FISCHER, Emil Sigmund.

Inquire · Offered by Peter Harrington

A collection of pamphlets pertaining to post-imperial China. First separate editions, a group of 11 pamphlets and leaflets by Emil S. Fischer, two inscribed by him, documenting China during the unsettled decade between the Japanese occupation of Manchuria and the outbreak of full-scale war. Individually scarce, several of these fragile, locally printed publications appear to survive in only a small number of institutional collections.Written from the perspective of a long-term European resident, the pieces concern Manchuria, Inner Mongolia, Kansu, Kokonor, Mount Omei, and the assassination of the statesman Tong Shao-yi. Fischer (1865-1945), born in Vienna, settled in Tientsin in 1889 after a career in banking and became a prolific commentator on China. He wrote a guidebook to Tientsin, lectured widely, and contributed regularly to local and expatriate newspapers, often republishing his articles in pamphlet form through the Tientsin Press as here. His writings record the interests and anxieties of a European resident in China during the decade between the Japanese seizure of Manchuria and the wider outbreak of war, combining travel, political commentary, local observation, and antiquarian curiosity. Fischer was held prisoner by the Japanese from 1941 until his death four years later.The earliest piece in the collection records a talk given by Fischer to the Tientsin Lions Club after his visit to Inner Mongolia, which mentions his use of lantern slides from photographs taken by

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