Journey to the West, Volume 1 (Volume 1)

Journey to the West, Volume 1 (Volume 1) by Yu, Anthony C.. paperback edition. ISBN: 9780226971506.

First published in 1952, The Journey to the West, volume I, comprises the first twenty-five chapters of Anthony C. Yus four-volume translation of Hsi-yu Chi, one of the most beloved classics of Chinese literature. The fantastic tale recounts the sixteen-year pilgrimage of the monk Hsüan-tsang (596-664), one of Chinas most illustrious religious heroes, who journeyed to India with four animal disciples in quest of Buddhist scriptures. For nearly a thousand years, his exploits were celebrated and embellished in various accounts, culminating in the hundred-chapter Journey to the West, which combines religious allegory with romance, fantasy, humor, and satire.