Collection and binding of ancient books
Before the invention of printing, books were copied on silk and paper in the form of long rolls, which were unfolded when reading and rolled up at ordinary times. Books of this period can only be packed in scrolls. Han Yu's poem "Send Zhuge Liang Jue to study in Suizhou" said: "There are many books in Ye Hou's family, 30,000 axes in tea armor and toothpicks hanging one by one, but they are new." Ouyang Xiu's Record of Returning to the Field also said: "Books in the Tang Dynasty are scrolls." After the popularization of block printing, scroll binding is no longer applicable because books are divided into blocks, and the binding of ancient books has been improved to album form, and several forms have appeared successively, such as cyclone binding, warp folding, package binding and line binding. The form of thread binding has been used to this day.
Scroll binding, also known as paper binding, is an early form of book binding. Similar to mounting calligraphy and painting. Install a wooden shaft at the left end of the long silk book and paper book, and rotate and roll it up (Figure 1). This method is used in a large number of books of Tang and Five Dynasties found in Dunhuang stone chambers. According to records, the scroll books collected by ancient courts are very exquisite. Records of Sui and Tang Dynasties records the secret collection: "Top-grade crimson glaze axis, middle-grade glaze axis, and inferior paint axis"; "Six Classics of Tang Dynasty" describes the collection of books in Neifu: "Its Classics, White Tooth Axe, Yellow Toothpick with Red Stripes; Squibb, green tooth axis, cinnabar white teeth. In the era of block printing, books were changed into picture books, and some of them were packaged in scrolls, such as Kaibao and Zhao Jincheng's Collection.
The whirlwind is mounted on a long ordinary paper roll, and the pages are pasted in turn, and words are written on both sides of each page. After the long scroll is unfolded, you can turn pages to read. Shou Zhangbangji's "Mo Zhuang Man Lu" is described as "a Ye Fei, which was scattered to the end and still merged into one volume." This kind of binding is characterized by a long scroll outside, but a patchwork of pages inside, which is actually a binding form between scroll binding and warp folding binding. It was popular in the Tang Dynasty. The Palace Museum has five volumes of the Tang Dynasty book "Mistakes in Publishing, Filling Shortcomings and Qieyun", that is, whirlwind clothes.
Folding clothes are also called Van Gogh's clothes and folding clothes. Fold the book according to a certain width and add the cover to make it a booklet that can be read at any time. This form of binding was used to print Buddhist scriptures and collect Taoist scriptures in past dynasties. This form is often used in ancient memorials and letters.
Butterfly suit will fold each page in half in the center of the page, with the word side facing inward, and then align several folded pages and paste them into a book. Using this binding form, the appearance is similar to the present paperback book. When reading a book, the pages fly like butterflies, so they are called butterfly clothes. Butterfly garment is the main form of book publishing in Song and Yuan Dynasties. It has changed the scroll form that has been followed for thousands of years and adapted to the characteristics of block printing, which is a great progress. The Preface to the History, Arts and Literature of the Ming Dynasty says that all the secretary's cabinet books were left over from the Song and Yuan Dynasties, and they are all exquisite. The container is folded upside down, with all sides facing outward, and the insects and rats cannot be damaged. "However, when people read this kind of binding form with inward core, they will encounter pages without words, and at the same time, the core is easy to fall off, causing the pages to fall off, so it is gradually replaced by the package.
Bao Beizhuang folded the printed pages outward, with the book mouth facing outward, then twisted the paper into a book, and then put on the book coat. Because the book is wrapped in thick paper and has no lines, it is called fierce back loading. Baobeizhuang appeared in the Southern Song Dynasty and prevailed before the Yuan Dynasty and the middle of Ming Dynasty. Court books in Qing Dynasty, such as Chronicles of Past Dynasties and Sikuquanshu, also adopted this binding method. Bao Beizhuang changed the inner page form of the butterfly version, and there were no more pages without words, but it did not solve the shortcoming of easy page scattering, so it was later developed into a thread-bound version.
