Complete Collection of Chinese Calligraphy, Volume 56

Author: Liu Zhengcheng, Editor-in-Chief
Publisher:
Publishing Date: 2003-03-01
Features: This book collects calligraphy works spanning from the Shang and Zhou dynasties to the contemporary era, totaling over one hundred volumes. The volumes are divided into two major categories: 1. Chronological Volumes; 2. Calligrapher Volumes. Each volume is categorized by era and included in ten major sections, with additional sections for Seal Engraving, Essays, Appendices, and Supplementary Notes. The Chronological Volumes include works such as oracle bone inscriptions, bronze inscriptions, bamboo slips, silk documents, pottery and brick inscriptions, steles, epitaphs, carved stones, cliff carvings, sculptures, and handwritten scriptures. These works are classified and organized chronologically. The Calligrapher Volumes are divided into three types: Class A volumes feature works by a single calligrapher; Class B volumes feature works by two to four calligraphers; Class C volumes feature works by multiple calligraphers from a specific era. The table of contents for each volume, except the preface and general index, follows the two categories of volume organization. The Chronological Volumes include: color reproductions of artifacts or selected pages of facsimiles, general introductions and specialized essays, plate illustrations of works, annotations of works, chronology, diagrams of artifact and work distribution, main reference bibliographies and literature, and plate index. The Calligrapher Volumes include: portraits of calligraphers (Class A volumes), color reproductions of calligraphy albums or selected pages of original works, critiques and specialized essays on calligraphers, general introductions to calligraphy of a specific era (Class C volumes), plate illustrations of works, annotations of works, selected annotations of calligraphers' theories, chronology of calligraphers, diagrams of calligraphers' travels, main reference bibliographies, and plate index. In Class A calligrapher volumes, supplementary volumes feature close relatives and personally instructed disciples of the calligrapher to clarify mutual influences. The Appendices include: Chronology of Chinese Calligraphy (with name index and work index), A Brief History and Illustrated Catalog of Calligraphy in Ethnic Minority Scripts, A Brief History and Illustrated Catalog of Overseas Calligraphy, and A Brief History and Illustrated Catalog of the Four Treasures of the Study. Several supplementary volumes are included to classify important works that could not be accommodated or were overlooked during the compilation process. The (diagrams) in each volume are based on the Atlas of Chinese Historical Maps, edited by Tan Qixiang. The entire book is printed in traditional characters to avoid confusion between ancient and modern scripts.