This 1905 tongue-in-cheek book is ostensibly the letters of a dutiful son to his Chinese father describing his encounter with and experience of Western civilization in late nineteenth century London. The author is delightfully humorous. - Summary by david wales
Chapters
1 Introduction -- Estimable Barbarian 4 min 2 Letter 1: Concerning the journey. The unlawful demons… etc 20 min 3 Letter 2: Concerning the ill-destined manner of existence of the hound Hercules. etc 20 min 4 Letter 3: Concerning the virtuous amusements of both old and young. etc 20 min 5 Letter 4: Concerning a desire to expatiate upon subjects of philosophical importance… etc 20 min 6 Letter 5: Concerning the neglect of ancestors and its discreditable consequences. etc 22 min 7 Letter 6: Concerning this persons well-sustained efforts to discover further demons. etc 26 min 8 Letter 7: Concerning warfare, both as waged by ourselves and by a nation devoid of true civilization. etc 22 min 9 Letter 8: Concerning the wisdom of the divine Wei Chung… etc 32 min 10 Letter 9: Concerning the proverb of the highly-accomplished horse. etc 27 min 11 Letter 10: Concerning the authority of this high official, Sir Philip. etc 22 min 12 Letter 11: Concerning the game which we should call ‘Locusts'… etc 28 min 13 Letter 12: Concerning the obvious misunderstanding which has entwined itself about a revered parent's faculties of passionless discrimination. etc 32 min 14 Letter 13: Concerning a state of necessity… etc 40 min 15 Letter 14: Concerning a pressing invitation from an ever benevolently-disposed father… etc 23 min
