Biography of Zhang Yi 張儀列傳, the earliest dated Chinese rare book at USC libraries, is a chapter from the rare 1515 edition of Records of the Grand Historian 史記 of the Ming Dynasty (明正德十年白鹿洞書院刊本). 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, so that pairs of printed and blank pages alternate throughout the book.

Other Special and Rare Editions of Books from Zhengde to Chongzhen Reigns of the Ming Dynasty: