The Book of Songs
Tags
Summary
Editor's review
Who it's for
A good fit for
- Classical literature enthusiasts who want to read all 305 poems systematically
- Beginner readers who need pronunciation glosses and worry that rare characters will hinder recitation
- Nature lovers interested in the plants, trees, birds, and beasts named in the Book of Songs
- Readers who want to consult past critics' annotations and see different interpretations
Not a good fit for
- Readers who want only a plain modern translation and no original text or annotations
- Specialist researchers needing in-depth scholarly textual criticism or collation studies
- Readers who prefer modern poetry and lack patience for pre-Qin texts
Reading tips
- Read each poem's preface first to grasp its theme, then recite the original with the pronunciation glosses, and finally look at the annotations and variant readings.
- Read in the groups Feng, Ya, and Song, choosing a few poems from each for close reading to avoid fatigue from reading straight through.
- When you reach an illustration of a named thing, compare it with the poem and use the species description to understand the imagery of plants, trees, birds, and beasts.
- Keep a notebook of the variant readings and review them after each group to form your own understanding.
About the publisher
Jilin Publishing Group Co., Ltd. focuses on fine fiction, social sciences, literary appreciation, history, classical poetry and classical literature, with 1,141 titles in the library. Representative books include Dan Simmons's science fiction novels Hyperion and The Fall of Hyperion, Freud's works on psychology and society such as The Ego and the Id and Group Psychology, and classical literature ranging from Laozi and Zhuangzi, Romance of the Three Kingdoms and Three Hundred Poems of the Tang, Song and Yuan Dynasties to Lü Simian's A General History of China. Its authors include Dan Simmons, Freud, Laozi, Lü Simian, Hengtang Tuishi, Pan Zhenhua, Li Yi and Guan Shanming, reflecting a balance between translated works and domestic editions. Public information is limited; the above is based on the library's holdings.
Contents
- 版权信息
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FAQ
Does this book include all the poems in the Book of Songs?
There are many rare characters—will it be hard to read?
Are the illustrations just decoration, or are they related to the poems?
Will retaining variant readings confuse beginners?
Comments
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About the author
The Editorial Board of the Illustrated National Studies Academy Series is a compiling body credited under a collective name. Public information about it is limited, and its specific members, founding history, and institutional affiliations are not clearly documented. Judging by its name, the board works in two publishing directions, "Illustrated World" and "National Studies Academy," and is mainly engaged in popularizing Chinese classics and compiling illustrated readers. It addresses general readers, presenting traditional cultural texts through direct images and accessible language. One work by this body is held in the collection, a reader related to the Book of Songs (Shijing), which belongs to the popularization of national studies classics. Such compilations usually do not pursue elaborate scholarly textual research but emphasize readable selections, annotations, and illustrations so that beginners can approach the original texts; the format often combines original text with commentary to make ancient poems more accessible to contemporary readers. Because the body has only a limited number of credited works, its editorial style and publishing influence await further material, and the present description can only address the known work.
