Isaac Taylor Headland

Isaac Taylor Headland
Isaac Taylor Headland was an American missionary and author known for his works on Chinese culture and language. He lived in China for many years during the late Qing Dynasty and wrote extensively about Chinese customs, including the life in the imperial court. One of his well-known books is "Court Life in China," which offers insights into the daily lives of the Chinese royal family. Headland also wrote "Chinese Mother Goose Rhymes," a collection of traditional Chinese nursery rhymes, which he translated into English.

Author's Books:


THE NURSERY AND ITS RHYMES It is a mistake to suppose that any one nation or people has exclusive right to Mother Goose. She is an omnipresent old lady. She is Asiatic as well as European or American. Wherever there are mothers, grandmothers, and nurses there are Mother Gooses,—or; shall we say, Mother Geese—for I am at a loss as to how to pluralize this old dame. She is in India, whence I have... more...

THE EMPRESS DOWAGER—HER EARLY LIFE One day when one of the princesses was calling at our home in Peking, I inquired of her where the Empress Dowager was born. She gazed at me for a moment with a queer expression wreathing her features, as she finally said with just the faintest shadow of a smile: "We never talk about the early history of Her Majesty." I smiled in return and continued: "I... more...