The Old Bookshop

Name: The Old Bookshop
ISBN: 9787503480867

《老书店》编辑组China Culture and History Press · ChinaJun 2017

3.7

Word count: 123K words
Chapters: 8
ISBN: 9787503480867

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Summary

This book is one volume in the "Republican Era Curios" series. A collection of writings recalling the publishing industry during the Republican period, its authors are all leading figures of the era, such as Zhang Xichen, Hu Yuzhi, Chen Zigu, Zhang Yuanshan, Zhang Naiqi, and Zhang Henshui. These Republican-era luminaries recount the goings-on of the old bookstores, publishing houses, book societies, and periodicals of the time, as well as stories of the notable figures involved... In short sketches and brief remarks, these lively pieces vividly bring back the bygone days of the Republican publishing world. Savouring these distinctive and vigorous writings, scene and circumstance come alive before one's eyes, and that old era takes on a splendid lustre.

Editor's review

This book is one volume in the "Republic of China Diverting Reads" series. The selections are eclectic, drawing largely on short reminiscences by people who lived through the Republican era. Zhang Xichen, Hu Yuzhi, Zhang Henshui, and others write from their own perspectives about the daily operations and personal interactions of publishers such as Kaiming Bookstore, the Commercial Press, and Shenghuo Bookstore. Its value lies not in a systematic survey of publishing history but in preserving a wealth of details absent from official histories: how editors solicited manuscripts, how bookstores distributed stock, how colleagues exchanged courtesies. The result has a strong sense of immediacy. The pieces are short—most run to a thousand-odd characters, some only a few hundred—making the book suitable for reading in fragments and as an introductory look at the Republican-era publishing world. Publishing professionals can glean the business philosophy and professional spirit of their predecessors; general readers will find the anecdotes entertaining in themselves. There is no need to read in order; open to any piece and you can enter. Note that this is an anthology, so the format is not uniform and pieces occasionally overlap; readers need not demand completeness.

Who it's for

A good fit for

General readers interested in Republican-era publishing history and bookstore culture, as an introduction
Publishing and editing professionals seeking to appreciate the industry's traditions and professional spirit through predecessors' experience
Readers who enjoy short anecdotes and leisurely essays, suitable for browsing in spare moments
Scholars of Republican-era cultural history, who can find firsthand details from eyewitnesses

Not a good fit for

Readers seeking a systematic, complete account of publishing history—this is an anthology, not a monograph
Readers who prefer long, continuous narratives and are unused to scattered short pieces
Beginning readers unfamiliar with Republican-era figures and publishing houses who want detailed annotations

Reading tips

No need to read in order; start with a bookstore or figure that interests you and dip in and out
Learn a little about Kaiming, the Commercial Press, and Shenghuo Bookstore beforehand to enter the context more easily
Keep a pen handy to mark names and titles as they come up, and look them up later for further reading
Treat it as leisure reading—two or three pieces a day, without feeling obliged to finish in one go

About the publisher

China Culture and History Press China · Founded in 1980

China Culture and History Press has long devoted itself to modern and contemporary literature and culture-and-history reading matter, with publishing directions centered on classic works, social novels, prose and miscellaneous writings, and Eastern philosophy, alongside culture-and-history periodicals such as Zongheng. Among the more than 1,500 titles in the collection, representative books include Zhang Henshui's Ti Xiao Yin Yuan, Lu Xun's Complete Classic Works (10 volumes) and Wild Grass, and Lao She's Four Generations Under One Roof series and the boxed set of Lao She's Classic Works (10 volumes), while its author resources are concentrated on figures such as Zhang Henshui, Lu Xun, Lao She and Sima Qian. Its publishing character lies in solid editorial work on culture-and-history source texts and in issuing famous authors' works in sets, balancing the readability of individual texts with the systematic presentation of complete collections for focused reading and collecting. Beyond these directions, public information on the press's contemporary original publishing is limited, so it is not elaborated here.

版权信息
第一辑老书店
第二辑老书局
第三辑老书社
第四辑老刊物
第五辑教科书与工具书
第六辑民国出版之大人物
第七辑民国书业之大事件

FAQ

Is this book a complete history of Republican-era publishing?

No. It is an anthology of reminiscences by people who lived through the period. Each piece stands alone and focuses on anecdotes and details rather than a chronological or thematic survey of publishing history. It works as an introduction to the Republican-era publishing world; for systematic knowledge, read it alongside specialized histories.

Can I understand it without any background in Republican-era publishing history?

Largely yes. The pieces are mostly short reminiscences written in plain language with strong storytelling. But the book mentions many bookstores, publishing houses, and people; a rough familiarity with Kaiming Bookstore, the Commercial Press, and the like will make the reading smoother and help avoid confusing the relationships among figures.

Do the pieces overlap?

Because it is an anthology, different authors recalling the same institution or person sometimes cover similar ground. This does not hinder reading; rather, it lets different perspectives corroborate one another. Skip the repetitions as you encounter them—there is no need to read every word.

Is it a suitable gift for a friend who loves old bookstores?

Yes. The book is plainly bound, nostalgic in subject, and light in tone—a fitting small gift for readers who enjoy bookstore culture and Republican-era anecdotes. But if the recipient prefers systematic scholarship or long narratives, it may not suit; learn their reading habits before giving it.

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About the author

《老书店》编辑组 Author

The Editorial Group of Old Bookstores is the collective author credited with the historical reader Old Bookstores. Publicly available information about its members, location, and founding date is limited and cannot be verified at present. Based on what is known, the group works on the subject of old bookstores, handling the compilation and editing of related material, and has produced one book, classified as a historical reader. A collective imprint of this kind usually means that research, arrangement of contents, and textual editing are shared among several contributors, with writing that tends to combine factual narrative with readability for general readers interested in the secondhand book trade, reading culture, and urban memory. Judging from the work currently available, the group's efforts focus on preserving and presenting historical material and observations related to old bookstores, offering an accessible introductory volume on the subject; further information on its editorial direction and additional works remains to be supplemented.