Thread-bound books and thread-bound books are the most commonly used binding methods for ancient books handed down from ancient times. The difference between it and Bao Bei's clothes is that it doesn't need to be wrapped in a whole page, but it is bound in a book cover, punched and threaded. This form of binding may have appeared in the Southern Song Dynasty, but it became popular after Jiajing in the Ming Dynasty and was basically adopted in the Qing Dynasty. It is characterized by solving the problem that butterfly clothes and baby clothes are easy to fall off, and at the same time it is convenient for maintenance and re-ordering.
As can be seen from the above, the binding of ancient books has a process of development and evolution. Different forms are popular in different periods, and it is very important to understand this process for the chronological identification of ancient books. Most of the books handed down in the Song Dynasty were renovated by later generations, or changed to be wrapped in north or thread. However, after careful observation, there are still traces of pasting in the center of the version, while there are traces of wear on the outer edge of the page.
A comparative study of several ancient books
The research and discussion on the edition began in the Song Dynasty. Although Han and Tang dynasties experienced several large-scale collation, annotation and cataloging of ancient books, the printing industry has not yet formed, and sporadic version records are limited to the revision of official history. You Mao's Bibliography of the Year Out of the Hall in the Southern Song Dynasty initiated the first time that a book included multiple versions at the same time. In Song Dynasty, York's The Evolution of Nine Classics and Three Biographies was called the first book to systematically record edition knowledge by later generations. In the Ming Dynasty, the Song edition was regarded as a rare thing, and bibliophiles and collators gradually explored the characteristics and advantages and disadvantages of each edition. Unfortunately, these historical materials of edition science are only scattered in notes and miscellaneous notes. Scholars in the Qing Dynasty began to list all kinds of books, research their sources, register block prints, and discuss paper and ink in detail. Qian Ceng's "Reading Qiu Min Ji" laid the basic principle of edition identification of ancient books. Tianlu Lin Lang Bibliography and Houmu pushed the collection and identification of rare books, the core of typology, to the extreme. The greatest contribution of scholars in Qing dynasty to edition science is to record all kinds of inscriptions and postscript records of edition status, especially? Gu Wei? In most cases. Later generations gathered into a book and wrote the Postscript of Lent. Book Postscript Collection is Huang Pilie's inscription and postscript to Shiliju Collection of Books, its sequel, and its postscript to Collection of Books in the Garden.
Modern times is an era of comprehensive editing. Ye Dehui's Shu Lin Tsinghua? Lin Shu Yu Hua is the first monograph in the ancient book version. Textual research of China (19 16) and the origin of China woodcut (19 18) by sun separated textual research from history. Qian Jibo's "The General Meaning of Editors" summarizes the achievements of predecessors and brings the science of editing into the academic research system.
After the founding of New China, Mao Chunxiang introduced the edition knowledge in his Random Talk on the Edition of Ancient Books (first edition 1965, second edition 1977). This book is a collection, illustrated and easy to understand. It's a pity that the bright part is messy and the clear part is too simple. Chen Guoqing's "Introduction to Ancient Books Edition" explains the terms of edition briefly, but not comprehensively, which is suitable for beginners. Wei Yinru's Series of Comments on Ancient Books Version Appraisal (first edition 1984) has a complete style and practical experience, but it is not about price, so it is suitable for professionals' reference. An Introduction to Ancient Books Edition, A Brief History of China Ancient Books, A Brief History of China Books, Cao's Ancient Books Edition and Zhang Shaoxun's Printing History of China all discuss the reliability of editions, bibliographies and content systems from a historical perspective, all of which are supported by the latest historical findings, but they are not practical.
