The First Print Era: The Rise of Print Culture in China’s Northern Song Dynasty
By Daniel Fried
Routledge
ISBN: 978-1-032-34530-7
Medieval China is where printing was first invented. But what kinds of works were printed there? This book focuses on the 10th to 12th centuries, revealing how the state made use of this technology and how the spread of the printed word transformed Chinese culture.
Excerpt:
Print goes everywhere, and touches on all aspects of intellectual life during the Northern Song. That does not mean that this book will attempt to do everything. In particular, it will not try to repeat some of the scholarly work on print and political history that has already been done by others. Unlike late-imperial work on book culture, where there has been a wide array of humanistic approaches from various disciplines, Song print history has largely been addressed by historians, whether writing political history, social history, or history of technology. My own primary interests are cultural, and that has shaped a much greater focus in the chapters that follow on literary and artistic production, and elites’ self-presentation. While I do use a wide array of historical materials, and a historicist approach, this is done in the service of investigating how elite cultural actors understood (or misunderstood) the way in which their own milieu was being reshaped by print textuality.
Who is this book for?
Most medieval historians will have only a superficial understanding of the history of printing in China. They will know that this is where the technology was invented and perhaps be familiar with developments such as paper money. A book like this offers much to remedy this lack of knowledge, as it focuses on the Northern Song Dynasty (960–1127), the era when printing truly took off.
While those interested in the history of China or printing will be the natural readership for this book, it will also appeal to those interested in Confucianism, literature, government, and the broader effects this technology had on the population.
“As Daniel Fried explains in his introduction, his goal is to investigate “how elite cultural actors understood (or misunderstood) the way in which their own milieu was being reshaped by print textuality” from the tenth through the early twelfth centuries. He has produced an interesting, occasionally fascinating, study that both builds intelligently on the work of previous work on Song literary and print culture and offers new and original insights into the impact that print had on literati of the Northern Song.” ~ review by Cynthia Brokaw in the Journal of Chinese Studies
The Author
Daniel Fried is a Professor at the University of Alberta, where his research focuses on classical Chinese literature and intellectual history. He posted this file, which contains supplementary texts and translations related to the book.
The First Print Era: The Rise of Print Culture in China’s Northern Song Dynasty
By Daniel Fried
Routledge
ISBN: 978-1-032-34530-7
Medieval China is where printing was first invented. But what kinds of works were printed there? This book focuses on the 10th to 12th centuries, revealing how the state made use of this technology and how the spread of the printed word transformed Chinese culture.
Excerpt:
Print goes everywhere, and touches on all aspects of intellectual life during the Northern Song. That does not mean that this book will attempt to do everything. In particular, it will not try to repeat some of the scholarly work on print and political history that has already been done by others. Unlike late-imperial work on book culture, where there has been a wide array of humanistic approaches from various disciplines, Song print history has largely been addressed by historians, whether writing political history, social history, or history of technology. My own primary interests are cultural, and that has shaped a much greater focus in the chapters that follow on literary and artistic production, and elites’ self-presentation. While I do use a wide array of historical materials, and a historicist approach, this is done in the service of investigating how elite cultural actors understood (or misunderstood) the way in which their own milieu was being reshaped by print textuality.
Who is this book for?
Most medieval historians will have only a superficial understanding of the history of printing in China. They will know that this is where the technology was invented and perhaps be familiar with developments such as paper money. A book like this offers much to remedy this lack of knowledge, as it focuses on the Northern Song Dynasty (960–1127), the era when printing truly took off.
While those interested in the history of China or printing will be the natural readership for this book, it will also appeal to those interested in Confucianism, literature, government, and the broader effects this technology had on the population.
“As Daniel Fried explains in his introduction, his goal is to investigate “how elite cultural actors understood (or misunderstood) the way in which their own milieu was being reshaped by print textuality” from the tenth through the early twelfth centuries. He has produced an interesting, occasionally fascinating, study that both builds intelligently on the work of previous work on Song literary and print culture and offers new and original insights into the impact that print had on literati of the Northern Song.” ~ review by Cynthia Brokaw in the Journal of Chinese Studies
The Author
Daniel Fried is a Professor at the University of Alberta, where his research focuses on classical Chinese literature and intellectual history. He posted this file, which contains supplementary texts and translations related to the book.
You can learn more about this book from the publisher’s website.
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