BEIJING, April 4 -- A book recording Chinese antiquities collected by the London-based Victoria and Albert Museum has been published, the National Museum of China (NMC) said on Saturday.

The book, compiled mainly by the NMC, is the first volume of a book series documenting Chinese antiquities in overseas collections. The first volume is the product of ten years of work.

The NMC decided in 2005 to start compiling the book series, which consists of 20 to 30 volumes. The series covers the status of Chinese antiquities collected overseas and international academic research on the items.

The Victoria and Albert Museum volume features a total of 195 exquisite antiquities, including 102 pieces of china, 31 bronze items, 22 painted wood pieces, as well as gold, silver and jade treasures.

The book provides the background and history of each artifact.

Other editions in the series will be published later, but no publication timetable is available yet.