A GALLERY OF CHINESE IMMORTALS: Selected Biographies Translated from Chinese Sources de Giles, Lionel - 1948

London: John Murray, 1948. First Edition. Hardcover. Very good/Very good. Several centuries before the Christian era Chinese mountain hermits, called hsien, are said to have succeeded, by means of dieting, bodily exercises, regulation of the breath, and mental cultivation, in prolonging life far beyond the ordinary span. Later on, Taoist adepts devoted themselves to the task of compounding an elixir of immortality, incidentally achieving a mastery over the forces of Nature that enabled them to perform all sorts of miraculous feats." 12mo. Original green cloth binding, with black titles. The dust jacket is price-clipped, with some general toning along the extremities; otherwise very good.