RPGs, Chinese Books, and Tanz Macarbre!

Last night I got to play an RPG for the first time since moving back to the UK! It was lots of fun! I'd forgotten how much I missed gaming! We're playing D&D 3.5 in Al Qadim and I'm playing a second level human rogue, (for those interested).

Today was simply the best day EVER at the library. I got to spend all morning with our Chinese librarian picking out books for our display for 春节 here at the V&A. If you want to come along we'll be there on the 18th along with the rest of the V&As Chinese New Year celebrations.

This Thursday is Tanz Macarbre! AKA The Smallest-Goth-Club-in-the-World-Ever
It will now be at the NEW INTREPID FOX, (which considering how crowded the last one got and that the drinks got more expensive and were now measured is probably not so bad). It's also now FREE!!!! So you should come! beluosus and I should be there around 9 after a lecture on Mesopotamian Demons. silkyraven bluehelen and nimstar I am looking pointedly in your directions!

The Sucide Kit

This book was even worse than The Historian and doesn't deserve a write up! It was SO BAD! But at least it was short! Bibliogoth has got to stop reading crap books!

Printing and Publishing in Medieval China By Dennis Twitchett

I came across this book today while looking for books on the history of the book in China for our display. Twitchett was one of the leading scholars of medieval Chinese history during the 60s, 70s and 80s. This book is a look at Chinese printing, paying particular attention to the Sung dynasty, that is short (only 90 pages) but is beautifully illustrated by examples of the earliest Chinese printed books.

The book starts with tracing the history of the invention of paper in China, the earliest example dating back to the time of Han Wu Di (140BCE-87BCE). He traces the earliest existing examples of printing in the Tang dynasty. (This is the subject of Professor Barrett's research last year, which links the development of printing with Wu Zetian and I can't wait to read it!). The earliest example of printing uses the characters Wu Zetian invented and were used throughout the her dynasty, the Zhou which it refers to Zhou dynasty. (with a copy of part of the Buddhist charm). There is also mention of a hagiography of a famous Taoist alchemist that was printed in 848. It was interesting to read how most of the oldest examples of printing were also found within the Dunhuang caves. Which included a printed version of the Diamond sutra dated to 868, currently held at the British Library.

Printing continued to gain popularity, even during the chaotic time between the fall of the Tang and the start of the Song printing remained popular. It was during this time that the first printing of the Confucian canon was undertaken. This gave a legitimate orthodox version to the Confucian scriptures which helped unify the elite’s position on the Confucian works. In the Song the dynasty took on official printing of the Classics as well as other types of literature, including literary anthologies, encyclopaedias, as well as the standard histories and dictionaries. The 10th century also saw the first printing of the Buddhist cannon, followed in 1019 with the first printing of the Taoist canon that was then printed again in 1186 and 1191.

In addition to printed books Twitchett also looks at the development of printed paper currency during the Song. One of the more interesting things was the Song governmental control over printing, it limited what was allowed to be printed, and what was under the monopoly of the government to print. Despite all the regulations there was still a huge flood of cheap, illegitimate copies of works, often that were incomplete or had errors. The government started allowing for authorised editions printed with warrants against unauthorised reproductions and abridgements and alterations to the text. Twitchett included an example of one of these very early which he translated as, "Printed and published by the house of Secretary Ch'eng of Mei-shan. It is already registered with the authorities. Reprinting is forbidden". Naturally it reminded me of all the pirated dvds that are so popular in China today.

The book ended looking at the use of movable type for Chinese printing and how it was used, but didn't become popular due to the fact that for Chinese characters, unlike alphabetic languages, it remained rather impractical.

Unfortunately this book is now impossible to find, amazon seemed to contain one copy for almost £80. But I suppose that is why we have libraries!