Chairman Mao Badges: Symbols and Slogans of the Cultural Revolution (British Museum Research Publications)

Though not the only work in English on Mao badges, this is by far the most erudite, with transcriptions of hard-to-read Chinese inscriptions, full translations of everything, and much background material about the social context of the badges. Furthermore, it is full of references to other relevant works. The collection is relatively small but hits the main points so far as inscriptions go; most other badges you run into will have various permutations of the inscriptions found here. I am delighted with this book. Melissa Schrift has written another book, "Biography of a Chairman Mao Badge: The Creation and Mass Consumption of a Personality Cult" which fleshes out more of the social context but does not delve into the inscriptions as does this work. The collector should have both books, as they are intended for very different purposes.