A first edition Red book in English. The red book contains selected statements from speeches and writings by Chairman Mao Zedong (Mao Tse-tung) and was published in Chinese from 1964 to about 1976. This English edition was published for the first time in 1966. An introduction by Lin Biao in his own handwriting can be found at the beginning. Lin Biao was a Marshall in the Red army who became one of Mao’s closest confidants. He became instrumental in creating the foundations for Mao Zedong’s cult in the early 1960s and was rewarded for his service during the ‘Cultural Revolution’ by becoming Mao's designated successor. Lin died in 1971 when his aircraft crashed under mysterious circumstances in Mongolia. The Chinese government's official explanation is that Lin and his family attempted to flee following a botched coup against Mao. Following Lin's death, he was officially condemned as a traitor by the Communist Party. Many new copies of the red book are in circulation at the moment but this is still an original. Height 13.2 cm. Width 9.3 cm. Thickness 1.8 cm.