Book of the Later Han with Annotations (Volume 1 and 2)

Author: Wang Xianqian (Qing Dynasty)
Publisher:
Publishing Date: 2006-05-01
Features: Post-Han Dynasty Commentary, 120 volumes. Compiled by Wang Xianqian during the late Qing Dynasty. Wang Xianqian (1842–1917), styled Yiyu, was known as Kuizhuang and called his study Xushoutang. He was from Changsha, Hunan. A graduate of the Tongzhi imperial examination, he was appointed as a Cishiji (a junior scholar in the Hanlin Academy) and later promoted to a Biaoxiu (a compiler). He held successive positions, including Assistant Secretary of the Hanlin Academy and later became the Secretary of the Imperial Academy, the Education Commissioner of Jiangsu, and the Head of Nansheng College in Hunan, as well as a lecturer at Yuelu College. He opposed the New Policy reforms and organized the Southern Learning Society. In 1907, he was awarded by the Qing court and granted the title of Inner Court Academician. In 1909, he served as the President of Hunan Consultative Council and the Deputy Director of the Local Self-Government Preparation Office. After the Wuchang Uprising of 1911, he moved to the countryside, shut himself off from the world to write, and gathered scholars to compile, edit, and publish ancient texts and historical documents, eventually dying as a loyalist of the Qing court. Throughout his life, he wrote over 1,500 volumes and edited more than 2,000, making significant contributions to preserving ancient cultural heritage. He compiled the Continuation of the Imperial Qing Dynasty’s Commentaries on Classics and edited the Nanqing College Series (including many works on astronomy, calendar, mathematics, and the history of science and technology). In the field of classics, he wrote Commentary on the Shangshu with Reference to the Shangshu Zhengzhuang, Collected Explanations of the Three Schools on the Book of Songs, and Supplementary Explanations to the Shi Ming. He was particularly skilled in textual criticism and version studies, with great dedication to historical texts. His major works include Supplementary Notes to the Han Dynasty, Post-Han Dynasty Commentary, Combined Notes on the Old and New Tang Dynasty, Collated Shuijing Zhu, Collected Explanations of the Xunzi, and Collected Explanations of the Zhuangzi. He also compiled and published the Annals of the Eleven Dynasties. Additionally, he wrote A Study on the Origin of Japan. His collected works include Essays from Xushoutang and Poetry Collection from Xushoutang. Post-Han Dynasty Commentary is one of Wang’s important works. Fan Ye’s Post-Han Dynasty has been passed down with many commentaries. Wang used the Jiguang Hall edition as the base text and conducted detailed collation with the Dian edition.