When it comes to the special works of typology, we can't help but talk about two mimeographed works that are rarely circulated: one is "An Outline of Textology of Ancient Books" by Professor Chen Hong Tian of Peking University (1987 handout), which is characterized by professionalism, systematicness, detailed presentation and accurate judgment, especially in the Qing Dynasty; Unfortunately, non-professionals are not interested in attaching importance to academics and ignoring the market. 2. The Knowledge Edition of Ancient Books compiled by Beijing China Bookstore (Volume I and Volume II), mimeographed 1980. The book was written by Lei Mengshui and Zhang Zongxu, masters of ancient books appraisal, and circulated internally. The author treasured the first edition of this book, signed by Mr. Lei Mengshui, and read it for 20 years, which benefited the most. The materials listed in the book are extremely rich, such as the engraving of Wuying Hall in Qing Dynasty, the engraving of official books and the engraving of the Republic of China, which are beyond all books. In terms of version identification, the book is also very distinctive, both true and false, distinguishing the advantages and disadvantages in detail, especially judging the choice of version from the price. Actual combat? Extremely; Of course, it is not enough to be systematic and organized. Judging the version of a book from its value and price is the most referential, and fans are also concerned about it, but scholars say little. The author has been fascinated by the collection of ancient books for many years, and several books are very practical in terms of edition price and have great historical value. List them together for the reference of book lovers:
1983, the first commercial edition of Zhang Yuanji and Fu Zengxiang Essays, recorded in detail the collection price of 19 12 to 1947 rare books and the copying history of rare books;
1980 (supplement to China's literature and history) The first edition of Shanghai ancient books "Letters from Friends (Part I)" records in detail the price of rare books collected and sold by 70 people including Mr. Miao in the late Qing Dynasty and the early Republic of China, as well as the historical stories about collection and dispersion;
In 2000, the Chronicle of Mi Weng's Collection, edited by Li Guoqing, was published by Huangshan Bookstore. It contains in detail the historical materials of books purchased, visited and collected by bibliophile Mr. Zhou Shutao in the past 60 years. The price is accurate and detailed.
At present, China Bookstore in Beijing has cooperated with China Guardian, Beijing Hanhai, Shanghai Guopai, Shanghai Duoyunxuan, Shanghai Jinghua and other major auction companies to compile and publish the Catalogue of Auctioned Ancient Books in China in Recent Nine Years (published by Shanghai Bookstore in June 5438 +2002 10) and the sequel (published by National Library Press in August 2002). The dating, abstract and explanation of the lot in the book have been checked and checked by experts. I'm afraid this is the latest typological reference.
Catalogue and appraisal of ancient books editions
In ancient China, although bibliophiles began to compile the book catalogue from the day when books were born, it was not until the invention of block printing that people really began to pay attention to compiling the book edition catalogue.
The so-called edition catalogue refers to a book that records the book title, main contents, and describes the author or editor of the book in detail, as well as the publishing house and publication year. It is a special reference book to record and record the brief situation of the version. The Bibliography of the Year Out of the Church compiled by You Mao in the early years of Southern Song Dynasty is the earliest existing edition catalogue in China.
Ming and Qing Dynasties were the heyday of the catalogue of works. The editions of public and private books in this period have detailed writings on editions, which not only record the book title, theme, author and publisher, but also briefly describe the characteristics and sources of editions. However, the academic value of the Ming version catalogue is not great, and the academic value and reference value of the Qing version catalogue are high. For example, Qian Ceng's Reading Collection, Yu Minzhong's Tianlu Bibliography, and Ji Yun's Sikuquanshu Catalogue, etc. , the most informative version of ancient books, has a great influence in the field of book collection, and is a highly authoritative version of catalogue books.
After the Republic of China, the editions of The Seller's Story and The Seller's Story Continuation written by Sun Dianqi, a famous edition scientist, are the most practical and commonly used edition catalogue reference books in Inner Mongolia in recent years. After the founding of New China, the National Professional Ancient Books Publishing House has successively edited and published some important bibliographic reference books, such as Beijing Library Rare Books, Shanghai Library Rare Books, China Ancient Books Summary and China Ancient Books Rare Books, which have become the best reference books for contemporary libraries, book collectors and ancient book collectors.
According to different standards, the compilation of ancient book edition catalogue can be divided into: first, according to national catalogue, private catalogue and historical catalogue; Two, according to the academic content, there are two kinds of comprehensive catalogue and special catalogue; Thirdly, according to the purpose of compilation, there are three kinds of catalogues: important books catalogue, missing books catalogue and counterfeit catalogue; Fourth, according to the collection scope, there are series catalogues, local catalogues, personal writings catalogues, rare books catalogues and knowledge catalogues.
