The Classic Anthology Defined by Confucius

Ezra Pound. First edition. Cambridge: Harvard University Press, 1954. Missing dust jacket. Hardcover is in Very Good+ condition. Former owner signature on flyleaf, otherwise, no writing or markings found in the book, 305 pp. 

A cornerstone of modernist translation and poetics, Ezra Pound’s The Classic Anthology Defined by Confucius is his ambitious rendering of the Chinese Shih Ching (Book of Odes), an ancient collection of lyric poetry. Combining translation, interpretation, and commentary, Pound draws from classical Chinese texts to explore poetry’s moral and political functions—echoing both Confucian values and modernist sensibility.

This is the true first edition, published by Harvard University Press in 1954. Features black cloth boards with gilt spine lettering, and a clean, unmarked text block. No later printings or dates listed.

A rare and essential volume for any collector of modernist literature, poetry, or Ezra Pound’s controversial and far-reaching body of work.

This book is unique in that it blends:

• Scholarly and poetic analysis
• Direct translation of ancient Chinese poems
• Pound’s idiosyncratic and interpretive style—so it also appeals to modernist collectors, philosophy readers, and academics in East Asian studies.