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Eastern Culture Nucleus: Chinese Rare Books in the USC Libraries

History 史部

Excellent Rubbings of Stone Carvings (Shimo juanhua 石墨鐫華八卷) is a manuscript copy of a printed book with the same title, compiled by Zhao Han 趙崡 (courtesy name 字 Zihan 子函; awarded with juren 舉人 in 1609 [the Jiyou year of the Wanli Reign of the Ming dynasty 萬曆己酉年]) and possibly printed in 1618 (the Wuwu year of the Wanli reign of the Ming dynasty 萬曆戊午年). It includes rubbings of steles from ancient times to the Yuan dynasty (1271-1368) and focuses on the aesthetic evaluation of their calligraphy. USC's copy is donated by Dr. Peter Marie Suski and the two ex libris seals, 馬硯珊收藏金石圖書記 and 馬書奎印 on the caption title page (卷端頁) of the manuscript are from Ma Shukui 馬書奎 (b. 1794; literary name 號 Yanshan 硯珊; awarded with juren in 1828), a collector and connoisseur of epigraphy (金石學) in the late Qing dynasty.

Other Rare and Special Editions in the History Branch:

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Biography of Zhang Yi 張儀列傳 (1515) 9
This is the earliest dated Chinese rare book in the USC Libraries, a biography of the influential itinerant political strategist (縱橫家) Zhang Yi 張儀 (d. 310 BC) of the Warring States (475-221 BC) period and a chapter from the rare 1515 edition of The Records of the Grand Historian (Shiji 史記) of the Ming Dynasty (明正德十年白鹿洞書院刊本). Zhang traveled among the states and helped Qin (秦) State to dissolve the unity of the other states, paving the way for Qin to unify China in 221 BC. This book is bound in butterfly binding (蝴蝶裝), which is the earliest known form of binding for printed books in China, developed during the Northern Song Dynasty (960-1127). In butterfly binding, printed sheets are folded inwards and pasted together at the fold, enabling pairs of printed and blank pages to alternate throughout the book.
The Records of the Grand Historian, written from 109 BC to 91 BC, was the Magnum opus of the greatest Han dynasty historian Sima Qian 司馬遷 (145?-86? BC), in which he recounted Chinese history from the era of the Yellow Emperor (黃帝) until his own time. As the first systematic Chinese historical text, the Records profoundly influenced Chinese historiography and prose.
Date/Edition: 1515 | 明正德十年白鹿洞書院刊本.

Further Reading:
- Durrant, Stephen W. The Cloudy Mirror: Tension and Conflict in the Writings of Sima Qian. Albany: State University of New York Press, 1995.
media/Zhang Yi.jpg plain 2022-01-28T12:27:03-08:00 Link to the catalog record in the USC Libraries
This multi-volume catalogue of bronze and stone inscriptions ranging from ancient times to the Five Dynasties (907-960) was compiled by Zhao Mingcheng 趙明誠 (1081-1129), a noted antiquarian and husband of the greatest woman poet Li Qingzhao 李清照 (1084-ca. 1155) of the Song dynasty. The ex libris seals on this contents page are from the donor Dr. Chow Tse-tsung 周策縱 (1916-2007), a world-famous scholar on the May Fourth Movement and The Dream of the Red Chamber (Hong lou meng 紅樓夢); and Wu Chongxi 吳重憙 (1838-after 1911; literary name 號 Shilian 石蓮), a politician, connoisseur of epigraphy (金石學) and collector of the late Qing and Republican periods.
Donated by Dr. Chow Tse-tsung. Date/edition: 1650 | 清順治七年謝世箕刻本.
This is a pioneer study of around 300 inscriptions on the bronze vessels and steles from ancient times to the Ming dynasty authored by Gu Yanwu 顧炎武 (1613 – 1682), an esteemed patriot, philosopher, and philologist in the late Ming and early Qing periods and the founder of School of Han Learning (漢學派). USC's copy may be part of the collectanea entitled Tinglin yishu shizhong 亭林遺書十種. The ex libris seal 東園藏書 on the caption title page (卷端頁) of this book is from Liu Kun 劉焜 (1867-1931), a politician, scholar, and collector in the late Qing and Republican periods.
Donated by Dr. Peter Marie Suski. Date/Edition: Between 1662 and 1708 | Mid-Kangxi 康熙 reign.
Illustrations of Bronze and Stone 金石圖 (1736-1795) 22
This four-volume set contains rubbings and commentaries of ancient bronze and stone inscriptions from the ancient Zhou dynasty (1046-256 BCE) to the Tang dynasty (618-907). The rubbings in the book were meticulously engraved by Chu Jun 褚峻 (courtesy name 字 Qianfeng 千峰; active 18th century), a highly-skilled engraver and an expert in epigraphy (金石學). The inscriptions were annotated by Niu Yunzhen 牛運震 (1706-1758; courtesy name 字 Jieping 階平), an early Qing scholar, educator, and administrator.
Donated by Dr. Peter Marie Suski. Date: Qianlong 乾隆 reign (1736-1795).

