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And as a 1st edition the book only contained 30 chapters with 250 pages. The earliest copy that has sold at auction was at Sothebys NY in December, 2002, estimated at $1,500/2,000 and selling for a hammer price of $13,000 in printed paper wrappers.
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A lot depends on the physical condition of the book, how clean it is, and its completeness. I made my first visit to mainland China in 1998 and at that time one could buy a first edition "Little Red Book" for a few hundred dollars, but the prices have been increasing substantially as demand for the book has increased, mainly from collectors in the Western Hemisphere. Ultimately the book was translated into more than fifty different languages and by the end of the twentieth century it is believed that 5 billion copies had been printed. By the end of 1967 it was estimated that 700 million copies had been printed. Although the book was originally intended for inspirational reading, it became so popular that ultimately within two years it was decided that every Chinese citizen should have a copy: to read, to memorize, and to follow. The first edition of Mao’s quotations came out in 1964 it was originally issued in printed paper wrappers intended for the individual use of officers and simultaneously published in the more familiar red vinyl plastic covers which were created for use by brigades of up to eight men at a time, its sturdiness ideal for passing around as well as its use in study discussion groups. The glorification of Mao’s quotations gradually evolved into a personality cult that still honors the Chairman to this day and copies of his collected sayings has never been out of print in many of the world’s major languages. In posters and pictures created by propaganda artists, nearly every painted character whether smiling or looking determined, was always seen with a copy of the book in his or her hand. During the middle to late 1960s, the book became the single most visible icon representing Mainland China, even more visible than an image of Mao himself. All units, in the industrial, commercial, agricultural, civil service, and military sectors, organized group sessions for the entire workforce to study the book during business hours that often extended into evening discussion meetings. Studying the book was not only required in schools but it also became a standard practice in the workplace. Its phenomenal popularity may be because the book was essentially an unofficial requirement for every Chinese citizen to own, to read, to memorize and to carry copies at all times during the last ten years of Mao's rule, which essentially comprised the Cultural Revolution. The size of the book was small enough to fit inside a shirt pocket so it could be flush against the heart.
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Edition to little red prayer book series#
But more than two years earlier, before Chairman Mao ordered his Red Guards to restructure Society and re-educate intellectuals, there was the "Little Red Book " – a series of useful quotations gathered from Mao’s earlier lectures and writings that would help guide his countrymen and women to deal with problems covering all aspects of daily life. Change was in the air and nowhere was it more obvious than in modern China with the outbreak of the Cultural Revolution in August 1966. The 1960s was a decade of both discovery and protest, riots and revolutions, from anti-war marches, assassinations of world leaders, man’s first landing on the moon, and the birth of a new brand of music led by The Beatles.