, wrappers slightly soiled with extremities slightly frayed or chipped;



[Quotations from Chairman Mao]. [Peking: Central Political Department of the Chinese People's Liberation Army, 1964], frontispiece portrait, Lin endorsement (uncorrected state) printed in brown, tissue guard to Mao portrait, slight soiling and some minor dampstaining;



both 16mo, first editions, half-titles in red, title pages printed in green and red, corrected state of text on pp. 82-83

Condition is described in the main body of the cataloguing, where appropriate.
"In response to your inquiry, we are pleased to provide you with a general report of the condition of the property described above. Since we are not professional conservators or restorers, we urge you to consult with a restorer or conservator of your choice who will be better able to provide a detailed, professional report. Prospective buyers should inspect each lot to satisfy themselves as to condition and must understand that any statement made by Sotheby's is merely a subjective, qualified opinion. Prospective buyers should also refer to any Important Notices regarding this sale, which are printed in the Sale Catalogue.
NOTWITHSTANDING THIS REPORT OR ANY DISCUSSIONS CONCERNING A LOT, ALL LOTS ARE OFFERED AND SOLD AS IS" IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE CONDITIONS OF BUSINESS PRINTED IN THE SALE CATALOGUE."

two copies, in first and second issue bindings of the first edition of chairman mao's little red book. The volume was compiled by Tian Xiao Guang, an editor at the People's Liberation Army newspaper, extracting texts from the Chairman's past speeches and published essays. It has been noted that copies 'in printed paper wrappers were released first while the vinyl plastic covers were still being manufactured... the printed wrappers [were] intended for individual high-ranking officers while the red vinyl covers were for use by brigade teams of up to eight men' (see Oliver Lei Han, 'How Read is the Little Red Book?', Antiquarian Book Review, November 2003, pp. 24-26)

In September 1971 there was an unsuccessful alleged attempt to assassinate Mao by Vice Chairman Lin. One result of this was that owners were ordered to tear out the printed endorsement.