EAS1496H: History of the Chinese Book

This course examines the history of the Chinese book from the earliest forms of the Chinese "page" to modern print editions. We will begin with the formation of the Chinese writing system and the bones, shells, silk, and bamboo on which it was first inscribed in the centuries BCE. We will then trace the rise of specific commodities and technologies associated with medieval manuscript and early print cultures, including paper, the scroll and codex formats, and the woodblock — many of which were associated with Buddhist textual production. We will conclude by surveying scholarship on the social history of the Chinese book and book culture in the early modern and modern periods. Along the way we will explore the different methods and theories used in diverse fields of study, including book history, philology, literacy studies, and archive studies to examine unique chapters in the history of the Chinese book.

0.50
St. George