A Comprehensive History of Chinese Book Collections (Volume 1 and 2)

Author: Fu Xuancong, Xie Zhuohua
Publisher:
Publishing Date: 2001-02-01
Features: A Comprehensive History of Chinese Book Collections: A powerful work that promotes the culture of book collecting. A Comprehensive History of Chinese Book Collections is a grand-scale, richly detailed, and systematically organized academic work. It has three main strengths: (1) It provides a comprehensive and systematic discussion of the history of Chinese book collections. It covers the period from the Xia and Shang dynasties to the 1990s, bridging the ancient and modern eras. It focuses on both public and private collections while also mentioning academies and monasteries. It gives due attention to less-studied topics such as book collections in the Liao and Jin dynasties, and the book collections of Ming Dynasty princes. The breadth of its coverage is unprecedented in similar works. (2) It has a clear guiding principle, striving to scientifically explain the historical development of Chinese book collections. The editors believe that the evolution of book collection practices is closely linked to social progress and use this as a fundamental thread to divide the history of book collections into stages. In the narrative of each period, the book connects the state of book collections with the economic and cultural development and cultural policies of that time. As a result, the entire work is logically rigorous, self-contained, well-supported by evidence, and meticulously researched. (3) The book fully incorporates existing achievements, introduces new perspectives, and makes numerous original discoveries. In terms of data and historical research, it also makes new progress. For example, the information about book collectors from ethnic minorities during the Yuan Dynasty and the characteristics of private book collections is highly valuable. Therefore, it is a comprehensive study of the history of Chinese book collections and also highly innovative. Its publication will undoubtedly have a positive impact on the study of traditional Chinese culture and contribute to the in-depth development of the field of book collection studies and book culture studies. The Chinese book collection industry has a long history, supported by gradually complete book collection institutions, the specialized knowledge of numerous collectors and researchers, and a humanistic spirit as its main pillar, making it an important part of Chinese culture. As a result, there have been works that describe the state of book collections in each dynasty, biographies of book collectors, accounts of book collection customs, and dictionaries of book collections, but none that comprehensively cover the ancient and modern eras with complete narratives. In the late 1990s, scholars from the north and south formed writing teams, with Mr. Ren Jiyou as the leader of A Comprehensive History of Chinese Book Collections and Mr. Fu Xuancong as the leader of A Comprehensive History of Chinese Book Collections, both of which were completed at the beginning of the new century. Reading through these two monumental works filled me with joy. The editor-in-chief of A Comprehensive History of Chinese Book Collections, Mr. Fu Xuancong, is a renowned scholar both at home and abroad, particularly skilled in the study of documents and rich in writings. It is said that he personally reviewed the initial drafts, ensuring the quality of the entire work. The scholars he brought together were all familiar with the book collection industry and its data, making the foundation of the work solid. The combination of these strengths resulted in a masterpiece. Since the book is named A Comprehensive History, its organizational structure must follow historical principles. Browsing through the entire book, it is indeed organized chronologically, with book collection as the thread, covering the period from the pre-Qin era to the late modern era, divided into eight sections that span the ancient and modern eras, giving readers a clear and well-structured understanding. The most innovative aspect is the inclusion of the eighth section, which is truly a groundbreaking addition. Comprehensive history writing generally ends in the Qing Dynasty, with some including modern parts, but this book establishes a section titled Chinese Book Collections in the 20th Century. It not only records the modern era but also includes the contemporary period, making the comprehensive history a complete work. The tradition of illustrated books is excellent in Chinese publishing, and the Comprehensive History features over 100 exquisite illustrations at the beginning, covering a wide range of topics such as book collections, book collectors, book seals, and images of rare books, reflecting the compilers' efforts in collecting materials. Reading the text and referring to the illustrations, one can clearly grasp the three-dimensional image of the Chinese book collection industry. The foundation of historical works lies in the excavation and utilization of historical materials. A Comprehensive History of Chinese Book Collections is well-supported by evidence, drawing not only from ancient works but also from modern discussions. It frequently uses authoritative editions of common books, enhancing the credibility of the work and providing insights for future research, opening up pathways for in-depth study of specialized topics. Chinese book culture has a rich cultural heritage and extensive historical materials. In the past two decades, research on the history of Chinese book collections and book culture has made significant progress. A Comprehensive History of Chinese Book Collections is a representative work that synthesizes current research achievements in the field. Its contributions to discipline development are as follows: , A Comprehensive History of Chinese Book Collections is the first work to comprehensively and systematically discuss the history of Chinese book collections throughout the ages. The book is divided into eight sections, including the pre-Qin era, explaining the emergence and development of Chinese book collections over 4,000 years and their related social and historical environments. It discusses the achievements and levels of book collections in government, private, monastic, and academy settings, thereby constructing a complete framework that spans both vertically and horizontally. The book fully showcases the specific achievements and cultural contributions of public and private book collections, records the inspiring stories of numerous famous book collectors who dedicated their lives to books, and summarizes the rich experience of thousands of years of book collection efforts in terms of book acquisition, collection, organization, and dissemination. The content is extensive, covering a wide range of topics. Second, the compilers of the book adopt an open perspective, integrating methods from multiple disciplines such as history, library science, documentology, cultural history, and social history to conduct interdisciplinary and multi-faceted research on the history of Chinese book collections. For example, following the basic path of historical materialism, it convincingly reveals the social factors that influence the rise and fall of the book collection industry through historical analysis of social production technology, economic levels, and political situations in each period, thereby establishing the correct direction for book culture research. Additionally, it employs documentological methods to thoroughly explain the achievements of book collectors in cataloging, annotations, collation, authentication, and edition identification. Through discussions on book circulation, book industry activities, and book collection families, it provides vivid social history content. Furthermore, the analysis of book quantity, quality, library construction, book collection trends, customs, concepts, and cultural contributions throughout the book presents readers with a colorful picture of the history of Chinese book culture. Third, starting from the perspective of discipline development, the book not only maintains a macroscopic grasp of the overall development of book collection research but also provides theoretical summaries of the research system of the discipline. The Lasting Development of Chinese Book Collection Research in the final chapter offers a macroscopic overview of the achievements and trends of Chinese book culture research over the past century. Building on this, it proposes the establishment of "Chinese Book Collection Studies" or "Book Culture Studies" from a high-altitude perspective. In the Introduction, it systematically organizes and summarizes the basic concepts, academic categories, and research systems of Chinese book collection history and book culture, marking the gradual maturation of rational norms in the study of Chinese book culture and laying a solid foundation for the establishment of the discipline. The authors of A Comprehensive History of Chinese Book Collections adopted a comprehensive historical approach to the study of book collection events, discussing them within the broader context of historical and cultural development. The book is rich in historical materials, paying attention to all aspects of the progress of book collection, treating book collection activities from ancient times to the present as a scholarly pursuit, demonstrating the compilers' remarkable efforts. The book begins with the collection and management of royal documents and books in the pre-Qin era and ends with the state of book collections in China just before the establishment of the People's Republic of China. It first describes the introduction of Western public library concepts to China, the revolution in Chinese book collection ideas, the adoption of Western public library systems, the establishment of the Jiangnan Library and the Capital Library, the development of public and private book collection efforts amid social turmoil, the rise and prosperity of book collections by scholars and industrialists, and the misfortunes of book collections during the warlord conflicts and Japanese invasions. It continues to the book collection industry since the establishment of the People's Republic of China. This systematic exposition is rare in existing book collection works.