Reading for You

Name: Reading for You
ISBN: 9787100214841

Jiang XiaoyuanThe Commercial Press · ChinaNov 2023

3.9

Word count: 145K words
Chapters: 40
ISBN: 9787100214841

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Summary

This book recounts the reading, reviewing, and writing journey of the renowned bibliophile and book critic Professor Jiang Xiaoyuan. It collects 33 of his recent articles, divided into four sections: his personal stories and reflections on reading, the thoughts and questions that arise as he reads, and his scholarly book reviews alongside appreciative film and television criticism. The volume combines methodological analysis of how to read with a display of Jiang Xiaoyuan's broad and wide-ranging reading and professional critical judgment, using himself as an example to show readers how to read, touching on world history and geography, science fiction film and television, scientism, classical Chinese literature, world literary classics, and literary criticism.

Editor's review

For You, a Book is by no means a simple collection of book reviews but an intellectual journey carefully orchestrated by Professor Jiang Xiaoyuan. A renowned scholar of the history of science and book critic in China, Jiang displays here his distinctive "methodology of reading"—one that fuses academic rigor, sharp thinking, and narrative pleasure. The articles gathered in this volume mostly unfold in the intersections of science, technology, history, and the humanities: a reading of The Three-Body Problem through the history of science, an analysis of technological ethics in science fiction, and in-depth introductions to classics of the history of science and technology. Its true value for readers lies in how Jiang demonstrates the art of examining a book within a broader intellectual genealogy; he not only tells you what a book "is" but guides you to consider why it "matters" and how it resonates with our present reality. For readers, this is not merely passively receiving a reading list but learning an active, critical stance toward reading—an efficient training in the ability to discern and think amid the flood of information.

Who it's for

A good fit for

Readers hoping to strengthen deep reading and critical thinking skills
Those interested in science, technology and society (STS), the history of science, and science fiction culture
Readers who enjoy building connections between books and constructing a personal knowledge system
University students and knowledge workers seeking high-quality general reading to expand their cognitive horizons

Not a good fit for

Readers seeking light entertainment or purely narrative reading
Readers hoping for specific practical skills or quick-fix method guidance

Reading tips

There is no need to read straight through; begin with an article or book review that interests you, then expand to related themes
While reading, try comparing against the original works Jiang Xiaoyuan mentions to experience the pleasure of "dialogic reading"
Focus on savoring how the author raises questions, traces contexts, and makes cross-disciplinary connections

About the publisher

The Commercial Press China · Founded in 1897

The Commercial Press is a publisher known for classic works and academic publishing, with titles spanning Eastern philosophy, foreign literature, world history, social culture, and applied psychology. Its list includes classical commentaries such as Zhu Xi's Collected Commentaries on the Analects and Wang Bi's Commentary on the Zhouyi, as well as modern annotated translations like Zhuangzi with Modern Notes and Translation. In foreign literature it offers War and Peace and Crime and Punishment, while in world history it carries Braudel's The Mediterranean and the Mediterranean World in the Age of Philip II. Applied psychology is represented by Irvin D. Yalom's Existential Psychotherapy, and ethical texts include a Greek-Chinese-English edition of the Nicomachean Ethics. Its authors and translators include Zhu Xi, Wang Bi, Yalom, Braudel, and translators such as Huang Zheng, Zhang Yiling, Shen Dongyu, and Tang Jialong, balancing the editing of original texts with academic translation.

版权信息
自序
辑一读书的故事与体会
特殊时代的少年读书生活
大学和研究生时代的读书趣事
我的书房故事
少年惊艳《梅花谱》
读史者当有其图：《泰晤士世界历史地图集》
当了巴比伦王室的见习巫觋——《巴比伦泥版楔形文书天文表》
寻找合适自己的读书方法
辑二读书时的思考与疑问
星际航行：一堂令人沮丧的算术课
地球2.0？又一堂令人沮丧的算术课
地球流浪之后：第三堂令人沮丧的算术课
里夫金的新世界观解决不了老问题
以世界公民的眼光看未来——读《未来：改变全球的六大驱动力》
谁能只手评优劣，李杜曾经不入流——《唐人选唐诗十种》之业余统计学
怎样论证“孤篇岂能压全唐”？
辑三学术性质的书评和影评
《中国历史研究手册》审查报告
“哈罗德·布鲁姆文学批评集”审读报告
《黄面志》中国影印版序
理查·伯顿译注《一千零一夜》中国影印版序
萨顿《科学史导论》中国影印版序
《知识大融通》：英勇游击队能不能征服世界？
从《雪国列车》看科幻中的反乌托邦传统
《银翼杀手2049》六大谜题：电影文本的复杂性和不确定性
霍金的意义：上帝、外星人和世界的真实性
辑四鉴赏性质的评论
阿西莫夫：科幻、科普、神秘主义？
从《无限的清单》到《清明上河图》
里芬斯塔尔：影史奇人或纳粹余孽——《里芬斯塔尔回忆录》
灵魂伴侣对话：拷问还是双簧？
那部传说中的千年秘籍《医心方》
沉溺在白日梦中的小文人——《读书堂西征随笔》
一部奇书和一场虚惊——《曹雪芹扎燕风筝图谱考工志》
多情才子竟西行：戈革其人其书
“金学名票”之《挑灯看剑话金庸》
《失控玩家》和“元宇宙”商业炒作的隐秘关系
宇宙学是一门科学——《宇宙小史》中译本序

FAQ

How is this book different from an ordinary collection of book reviews or reading recommendations?

The core of this book is a "methodology of reading" rather than a simple list of books. Jiang Xiaoyuan's articles blend academic research, cultural criticism, and reading guidance, aiming to reveal the intellectual currents and real-world concerns behind specific books and to guide readers toward a deep, interconnected way of reading.

Will it affect my reading if I haven't read the books mentioned in the volume?

Not much. The author provides a clear outline of each book's content and background, and the discussions themselves are independently informative and thought-provoking. Readers can treat this book as a self-contained intellectual exploration and may even become interested in the original works mentioned.

Is this book suitable as an introductory reader in the field of science and the humanities?

Very suitable. Jiang Xiaoyuan's style is accessible yet profound, combining expertise with readability. Using books as a medium, he deftly transforms hardcore knowledge of the history of science and the philosophy of science and technology into engaging discussion, making this an excellent introductory guide for sparking interest and building a preliminary cognitive framework in the field.

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About the author

Jiang Xiaoyuan Author · China · 1955

Jiang Xiaoyuan, born in 1955, is a Chair Professor and doctoral supervisor at Shanghai Jiao Tong University and the first dean of its Institute of the History of Science and Scientific Culture. He graduated from the Department of Astronomy at Nanjing University in 1982 and received his doctorate from the Institute for the History of Natural Science, Chinese Academy of Sciences, in 1988, becoming China's first doctoral graduate in the history of astronomy. He joined Shanghai Jiao Tong University in 1999, where he founded China's first department of the history of science, focusing on ancient astronomical exchanges between China and the West and on Chinese astronomy. His writings span the history of science, scientific culture and popular science, with representative works including Tongtian: A History of Traditional Chinese Astronomy, A Peripheral History of Astronomy, the multi-volume General History of Chinese Science and Technology, and Fifteen Lectures on the History of Science. Drawing on solid historical sources, his works trace the development of astronomy and technology and explore exchanges among civilizations, combining scholarly rigor with readability and bridging academic and popular reading.