Complete Song Dynasty Notes - (Second Edition) (8)

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 volumes. 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 the collation. The entire book is printed in traditional characters in vertical columns with modern punctuation marks, making it an extremely valuable historical source. The book is presented in a new, exquisite packaging, making it an excellent gift and collectible, truly precious. The book is divided into approximately ten parts. Overall, Complete Notes of the Song Dynasty, Volume 2, has the following characteristics:
First, the book scientifically defines the term "notes" and strives to collect as many notes written by Song Dynasty authors as possible, truly reflecting the "completeness" of Complete Notes of the Song Dynasty, avoiding omissions and disorganization. The compilers adhere to the principle that "notes are records of events 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 formed a complete collection," as well as "specialized collections with focused themes and rigid structures," such as "poetic discussions, dialogues, catalogs like The Tea Classic, Painting Anthologies, Records of Renowned Officials, 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 presented to the public for the first time after collation and punctuation, reflecting the "newness" of the collection. Among the 49 notes in this volume, 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 collated notes, though some may be brief, contain content related to the social economy, politics, and customs of the time, leaving behind valuable historical materials that are truly precious.
Third, compared to previously collated and published Song Dynasty notes, this book is relatively "accurate" in terms of collation. The compilers of the book are mostly outstanding scholars in the fields of ancient Chinese history and literature, particularly in Tang and Song literature and history. Although they may not be the absolute best, they are undoubtedly first-class. The book includes five Song Dynasty notes such as Notes from Dongxuan, Remains of Feng Qingmin, and Bi Zhai Bian, introducing the authors' biographies, the process of compilation, evaluation of content, version and sources, the base text used, and an overview of the collation.