Skip to Main Content

Rockhill Tibetan Collection of Rare Materials at the Library of Congress

Gifts from Mrs. Rockhill, 1942

Rare Materials Notice: All of the materials covered in this guide are part of the Mongolian and Tibetan rare book collections and are only accessible in the Asian Reading Room by advance appointment. To schedule an appointment, please contact our reference staff via the Ask a Librarian service.

The second part of the Rockhill collection of Tibetan rare materials is described in a list of titles donated to the Library of Congress by Mrs. Rockhill in 1942. They have been tentatively re-numbered as #63 – 75. The letters in parenthesis were previously assigned by Walter Maurer in his handlist of 1962. Notes written by Rockhill on the title pages or versos are indicated by “R” and additional information by the author is indicated by an asterisk (*).

[Cha-har- Dge-bshes Blo-bzang-tshul-khrims kyi gsung ʼbum]. [Peking]: [publisher not identified], [1800?]. Library of Congress Asian Division.
[Cha-har- Dge-bshes Blo-bzang-tshul-khrims kyi gsung ʼbum]. [Peking]: [publisher not identified], [1800?]. Library of Congress Asian Division. View bibliographic record in the Library of Congress Online Catalog.
  1. [j] ‘Jigs byed mgon po chos rgyal lha mo rnam sras rnams la gtor ma ‘bul tshul mdor bsdus.
    6 pages [sic]. 9 1/4 x 3. Chinese print, folded accordian style, but pecha format.
    R: “Ritual compiled from the Do (Sutras) to be used in the ceremony of making offerings to ‘Jigs-che gon-po....Colophon says blocks cut and printed at Peking at the expense of Prince Su, in the 19th year Kuang-hsu (1894).”
    *A note on the verso of title page, not in Rockhill’s handwriting, says, “Gift Hon. W. W. Rockhill 7,10[illegible]’08.” This text is from the gsung ‘bum of Lcang skya II Ngag dbang blo bzang chos ldan (1642–1714), vol. nga.
  2. [j] Ye shes kyi mkha’ ‘gro ma seng ge’i gdod pa can gyi sgrub thabs.
  3. 12 folios. 9 1/4 x 3. Chinese print, folded accordian style, but pecha format.
    R: “Ritual for propitiating a Dakini called Ye shes kyi Kandroma Seng ge dang pa chan.” Colophon says blocks cut and printed at Peking at the expense of Prince Su, in 19th year Kuang- hsu (1894).
    * A note on the verso of the title page, not in Rockhill’s handwriting, says, “Gift Hon. W. W. Rockhill 170.08" (illegible, but reversed from above). This text is from the gsung ‘bum of Lcang skya II Ngag dbang blo bzang chos ldan (1642–1714), vol. ja.
  4. [M] Four short texts wrapped together, folio 1: “Gift of Mrs. W. W. Rockhill June 19, 1942.”
    1) Dpal mgon lcam dral dang dur bdag la gser skyims ‘bul tshul.
    3 folios 8 3/4 x 2 ½. Ms.
    2) Dgra lha dpang bstod.
    6 folios. 9 1/4 x 2 3/4. Ms. Possibly Tibetan paper.
    3) Dur khrod bdag po’i sgo nas chom rkun gyi mgo skor.
    4 folios. 8 3/4 x 2 3/4. Ms. On lined paper.
    4) Rlung rta bsangs.
    3 folios. 9 1/4 x 3. Ms.
    + 2 folios of a calendar 8 3/4 x 2 3/4.
  5. [C1] Gzungs bsdus/dkar chag dgos ‘dod kun ‘byung.
  6. [C2] Mdo mang /dkar chag dgos ‘dod kun ‘byung
    2 volumes, separate pagination for each text. 19 ½ x 5 3/4.
    Xylograph on Tibetan paper. Excellent condition, wrapped in yellow silk and tied between red lacquered boards. Red stamp with swastika on title page. *Gzung mdo or Mdo mang, collections of canonical texts. See Rockhill 1895a, Plate 29, p. 720 for seal purchased at Derge as possible source for the stamp.
  7. [B]‘Phags pa shes rab kyi pha rol tu phyin pa brgyad stong pa
  8. 428 folios. 22 x 4. Tibetan print, excellent condition. Red seal with swastika in center. Wrapped in thick yellow brocade lined with blue and tied between boards.
    ‘Phags pa shes rab kyi pha rol tu phyin pa brgyad stong pa klog thabs dngos grub kun ‘byung.
    5 folios. 22 x 4. Tibetan print, excellent condition.
    ‘Phags pa shes rab kyi pha rol tu phyin pa brgyad stong pai dka’ bu’i gnad kun gsal bar byed pa’i mchan bu shes phyin lam gyi sgron me.
    36 folios. 22 x 4. Tibetan print, excellent condition.
    R: “The Prajna paramita in 8000 slokas in Tibetan. Handwritten note pasted to cover: “Presented to W. W. Rockhill by the 13th Dalai Lama (Ngag dbang blo bzang thub bstan rgya mtsho) at Wu t’ai Shan (Shansi) on June 21st 1908.”
    *Description of texts and thangka available in author’s paper for presention May 2007, Rubin Museum of Art, N.Y., Gifts at Wutai Shan: Rockhill and the 13th Dalai Lama. See also Meinheit 2000.
  9. [a] Rje btsun mi la ras pa’i rnam thar rgyas par phye ba mgur ‘bum.
    342 folios. 20 ½ x 4. Chinese paper, printed at Peking from blocks cut in Tibet. Bound between boards. Fol. 1 verso vignettes on either side; left that of the author Milarespa, right that of his guru Marpa. Red seal with swastika in center, wrapped in yellow silk with blue lining, and tied between heavy red lacquered boards with long orange sash.
    * The mgur ‘bum of Mi la ras pa (1040–1123) compiled by Gtsang smyon He ru ka (1452–1507). Appears to be duplicate of #10, with different seal on title page, and tied in different boards.
  10. [LL] Bstan bcos chen po bai dur dkar por blo rmons ‘jug pa bde ba’i phyir dkar chags thor bur bkod ba.
    634 folios. 22 x 3 3/4. Tibetan paper. Wrapped in cloth and tied between boards painted red.
    R: “Sent me by the Maharaj Kumar .....Tulku of Sikkim. Constantinople, September 1911.”
    * The Vaidurya dkar po of Sde srid Sangs rgyas rgya mtsho (1653–1705).
    Although a letter to Mrs. Rockhill from Librarian of Congress Luther Evans, dated 7/2/42 refers to receiving “texts on Bon” from the Maharaj of Sikkim, this is the only volume with such a note, and no Bonpo volumes have been identified as having the note.

71-75 [i] Ka pod kyi khar chag [etc.].
10 v. 22 x 4 1/8. Peking print, brittle yellow paper, wrapped in yellow silk lined in blue, tied between heavy red lacquered boards. Each of 5 cases contains 2 volumes wrapped together. Red seal with swastika on each title page. Note on title page: “Gift of Mrs. W. W. Rockhill, June 9, 1942.”

  1. [i1] Ka, 359 folios; Kha, 317 folios.
  2. [i2] Ga, 395 folios; NGA, 322 folios.
  3. [i3] Ca, 311 folios; Cha, 321 folios.
  4. [i4] Ja, 307 folios; Nya, 341 folios.
  5. [i5] Ta, 227 folios; Tha, 272 folios.
  6. Gsung ‘bum of Char har Dge bshes Blo bzang tshul khrims, 1740–1810, a Gelukpa scholar of Inner Mongolia.