Further Reading:
- Tseng, Lillian Lan-ying. "Between Printing and Rubbing: Chu Jun′s Illustrated Catalogues of Ancient Monuments in Eighteenth-century China." In Reinventing the Past: Antiquarianism and Archaism in Chinese Art and Visual Culture, edited by Wu Hung, 255-290. Chicago: Center for the Art of East Asia, Dept. of Art History, University of Chicago, 2010.
media/jinshitu.jpg plain 2021-03-12T15:04:05-08:00 Link to the catalog record in the USC Libraries
The Yizheng House Revised Illustrated Catalogue of Antique Objects from the Xuanhe Hall 亦政堂重修宣和博古圖錄三十卷 (1752) 14
Illustrated Catalogue of Antique Objects from the Xuanhe Hall (Xuanhe bogu tu 宣和博古圖), completed towards the end of the Xuanhe 宣和 era (1119-1125) of the Northern Song dynasty, includes over 800 bronze objects from the imperial Xuanhe Hall 宣和殿. This revised edition was printed by the noted book collector Huang Sheng 黃晟 (courtesy name 字 Xiaofeng 曉峰; studio name 室名 Yizheng tang 亦政堂) and published together with Kaogu tu 考古圖十卷 and Guyu tu 古玉圖二卷 during the Qianlong 乾隆 reign (1736-1795) of the Qing dynasty.
Donated by Dr. Peter Marie Suski. Date/edition: 1752 | 明萬曆刻清乾隆壬申亦政堂重修本.

Further Reading:
- Hsu, Ya-hwei. "Antiquities, Ritual Reform, and the Shaping of New Taste at Huizong's Court." Artibus Asiae 73, no. 1 (2013): 137-80. Accessed January 26, 2021. https://libproxy.usc.edu/login?url=https://www.jstor.org/stable/24240770.
media/bogutu.jpg plain 2022-04-05T14:42:32-07:00 Link to the catalog record in the USC Libraries
This book consists of three epigraphic studies from the Yuan to early Qing periods, namely Examples of Bronze and Stone Inscriptions (Jinshi li 金石例十卷) compiled by the Yuan official and geographer Pan Angxiao 潘昂霄 (active 1246-1340; literary name 號 Cangya 蒼崖), Select Examples of Epitaphs (Muming juli 墓銘舉例四卷) compiled by the Ming scholar Wang Xing 王行 (1331-1395; courtesy name 字 Zhizhong 止仲), and Essential Examples of Bronze and Stone Inscriptions (Jinshi yaoli 金石要例一卷) compiled by the prominent early Qing intellectual Huang Zongxi 黃宗羲 (1610-1695; literary name 號 Lizhou 梨洲). Jinshi li is the first in-depth research on the literary styles of stele inscriptions (碑文) in China. Huang Zongxi is one of the most influential scholars, Confucian philosophers, and political activists during the Ming-Qing transition period.
Donated by Dr. Peter Marie Suski. Cover date: 1755 (Yihai year of the Qianlong reign 乾隆乙亥).
This is a massive descriptive catalogue of both lost and extant works in the Confucian classics ranging from ancient times to the early Qing dynasty. It was compiled by Zhu Yizun 朱彜尊 (1629-1709), an eminent Classics scholar (經學家) and prolific poet who played a leading role in reviving the ci 詞 poetry (song lyrics) during the early Qing period. Zhu intended to include 300 juan 卷, but only completed 297 of them in 1701. He only published 167 juan in 1705 in his lifetime. A complete and expanded edition was published in 1755 by Lu Jianzeng 盧見曾 (1690-1768), a well-known scholar and official of the Qing dynasty.
Donated by Dr. Peter Marie Suski. Preface date: 1755 (Twentieth year of the Qianlong reign 乾隆二十年).
Illustrated Catalogue of Ancient Jades
古玉圖譜一百卷 (1779) 12
This voluminous book was purportedly claimed to be a catalogue of jades from the imperial collection of the Emperor Xiaozong 孝宗 (1127-1194) of the Southern Song dynasty, but it is considered by scholars as a forgery published by Jiang Chun 江春 in 1779. Although this multi-volume set contains some incorrect information, it includes a detailed description for each object and thus is still regarded as a useful reference book for the study of Chinese jades.
Donated by Dr. Peter Marie Suski. Date/edition: 1779 | 清乾隆四十四年江春康山草堂刻本.

