Great Master's Little Books · The Wild Man Offers His Own Sunshine

Author: Shen Congwen
Publisher:
Publish Date: 2005-05-01
Features: In recent years, I have written very little and done very little work. The publication of this small book has brought me both joy and deep shame. It is truly close to what the ancients called "a rustic offering a scorched offering"—the substance may be insignificant, but the meaning is still good. —Shen Congwen
"The Great and the Small," is a very playful name. The term "Great" here carries two meanings: 1) The author of the book is a great figure; 2) The book is written for the general public, serving as reading material for everyone. The term "Small" refers only to its length, as the book is relatively brief. However, in terms of academic rigor, it is not light; some of it is quite substantial. In reality, the size of a book is also relative. A book with 100,000 words might be considered small under today's printing conditions, but in the era of Laozi and Confucius, would it still be considered small?
One of the purposes of compiling this series is to save readers' time, allowing them to gain more knowledge in a shorter period. In the age of information explosion, there is too much to learn. Supplementing knowledge has become a frequent necessity. If one is not skilled at supplementing, grabbing a little here and a little there, patching up this today and that tomorrow, the results may not be very effective. If reading is treated like taking medicine, one may also lose the () and joy that should come with reading. Each book in this series is concise, so even if readers read it carefully and savor it slowly, it won’t take much time, allowing them to fully enjoy the pleasure of reading. If they choose to treat it as a supplement, it is small in dosage, easy to take, and easy to digest.
We also have another purpose: to contribute to cultural accumulation. We gather works that have stood the test of time and are recognized by readers, publishing them to prevent them from being forgotten. Some books were once bestsellers but are now hard to find; others may not have garnered much attention at the time but have proven to be of great value over time. Both types of books need to be rediscovered and brought back into the light. Books on science and technology are more practical—once outdated, they attract few readers, used primarily by those studying the history of science and technology. In contrast, the humanities are different; many books remain fresh and relevant no matter how often they are read.
However, this series is not entirely a reprint of old books. We also want to invite renowned scholars to write new small books that combine academic rigor with accessibility to meet the growing needs of readers.
The format of "The Great and the Small" is compact, small enough to fit in a pocket, allowing readers to pull it out and read a few pages anytime, anywhere. Waiting by the roadside, queuing for theater tickets, on a bus, in a park—anywhere. With more readers engaging in such activities, society will be enriched with cultural vibrancy and a spirit of learning. Isn’t that a good thing?