The Study Of Published History Of Chinese Buddhist Books In Song Dynasty

The publication in Song Dynasty was developed into a chain of "creation-editing-printing-reading". Under the policy of "desisting from military activities and encouraging culture development", numerous books were collected, edited and published. The publication of buddhist books is a significant part of the publication industrial in Song Dynasty. Having summarized and edited existing buddhist books, and with paper carrier and maturing block books printing techniques, the officials, buddhists, believers and employees in publishing houses published a large quantity of written and translated buddhist books from Han to Song Dynasty. However, currently in academic filed, much attention is attached to the studies of the ideological content of the Buddhist books, while the publish activity itself is not deeply and systematically analyzed yet.The present thesis,which is devoted to study the publication of buddhist books in Song Dynasty, has referenced comprehensive and specialty bibliographies and extensively collected records about buddhist books which are scattered in voluminous materials. In Chapter2, following the exordium, the background of the development of Buddhist books publishment is analyzed—official’s support, publishing techniques development, relatively free circulation environment and buddhism development in Song Dynasty, etc. Chapter3summarizes two kinds of buddhist book publishment organization:official publish organization, and folk publish organization. Then introduces the regional distribution. Chapter4is devoted to investigate the editing of buddhist books in Song Dynasty in aspects of topic selection, source of publications, editing and proofreading.Chapter5is anaylsing the design and printing characters in format design,illustration,book design,the use of paper and ink.The last chapter is investigating the circulating scope, circulating way,advertisement and price of buddhist books. By painstakingly investigating the editing, design, printing and circulating of buddhist books in Song Dynasty, the present thesis is trying to reveal the history of the publishment of buddhist books in Northern Song Dynasty and Southern Song Dynasty.