Complete Notes on the Song Dynasty - (Second Edition) (Part 3)

Author: Zhu Yian
Publisher:
Publishing Date: 2006-01-01
Features: Song Dynasty notes are an important part of Song Dynasty literature, with a vast number of them. Complete Notes of the Song Dynasty is the third large-scale comprehensive collection in the field of Song Dynasty literature and history after Complete Poems of the Song Dynasty and Complete Prose of the Song Dynasty. It is a systematically compiled and comprehensive collection of Song Dynasty notes. Each volume is accompanied by an academically valuable preface written by the compiler, including a brief biography of the author, the process of compilation, evaluation of content, version and sources, the base text used, and an overview of collation. The entire book is printed in traditional characters in vertical columns with modern punctuation marks, making it an extremely valuable historical source. The brand-new exquisite packaging makes it an excellent gift and collectible, truly precious. The entire book is divided into approximately ten volumes, and this book is Volume 1 of the second series. Overall, Complete Notes of the Song Dynasty, Volume 2, has the following characteristics:
First, based on a scientific definition of the term "notes," the book strives to collect as many notes written by Song Dynasty authors as possible, truly reflecting the "completeness" of Complete Notes of the Song Dynasty and avoiding omissions or disorganization. The compilers adhere to the principle that "notes are spontaneous records rather than deliberately composed works." They limit the collection to "specialized collections of notes by Song Dynasty authors" and exclude "scattered individual notes that have not been compiled into a collection," as well as "specialized collections with focused themes and rigid structures," such as "poetry commentaries, dialogues, catalogues like The Tea Classic, Painting Spectra, Records of Famous Ministers, and Official Precepts," and certainly not "novels or biographies that narrate stories in detail."
Second, most of the Song Dynasty notes in this book are being published for the first time after collation and punctuation, reflecting the "newness" of the collection. Among the 49 notes in this series, 13 have already been published with collation and punctuation by Zhonghua Book Company and Shanghai, while 36 have been newly collated and published, accounting for over 73% of the total. These newly published notes, though some may not be lengthy, contain valuable historical materials related to the social economy, politics, and customs of the time, leaving behind a wealth of information for later generations, truly precious.
Third, compared to previously collated and published Song Dynasty notes, this book is relatively "accurate" in terms of collation. The compilers and collators of this book are mostly outstanding scholars in the fields of ancient Chinese history and literature, particularly in Tang and Song literature and history. Although it may not be the absolute best, they can be considered first-class. This book includes the Song Dynasty notes Dream Pool Essays and Supplementary and Continuation of Dream Pool Essays, introducing the author's life, the process of compilation, content evaluation, version and sources, the base text used, and an overview of collation.