Further Reading:
- Wilson, Ming. "What Do Books Tell Us about Their Buyers—A Case Study of the Guyu Tupu." In The Art of the Book in China, edited by Ming Wilson and Stacey Pierson, 105 –15. London: Percival David Foundation of Chinese Art, 2006.
media/guyutupu.jpg plain 2021-03-14T10:31:19-07:00 Link to the catalog record in the USC Libraries
This catalogue of antiquities was compiled by Wang Qiu 王俅 (active 1176) during the Southern Song dynasty. It contains inscriptions on bronze objects, mirrors, and seals dating from the Shang (1600-1046 BCE) to Tang (618-907) dynasties. USC's copy is an excellent mid-Qing edition collated by Zhang Rongjing 張蓉鏡 (active 19th century) who also added two volumes of Investigation of Discrepancies (Kaoyi 考異) to the catalogue. The ex libris seal 南陵徐乃昌校勘經籍記 on the caption title page (卷端頁) of the book is from Xu Naichang 徐乃昌 (1869-1943), a well-known collector and scholar in the late Qing and Republican periods. The other ex libris seal here is from Zhou Guoyi 周國頤, a late Qing official, scholar, and physician.
Donated by Dr. Peter Marie Suski. Date/Edition: 1811 | 清嘉慶十七年鴛湖張氏醉經堂刻本.
Catalogue of Xiqing Antiquities (Xiqing gujian 西清古鑑) is an illustrated catalogue of ancient bronze utensils and other objects from the Shang (1600-1046 BCE) to Han (202 BCE-220 AD) dynasties in the imperial collection of the Qing dynasty. It was commissioned by the Qianlong 乾隆 emperor (1711-1799), compiled under the supervision of the Qing official and scholar Liang Shizheng 梁詩正 (1697-1763), and completed in 1751. Appended to the book is a sixteen-juan 卷 record of coins (錢錄) from ancient times to the Ming dynasty. The structure of the book follows Illustrated Catalogue of Antique Objects from the Xuanhe Hall (Xuanhe bogu tu 宣和博古圖) of the Northern Song dynasty (960-1127). Each entry contains an illustration, a detailed description of the dimension and weight, and a discussion of the inscriptions. USC's copy is an exquisite, large copper-plate facsimile of the woodblock palace edition, printed in Japan in 1888. The original printer’s colophon (牌記) is missing from the copy, which reads "光緖十四年邁宋書館在日本銅鐫 (Engraved on the copper plate by Maisong Shuguan in the fourteenth year of Guangxu reign [1888])". The ex libris seal 陶齋 is from Duanfang 端方 (1861-1911; literary name 號 Taozhai 陶齋), a late Qing Manchu high-ranking official who was also a well-known collector of antiques.
Donated by Dr. Peter Marie Suski. Date/edition: 1888 | 清光緒十四年邁宋書館日本銅版影印本.
Illustrations and Explanations of Ancient Bricks from the Qianpi Pavilion 千甓亭古塼圖釋二十卷 (1891) 17
This catalogue consists of rubbings and commentaries of ancient brick inscriptions and motifs dated from the Han (202 BC to 220 AD) to Yuan (1271-1368) dynasties. It was compiled and photolithographed in 1891 by Lu Xinyuan 陸心源 (1834-1894; courtesy name 字 Gangfu 剛甫), a renowned late Qing collector, bibliophile, scholar, and official. These ancient bricks were collected by Lu primarily from his hometown Gui'an 歸安 (present Huzhou 湖州 in Zhejiang 浙江 province) and surrounding areas and used to be kept in the Qianpi Pavilion 千甓亭, a pavilion dedicated to the brick collection in the front yard of his residence. Each commentary in the catalogue contains a detailed description of the dimension of the brick and an in-depth interpretation of the inscription(s). The ex libris seals 周振湘印 and 澹肰珍秘 on the caption title page (卷端頁) of the book come from Zhou Zhenxiang 周振湘 (literary name 號 Danweng 澹翁), a notable collector active during the Republican period.
Donated by Dr. Chow Tse-tsung. Date/edition: 1891 (Xinmao year of the Guangxu reign 光緒辛卯) | 石印影印本.

