Download or read book The Beauty and the Book written by Ellen Widmer and published by Harvard University Press. This book was released on 2006 with total page 446 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: This study of Chinese women in the book trade begins with three case studies, each of which probes one facet of the relationship between women and fiction in the early 19th century. Building on these studies, the second half of the book focuses on the many sequels to the Dream of the Red Chamber and the significance of this novel for women.