The Story of the Stone (Volumes 1-6)

Author: Cao Xueqin (Qing Dynasty)
Publisher:
Publication Date: Not available
Features: This is the first corrected edition of the Jiaxu manuscript of Dream of the Red Chamber ever published in China and abroad. The most significant difference between this edition and the commonly printed versions is that it allows readers to glimpse the early original form of the novel as written by Cao Xueqin and to directly experience the 1,600+ precious annotations left by the author's "red and white friend," Shi Yanzai, on the Jiaxu original manuscript. The source text of this edition was discovered and collected by Mr. Hu Shih in 1927 and is now preserved in the Cornell University Library in the United States. The collation and printing are based on the facsimile edition first published in Taiwan in 1961, and all relevant materials about this manuscript from the original and facsimile editions are included. The Jiaxu manuscript of Dream of the Stone Chamber is a national treasure. However, since Mr. Hu Shih acquired it, wrote about it, and researched it, no one has made substantial efforts to conduct in-depth studies or compile a dedicated book to introduce and promote it to the cultural academic community and the general public (so-called "popularization") over the past eighty years. Although it has a facsimile edition, its circulation is limited to scholars and experts. Now, with the publication of this corrected edition, the significant gap over the past eighty years is filled. The contribution of this edition is self-evident. The Jiaxu manuscript is the origin of Red Chamber Studies, just as Four Pine Studio Collection and Mao Zhai Poetry Collection Donggao Collection are the origins of Cao Studies. I have long wanted to collect different manuscripts and printed versions of these two collections (Four Pine has three, and Mao Zhai has two) and collate, annotate, and explain them, naming it Shou Qin Bian. However, I have yet to start. Taking this as an example for comparison, the contribution of this edition is great, while my own efforts remain unfulfilled.