Version catalogue is closely related to the identification of ancient books. Because the version catalogue from ancient times to the present systematically reveals the existence of ancient books in various times, records the origin, characteristics and general situation of different versions of ancient books, and becomes an important basis for identifying the authenticity and value of ancient books. Specifically, the version catalogue has the following functions for the identification of ancient books:
First, it helps to understand the general situation of ancient books. There are numerous ancient books and records in China, which are recorded in official history, documents, books and records, official bibliographies and private bibliographies. Reading these catalogues can make us know more clearly about the publishing, circulation, collection and loss of ancient books in various dynasties, thus facilitating the comparison and appraisal of newly discovered and collected ancient books. If you see the real objects of ancient books, you can first make a preliminary appraisal of their appearance and paper, and then compare them with the edition catalogue of the corresponding era. If the physical objects of ancient books are consistent with the works in the edition catalogue, an appraisal result can be made; If the physical object does not match the description, we should further search for information and find out right and wrong, and we should not draw conclusions easily.
Second, it is convenient to identify the authenticity of the version. People who know the edition catalogue like the palm of their hand can know the title, volume, author, edition, letter book and abstract of ancient books in detail, so as to verify and distinguish the authenticity of ancient books in detail. For example, the Seven Views written by Liu Xiang and his son in Han Dynasty, in Sui Shu? Economic annals and Tang Xinshu? It is recorded in the two catalogues of Yi, but in the History of Song Dynasty! However, there is no description in Yiwenzhi, which shows that the Seven Laws have been lost in the Tang and Song Dynasties. If the ancient books signed "Qilue" after the Song Dynasty are found, except for the lost version, the rest can be judged as fake.
Third, only the version value is approved. When an ancient book is found to be collected, we can understand the collection and inheritance of the book by consulting the catalogue of Sikuquanshu and Booksellers and Couples, so as to correctly judge its collection value. If the book is not recorded in the above catalogue, there are two possibilities: one is a fake book, and the other is an orphan book of China. Under what circumstances, it is necessary to consult other ancient books or consult an experienced appraiser to assist in the appraisal. By using various methods to identify the rights behind it, we can accurately judge its value.
There are sometimes some mistakes in the ancient books catalogue. Therefore, when using the edition catalogue to identify ancient books, we must have a clear mind and an independent mind, and we must not blindly follow them to avoid mistakes.
Collection and discrimination of ancient books
China has a tradition of collecting books since ancient times. Putting several ancient books in the study with a magnifying glass can not only show elegant life interest, but also reflect the cultural accomplishment of bibliophiles. Nowadays, peace and prosperity, the collection style is getting stronger and stronger. After calligraphy, painting, porcelain and other collections, ancient books have become a new hot spot for collectors to collect and invest. Especially in the auction, people's interest in the collection of ancient books was aroused after the thread-bound ancient books were repeatedly auctioned at an amazing high price. At the same time, ancient books hidden in the people surfaced one after another. Recently, the reporter interviewed Wang Lingce and Zhou Haiying, lovers of ancient books collection in Nanchang.
What ancient books have collection value?
Since the 1990s, the auction of ancient books has been very popular, and the price is getting higher and higher. Does the sharp rise in book prices mean that all ancient books can appreciate? Wang Lingce believes that rare ancient books and printmaking ancient books have great value-added potential.
Rare books of ancient books mainly refer to edition books with historical relics, academic materials and artistic value. Including the palace books published by the Forbidden City, unique versions at home and abroad, manuscripts of Ming and Qing Dynasties with good content and fine calligraphy, and exquisite versions before the early Qing Dynasty. The older the book, the more precious it is. Whether a private book collection reaches the level of a bibliophile is often based on how many good books are collected.
