Anecdotes about Spirits and Immortals is a collection of myths, legends and stories of monsters and incredible and uncanny happenings. It is a treasure house of Chinese folklore prior to the third century A.D. The compiler, Gan Bao, was a historian of the Eastern Jin Dynasty (317-420). He was a firm believer in fate and the occult, including astrology and fortune telling, and applied the historian's method of recording to the fantastic stories which were current in his time.
The breadth of imagination displayed in the Anecdotes about Spirits and Immortals and the story material itself had a far-reaching impact on Chinese literature, especially novels, of later generations, and provided a wellspring of inspiration for writers. Anecdotes about Spirits and Immortals was introduced to Korea in the 11th century, and to Europe in the 19th century. This book is a complete English version by the well-known translator Ding Wangdao.
