Complete Song Dynasty Notes - (Second Edition) (Part 4)

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 anthology 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, content evaluation, version information 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 brand-new exquisite packaging makes it an excellent gift and collection item, 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 "comprehensiveness" 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 deliberate works," limiting the collection to "specialized collections of notes by Song Dynasty authors" and excluding "scattered individual notes that have not been compiled into a collection," "specialized collections with focused themes and rigid structures," such as "poetry discussions, dialogues, or specialized works like The Tea Classic, Painting Anthologies, Records of Prominent Officials, or Official Precepts," and certainly not including 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 being collated and punctuated, 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 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 be bold to call them the best in the world, they are undoubtedly first-class. This book includes six Song Dynasty notes such as Record of Conversations at the Mian Shui Pavilion, Miscellaneous Records of the Wenchang Pavilion, and Notes on Discussions, introducing the authors' biographies, the process of compilation, content evaluation, version information and sources, the base text used, and an overview of the collation.