Song version of the book has always been considered as the best good book, right? A page of Song edition, one or two gold? Said. Because Song edition books are precious, most people who own them are reluctant to sell them easily, especially the Song edition books in the hands of collectors, let alone let him sell them or even show them to others. Therefore, once the book is destined to meet the Song version, it is a value-added financial management road to make up your mind to buy it as long as financial resources allow. Although Yuan edition can't be compared with Song edition, collectors always think that Song and Yuan editions are rare and rare, and fans deserve attention. Now with the passage of time, many recent ancient books have naturally sublimated. Ming and even early Qing editions, all the ancient books with documentary value and exquisite carving have also entered the ranks of rare books. Wang Lingce said that it is not difficult to find rare books in Ming and Qing Dynasties at present, and the price is not too high, but the value-added potential is quite large, which deserves collectors' attention.
Wang Lingce told reporters that rare ancient books have the following nine representations:
① Books engraved and copied before Yuan and Yuan; (2) Ming block-printed edition and Ming copy (except those with vague block-printed edition and more circulation);
(3) block prints and manuscripts that were not popular before Qianlong in Qing Dynasty; (4) The Taiping Heavenly Kingdom and the peasant regime carved books over the years; ⑤ Before the Revolution of 1911, there were original opinions or school characteristics in academic research, or manuscripts with systematic opinions were collected, as well as rare block prints and manuscripts;
⑥ Manuscripts reflecting a certain period, a certain field or an event before the Revolution of 1911, as well as rarely circulated block prints and manuscripts;
⑦ Famous scholars personally approved the school, wrote inscriptions and comments; ⑧ In printing, it can reflect the development of ancient printing technology in China, and fine printed matter represents various movable type paintings, overprinting or block printing in a certain period.
Pet-name ruby Ming and Qing dynasty ancient books collection prints, famous seal engraving prints (with features and full-page or handwritten inscriptions).
Printmaking ancient books
While paying attention to rare ancient books, collectors pay more and more attention to the collection of ancient prints. Wang Lingce said that from the catalogue of previous book auctions, all the printed materials in the auction catalogue are exquisite, and even if there is only one book, they never give up. There are many ancient prints in China, such as Mustard Garden, Biography of Mustard Garden, Biography of Late Laughing Hall, Little White Picture, Dream of Red Mansions, Picture of Tang Poetry, Picture of Hongxue, Picture of Three Talents, Picture of Confucius, Picture of Thirty-six Scenes of Summer Resort, Picture of Farming, etc. The most exquisite printmaking masterpiece belongs to Hu, a painter in the late Ming Dynasty. These two sets of ancient printmaking books not only have outstanding artistic achievements, but also create a precedent for woodcut watermarking. In the early days of liberation, Amin's version of Ten Bamboo Paintings and Calligraphy only sold for 10 yuan, and now the value has exceeded100000, showing the version.
How to collect ancient books? Scientific value, historical value and artistic (economic) value? But not all ancient books? Is it worth a lot of money? . Li concluded that, generally speaking, the general rule of all collectibles is to pay attention to? True, refined and new? . Because since ancient times, good things have been carefully cared for, and many good antiques look new. In addition, the collection of ancient books has unique principles:
The age is an important factor in the collection of ancient books. What is being auctioned now is the Song edition book, and what is being auctioned is the Ming edition book. Ming edition books are generally beautifully carved, and books before Wanli are less and less, becoming more and more precious. After Guangxu in Qing Dynasty, due to the impact of western printing technology, the quality of books generally declined. Books with pictures are better than those with pure text, and multi-color printing is better than black ones.
What are the contents of ancient books in contemporary editions? Classics, history, philosophy and discipline? Four classes. Confucian classics are worthless except those with pictures in Buddhism and Taoism. ? History? How many/much? Have you had enough fun? , the value is in the middle. And then what? Son? And then what? Settings? There are many precious things in the middle. The less popular, the less common, and the more precious and rare.
Looking at printing the same content, from the version, the first printed copy is the most precious, generally only a few copies, printed in red for the owner to proofread and keep. Secondly, the blueprint, generally 10 to this, to send friends. Finally, there is a large number of printed black copies. In black books, the easy-to-read version is better. At the end of printing, the plate has been worn or even damaged. At this time, the book printing is blurred and the value is low.
In addition, special contents (such as banned books), early printed copies, fine printed copies, temple printed copies, official printed copies and famous printed copies are more precious. Famous scholars recognize high-value school-based or library books. White paper is more valuable than yellow paper.