Paper Horses

Name: Paper Horses
Author: https://www.simonandschuster.net/authors/David-Leffman/257933302
ISBN: 9789887554790

Traditional Woodblock Prints of Gods from Northern China

By David Leffman

LIST PRICE $36.95

Rave and Reviews

About The Book

In 2020 a large album of “paper horses” – prayer prints of Chinese gods – appeared for sale. How had these fragile things, cheaply printed in the 1940s and meant to be ritually burned soon after purchase, survived intact for so long? And how come there were at least three other identical sets in collections around the world?

In answering this mystery, author David Leffman explores the history and techniques behind traditional Chinese woodblock printing, which dates back to at least the Tang dynasty (618-907). All 93 “paper horses” in the original album are reproduced alongside biographies of the gods, spirits and demons depicted, providing an illustrated introduction to the complex and fascinating world of Chinese folk religion.

About The Author

David Leffman

David Leffman is a travel writer and photographer who first visited China in 1985. Since then he has clocked up over six years in the country, researching guidebooks for Rough Guides and DK and writing newspaper articles on Chinese history and culture. He has also authored The Mercenary Mandarin, a biography of the 19th-century British adventurer in China, William Mesny; and Paper Horses, about traditional woodblock prints of Chinese folk gods.

Product Details

Publisher: Blacksmith Books (December 15, 2022)
Length: 192 pages
ISBN13: 9789887554790

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Raves and Reviews

As a lover of Chinese legends I was always puzzled by the Goodrich collection displayed at the University of Columbia's C.V. Starr Library – so many similar-looking portrait squares with esoteric titles attached, entirely lacking any explanation. This has been remedied by David Leffman's “Paper Horses”. The text is short and concise, providing the important details of each deity and his or her story, in a layout that is easy on the eye. The book is a delight to flick through. Leffman appears to be the first to provide context to the meaning and art of the “Paper Horse”.

– Ronni Pinsler, Founder, www.bookofxianshen.com

David Leffman has put in so much hard work and made so many excellent insights. His book is really valuable for the study of Beijing zhima and of Chinese popular prints.

– Dr Yanwen Jiang, Director, Wang Shucun Chinese Folk Art Research Center, Tianjin

Leffman has done a lot of digging into the story of each god. His book is well written for the general public.

– Dr Wen-chien Cheng, Senior Curator, Louise Hawley Stone Chair of Chinese Arts, Royal Ontario Museum