200 Copies of Mao Zedong's Little Red Book: Rare Book of the Week

Peter Harrington will offer what is believed to be the largest and most diverse collection of early editions and translations of Quotations from Chairman Mao, better known as the Little Red Book, for £1m at Firsts Hong Kong (December 6-8).

Collected over three decades by Justin G. Schiller, this assortment of editions totals 200 items. The collection is the foundation of a forthcoming analytical bibliography of Mao’s Quotations by Peter Harrington’s Asia Specialist Dr Matt Wills, due for publication in 2025. A sample of the bibliography will also be available for review at the fair.

First published 60 years ago by the General Headquarters of the Chinese People’s Liberation Army (PLA), Quotations from Chairman Mao began as a manual for political education within the PLA but reveals surprising diversity and variation in its early history. These variations arose not only from changing political agendas but also from practical printing constraints and even chance.

“It is strange to think that we know more about the publishing history of Shakespeare’s First Folio than of a book that is merely 60 years old,” said Dr Wills. “We believe this collection holds significant research value, as the material objects capture and reveal details otherwise only accessible through oral histories. Beyond its symbolic status, each edition tells a unique story of its own. From rare bindings and experimental formats to evolving contents, these books reveal layers of history, ideology, and personalization that would surprise most readers today.”

The collection begins with the first print run in May 1964 in an edition that contained 366 quotations across 30 chapters and appeared in multiple bindings. Alongside the famous red vinyl covers, Schiller’s collection includes unique, seldom-seen variants such as bindings in maroon cloth with silver or yellow lettering, a copy bound in brown vinyl, and even blue vinyl jackets. The early designs featured subtle decorative distinctions with variations in the headband colours and tooling on the vinyl pockets, one even bearing the manufacturer’s name, a distinct departure from typical Maoist aesthetics.

Further variation extended to the book’s introductory pages. Certain editions featured politician and soldier Lin Biao’s directive to listen to Chairman Mao’s instructions in calligraphy that contained an infamous brushstroke error. Other copies in the collection showcase two versions of the calligraphic motto “Workers of the world, unite!” with subtle font variations, while readers made their own alterations to make copies distinct.

A significant aspect of this collection is its ability to trace the pre-history of the Quotations. The early 1960s saw the circulation of experimental anthologies of Mao’s thoughts, predating the canonical Little Red Book. Included among these are two dozen rare compilations, some printed on the fragile paper of the early 1960s, that reveal an evolving, and often contested vision of Mao’s ideological impact.

Political events left their mark on each book. Lin Biao’s flight and death in 1971 required many owners to excise his preface or strike out any of his calligraphic statements. The collection also includes early editions marked by their readers, such as those where the chapter “Ideological Self-Cultivation,” associated with the ousted Liu Shaoqi, has been crossed out or amended by hand. The collection also showcases more recent reproductions, including a deluxe Collector’s Edition issued in the United States in 1996, highlighting Mao’s unexpected transition to collectability.

A unique highlight of the collection is its array of international translations issued by the Foreign Languages Press. By 1972, over 10 million copies of Mao Zedong's Quotations had circulated globally, with translations in languages ranging from Korean to the 1972 edition in Filipino, issued in a run of no more than 5,000 copies. Domestic minorities were served by versions in Kazakh, Tibetan, Korean and Mongolian. The collection also includes unauthorized versions, such as those published independently by overseas groups, revealing the spread and adaptation of Mao’s words across a wide ideological spectrum.