Old Chinese Snuff Bottles

By Henry C Hitt
Charles E Tuttle Company
1978 ISBN 0-8048-1220-9

Charles E Tuttle Company writes:

Among collectors of Chinese snuff bottles, the name of the late Henry C Hitt has long commanded respect, not only as that of an ardent fellow collector but also as that of the author of the first book on the subject in any language—a work that had the great value of arousing collectors everywhere, even in China. This book, which appeared in first and second editions and was followed by a supplement, has in itself become a collector’s item. Until now, however, it has been practically impossible to obtain, for it was a handmade book produced by lithographic methods, and it had little hope of ever being reprinted. The present edition remedies this lack by bringing together facsimile copies of the expanded second edition (1945) and the supplement and thereby making available to a much wider audience Mr Hitt’s invaluable contribution to the fascinating subject of snuff bottle collecting.

In this introduction to the second edition, Mr Hitt wrote: “There is an almost total lack of literature on Chinese snuff bottles. This is, as far as is known, the only book on the subject, and there have been only a few magazine articles.” To be sure, since the appearance of the book in 1945 there have been numerous other books and articles on the subject, but this by no means diminishes the value of his pioneering work or the honor he achieved by being one of the first to share his knowledge with other enthusiastic collectors. And it is exactly for the benefit of these enthusiastic collectors that this new facsimile edition is being offered.