Dream of Red Mansions: As portrayed through the brush of Sun Wen

tl;dr: The book's production is a compliment (and a complement) to the novel. The running synopsis is useful for anyone who is new to it, or wants a refresher, and the artwork (mostly from the latter half of the 19th century) is finely detailed and vividly colored.紅樓夢 Hónglóumèng A Dream of Red Mansions (aka The Dream of the Red Chamber, aka The Story of the Stone) is one of the four classic novels of Chinese fiction, the last and (in the estimation of many Chinese readers) the greatest. It is the only one to have a named field of study: Redology.My mother couldn't finish it. She found the prose turgid and the characters unengaging.I took the Chinese novel on mostly as a challenge, since I'm not nearly as literate a reader as my mother. It was, to be sure, tough going, but it got considerably easier (which was sort of the point). And, bit by bit, the story grew on me. Not the love triangle, which (even though it gets the most press) is not more than about a third of the book by volume. The rest of the book covers various interweaving scenes of intrigue, of opulence, of literary exuberance, of familial kindness and severity both. I finished the book not only completing a challenge but also apprehending an entire world.It is this panorama, this backdrop, which the illustrations in this handsome edition bring most vividly to us. Sun Wen was commissioned to paint the entirety of the novel, and what he produced, along with Sun Yunmo, was a collection of 230 paintings, spanning the 120 chapters of the Cao Xueqin/Gao E edition. (Chapters 103-108 are omitted, and may have been planned for a 24th volume of 10 paintings; however, for whatever reason, this volume was left blank.)The originals of the paintings were landscapes, about 30 inches by 18 inches; their reproductions here are about 40 percent that size. Sun's artwork is characteristic of the time, with almost impossibly fine detail, contrasting colors, and graduated perspective (that is to say, things get smaller the further away they are, but parallel lines tend to look parallel instead of converging). It shows the world not as it looks, as a strict realist might have, but how the mind's eye would see it if it had infinite patience and faithfulness.Each of the 230 paintings is accompanied by a short synopsis of the scene it portrays. Although it omits by necessity much of the nuance and background of the novel, it provides an ample summary of the action. Readers who are new to the novel will find a reassuring handhold, while long-time fans will remember each step along the way and appreciate the new visual point of view. The whole is also prefaced by a short history of the novel and the artwork.This volume was prepared by Shanghai Press and Publication, in concert with the Lüshun Museum in Liaoning province, and it is lavishly produced. The covers are stiff laminated cardboard, not cloth, but the inside pages are thick and textured; this is a substantial and durable book, and anyone who might be put on guard by its being "Made in China" should rest easy. The pages open fairly flat for tabletop viewing. The whole thing fits in a richly red slipcover (as is suitable for this reddest of novels), which is also made of stiff cardboard. I heartily recommend it, to the point that I felt compelled to write a review (something I haven't done for any book on Amazon in quite a few years).

Beautiful picture book and arrived in perfect condition.

The pictures are excellent and high quality. No wonder they are from a museum in China...

Excellent quality

A really beautiful book that I'm enjoying looking at even though I haven't started reading A Dream of Red Mansions yet!

This book was a gift for my mother. She fell in love with it.

Excellent!

Fantastic drawings! As an ancient Chinese culture fan, surprised by its quality! Worth it!

The paintings are beautifull, the paper quality is silk like and its a good summary of the story. Worth it!

I first saw this book at a Shanghai public library. Well worth buying, for any personal library. On next trip to China, will try to see the original paintings, which are in a museum in China.

A complete collection of 230 paintings from Sun Wen based on the classic Dream of the Red Mansions, extrordinarily beautiful color, exquisite details! You shall not miss this one if you love classic chinese paintings!

On reste stupéfait devant chaque peinture par la précision du dessin et des peintures. 230 oeuvres, 36 ans de la vie d'un artiste. Incroyable.