In a meeting at the Masonic Lodge in Shanghai, a small group of British and Americans seeking intellectual engagement in a city dedicated to commerce decided to established a “Learned Society” in Shanghai.  It was originally called the Shanghai Literary and Scientific Society, but within one year it had become associated with the Royal Asiatic Society of Great Britain and Ireland, and had changed its name to the North China Branch of the Royal Asiatic Society (NCBRAS).  The Society’s intent was to investigate subjects connected with China and surrounding nations, to publish papers in a Journal and to establish a public library and a museum.

In 1858 they purchased 761 books from Alexander Wylie, a renowned Sinologist living in Shanghai.  This became to the core of the NCBRAS Library.  Primarily through public donations, over the next 90 years this library became the preeminent Library in the Far East.

Based on the records of the NCBRAS Journals, Linda Ferguson will retrace the history of the RAS Library in Shanghai, the people who created it and the challenges they faced over the years.