Printing and Book Culture in Late Imperial China (Volume 27) (Studies on China)

Despite the importance of books and the written word in Chinese society, the history of the book in China is a topic that has been little explored. This pioneering volume of essays, written by historians, art historians, and literary scholars, introduces the major issues in the social and cultural history of the book in late imperial China. Informed by many insights from the rich literature on the history of the Western book, these essays investigate the relationship between the manuscript and print culture; the emergence of urban and rural publishing centers; the expanding audience for books; the development of niche markets and specialized publishing of fiction, drama, non-Han texts, and genealogies; and more. Despite The Importance Of Books And The Written Word In Chinese Society, The History Of The Book In China Is A Topic That Has Been Little Explored. This Pioneering Volume Of Essays, Written By An Interdisciplinary Group Of Historians, Art Historians, And Literary Scholars, Introduces The Major Issues In The Social And Cultural History Of The Book In Late Imperial China.--book Jacket. On The History Of The Book In China / Cynthia J. Brokaw -- The Ascendance Of The Imprint In China / Joseph Mcdermott -- Of Three Mountains Street : The Commercial Publishers Of Ming Nanjing / Lucille Chia -- Constructing New Reading Publics In Late Ming China / Anne E. Mclaren -- Reading The Best-sellers Of The Nineteenth Century : Commercial Publishing In Sibao / Cynthia J. Brokaw -- Niche Marketing For Late Imperial Fiction / Robert E. Hegel -- Printing As Performance : Literati Playwright-publishers Of The Late Ming / Katherine Carlitz -- Qing Publishing In Non-han Languages / Evelyn S. Rawski -- Preserving The Bonds Of Kin : Genealogy Masters And Genealogy Productions In The Jiangsu-zhejiang Area In The Qing And Republican Periods / Xu Xiaoman -- Visual Hermeneutics And The Act Of Turning The Leaf : A Genealogy Of Liu Yuan's Lingyan Ge / Anne Burkus-chasson -- Didactic Illustrations In Printed Books / Julia K. Murray. Edited By Cynthia J. Brokaw And Kai-wing Chow. Includes Bibliographical References (p. 471-512) And Index. Despite the importance of books and the written word in Chinese society, the history of the book in China is a topic that has been little explored. This pioneering volume of essays, written by an interdisciplinary group of historians, art historians, and literary scholars, introduces the major issues in the social and cultural history of the book in late imperial China.Informed by many insights from the rich literature on the history of the Western book, these essays investigate the relationship between the manuscript and print culture; the emergence of urban and rural publishing centers and their output; the expanding audience for books; the development of niche markets and specialized publishing of fiction, drama, non-Han texts, and genealogies; and the impact of format and illustration on the meaning of texts. The contributors also suggest a variety of methods-imprint analysis, comparison of editions and different print media, and close textual reading, to name just a few-that can be used in future research on the history of the book in China.