Wonderland on Earth — Jiuzhai Valley. Chengdu: Sichuan Fine Arts Publishing House, 2003 ISBN: 9 787541 019142
Unpaginated. Glossy photos, with locations in Chinese and English. Bookplate from G. David Bookseller, authenticating provenance from Stephen Hawking’s library. Inscription to Stephen Hawking on title page, dated June 6th, 2006 in blue pen. Condition NEAR FINE.
In June 2006, Stephen Hawking visited China for the third time. During this visit, he attended the International String Theory Conference in Beijing, where he delivered the keynote address, titled “The Origin of the Universe.” On the day of his arrival, June 22, 2006, to Beijing from Hong Kong, Professor Hawking was presented this book, inscribed to him. The inscription reads To: Stephen Hawking, Wish we could have the opportunity to welcome you to visit world of the myth Jiuzhai Valley. The person gifting the book is unclear, but his anglicised name is Frank.
Since his death in 2018, Hawking’s library has been dispersed— in part arriving in institutional holdings and in part into public hands. The number of personalised inscriptions to Hawking is increasingly rare.