The inaugural first prize went to Matthew Wills of La Jolla, a PhD candidate in modern Chinese history at UC San Diego, whose collection centered on anti-Confucian propaganda during the founding years of the People’s Republic of China. "[As an] historian and bibliographer, I research the history of book publishing and propaganda in Chairman Mao's China,” Wills said in a statement. “In particular, I study books that show the Communist state's hostility to China's Confucian traditions." Will’s winning collection totaled over 700 items, with editions in different languages including Braille, and comic books. Nate Pedersen interviewed Wills for FB&C on the eve of his win last February.
Submissions must be received by December 1, 2019. More details are at the California Book Fair website.
