SUNG, Paul R. (ed.).

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Hankow Flood Review. First edition of this pictorial record of the 1931 Hankow floods, among the worst natural disasters of the 20th century. After a summer of unprecedented rainfall, the Yangtse burst through the city's protective dyke on 1 August, submerging an area the size of England and killing tens of thousands. The floodwaters reached a level of 16 metres above the seasonal average, smashing all previous records.The scale of the flooding and the widespread devastation is apparent in the dozens of photographs, including the panorama showing houses submerged to the rooftops. The booklet also chronicles the relief efforts, among them the special fleet of sampans deployed to ferry people along roads and the creation of floating post offices and clinics.According to the loosely inserted publisher's announcement, 1,000 copies were printed, the profits being donated to relief efforts. Of these, we have traced only one institutional copy (SUB Hamburg).

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