Further Reading:
- Ye, Keqin 叶克勤. “Lu Xinyuan and the Ancient Bricks Kept in Qianpi Pavilion 陆心源及其千甓亭藏砖.” Collections 收藏 no.7 (2016): 12-19.
media/qianpiting.jpg plain 2021-03-30T16:34:15-07:00 Link to the catalog record in the USC Libraries
This book consists of inscriptions from 364 ritual bronze objects dated from the Shang (1600-1046 BCE) to Han (202 BCE-220 AD) dynasties. It was compiled by Zhu Shanqi 朱善旂 (courtesy name 字 Jianqing 建卿) during the Daoguang 道光 reign (1820-1850) of Qing dynasty. USC's copy is a large photolithographic edition printed by his nephew Zhu Zhizhen 朱之榛.
Donated by Dr. Peter Marie Suski. Date/edition: 1908 | 清光緒三十四年照相石印本.
Talking about Stone [Inscriptions] 語石十卷 (1909) 12
This is the first comprehensive research on stone inscriptions with a wide coverage of historical periods, geographic locations, and subjects. Particularly, it includes steles from other countries and regions (such as Korea, Japan, Vietnam, Europe, and Africa) and expands the scope from steles to a wide variety of types of stone inscriptions, including bridges and pillars, well fences, stone figures, and lions. The author Ye Changchi 葉昌熾 (1849-1917) was a notable book collector and scholar of epigraphy (金石學) during the late Qing and Republican periods.
Donated by Dr. Peter Marie Suski. Date/edition: 1909 | 清宣統元年自刻本.

Further Reading:
- Ma, Hongju 马洪菊. Ye Changchi yu Qing mo Min chu jin shi xue 葉昌熾与清末民初金石学. Beijing: Min zu chu ban she, 2014.
media/yushi.jpg plain 2021-03-30T16:23:18-07:00 Link to the catalog record in the USC Libraries
This is an illustrated catalogue of bronzes from the imperial collection of the Qing dynasty, which was compiled in 1793 by order of the Qianlong 乾隆 emperor (1711-1799). It is the sequel to the more comprehensive Catalogue of Xiqing Antiquities (Xiqing gujian 西清古鑑) completed in 1751. Printed in 1911, USC's copy is a fine lithographic facsimile of a manuscript version of the catalogue from the Palace of Tranquil Longevity (甯壽宮). It beautifully reproduced the imperial seals stamped on the contents page of the original manuscript.
Donated by Dr. Peter Marie Suski. Date/edition: 1911 | 清宣統三年上海商務印書館石印本.