Analysis of the Books Issued by Yadong Library, Published by Peking University Publishing Department: Taking Several Bibliography Advertisements Carried in Newspapers and Magazines From 1919-1922 as Examples（亚东图书馆经理北京大学出版部图书及其分析）

Based on several bibliographic advertisements carried in newspapers and magazines from 1919 to 1922 for books published by Peking University Publishing Department, and issued by Yadong Library, the paper analyzes the characteristics of the books published by Peking University Publishing Department during this period, and points out that Yadong Library entered its golden period of development due to move from the alley to the main road and obtain the management rights of the books published by Peking University Publishing Department.

Keywords: Yadong Library, Peking University Publishing Department, history of publication

In modern China, most publishing and distribution institutions were named after bookstores, bookshops, and printing houses, but there were also some named “library”. Among them, Yadong Library, founded in Shanghai in 1913 by Wang Mengzou (汪孟邹, 1877-1953), a native of Jixi (绩溪), Anhui Province, is one of them. On January 15, 1917, Chen Duxiu (***), a close friend of Wang Mengzou, was employed as the dean of liberal arts at Peking University. At the advice and recommendation of Chen Duxiu, at the beginning of 1919, Yadong Library moved from the alley to the main road and obtained the management rights of Peking University Publishing Department’s books, marking the entry into the golden period of its development (Wang, 2023). On March 22, 1919, Yadong Library officially issued books published by Peking University Publishing Department and moved to its new location at No. 84 and No. 85 at the west end of Chessboard Street on Wuma Road (i.e., Guangdong Road). In order to publicise and promote, Yadong Library carried an advertisement titled “A guide for purchasers of books published by Peking University Publishing Department” (《购北京大学出版部书籍者鉴》) in Shanghai newspapers such as Yu Xing (《余兴》): the supplement of Eastern Times (《时报》副刊) or Appendix to Little Eastern Times (《小时报》附录) , Shenbao (《申报》), and Republic of China Daily (《民国日报》) for several days from late March to mid-April. Among them, Shenbao wrote:

The new books published by the Publishing Department of Peking University are numerous and popular nationwide; their value is self-evident and does not require further elaboration. However, due to the high sales volume in the southern provinces, direct distribution from Beijing is somewhat inconvenient. Therefore, our library has been specially entrusted as the Shanghai general manager’s office, with a printed catalogue **ailable on request. The books published by our library h**e been highly praised by scholars across the country and h**e been selling well. Now, in order to expand our business, we h**e added the sale of instruments and stationery and h**e relocated to No. 84 and No. 85 at the west end of Chessboard Street (棋盘街), on Wuma Road (五马路). We are set to officially open on the 22nd of March of the Gregorian calendar. Books published by our library are usually discounted by 30%, but now we offer 50% off. Books published by the University, which are usually not discounted, are now **ailable at 10% off. Instruments and stationery are especially affordable, and this offer is limited to one month for both local and out-of-town customers. We warmly welcome your patronage. (Yadong Library, 1919b)

The “books published by the University” here are the books published by Peking University Publishing Department.

The Bibliography for the Books Published by Peking University Publishing Department & Issued by Yadong Library

From 1919 to 1922, Yadong Library published its bibliography of books published by the Publishing Department of Peking University in several newspapers and magazines, the most representative of which are: The bibliography in New Youth (《新青年》), Volume 6, Number 3, published on March 15, 1919 (Yadong Library, 1919a), is the earliest known bibliography of the books of the Publishing Department of Peking University, issued by Yadong Library. After refining the bibliography, it is presented in Table 1 (the italicized parts in the table are added by the authors of this paper).

Table 1

Bibliography in New Youth (Vol. 6, No. 3; March 15, 1919)

Table 1 to be continued

In late April 1919, Yu Xing of the supplement of Eastern Times was the same as the bibliography published in Shenbao in early May 1919 (Yadong Library, 1919c), both of which were Chinese books (the bibliography ended with a note stating “There are also various foreign language books, with a separate catalogue”). This bibliography has been perfected and is shown in Table 2 (the italicized part is added by the authors of this paper).

Table 2

Bibliography in Yu Xing of Eastern Times’ Supplement (Late April 1919) & Shenbao (Early May 1919)

Table 2 to be continued

The bibliography published On November 20, 1919, in the 1st volume, 2nd issue of themagazine Young China (《少年中国》), edited by the Peking University Young China Association and reprinted by Yadong Library (which was originally published on August 15 by the Peking University Young China Association) (Yadong Library, 1919d), was listed by class, and it is perfected and presented in Table 3 (the italicized part is added by the authors of this paper).

Table 3

Bibliography in Young China (Vol. 1, No. 2; Reprint, November 20, 1919)

The bibliography published by Yadong Library on April 1, 1921, in the Young World (《少年世界》) Supplement about Japan (Yadong Library, 1921), was also listed by class, and it is perfected as shown in Table 4 (the italicized part is added by the authors of this paper).

Table 4

Bibliography in Young World (Japan Supplement; April 1, 1921) Published by Yadong Library

Table 4 to be continued

The bibliography in Republic of China Daily, published in April and Late October 1922 (Yadong Library, 1922), was listed by class, but not to provide the authors, as shown in Table 5 after perfecting (the italicized part is added by the authors of this paper).

Table 5

Bibliography in Republic of China Daily (April & Late October 1922)

Table 5 to be continued

Analysis Based on the Bibliographies

From a chronological perspective, the publications listed in the bibliographies of Tables 1-5 h**e increased or decreased, reflecting the replacement of the old and the new in the book publishing of the Publishing Department of Peking University, as well as the step-by-step publication of certain books. Generally, these bibliographies are followed by a statement such as “for the rest of the books not listed, a detailed catalog will be sent upon request”.

According to the bibliographies from Table 1 to Table 5, the publications of the Publishing Department of Peking University include not only new renditions of traditional works in the fields of Sinology and Chinese literature, such as Reprinting of the Guangzheng Spectrum of Northern Lyrics(《重印北词广正谱》) (including the pocket-sized edition printed by the Publishing Department of Peking University between 1918-1919 and the photocopy editions by Qinglian Book House between 1921-1922), Reprint of the Central Plains Phonology (《重印中原音韵》) (originally authored by Zhou Deqing of the Yuan Dynasty, also known as Zhongzhou Phonology/《中州音韵》), and Reprint Etymology (《重印词源》) collated by Wu Mei based on (《词源》) (authored by Zhang Yan of the Song Dynasty) of the Guangdong Yatang edition; the publication of certain works has also established their authors as founders of a discipline, such as Liang Shuming, who became one of the founders of modern Neo-Confucianism in China due to the publication of Newly Edited Introduction to Indian Philosophy (《新编印度哲学概论》), also known as Lectures on Indian Philosophy (《印度哲学讲义》) published by the Peking University Publishing Department in November 1918, and Chen Huai (陈怀, 1877-1922, the other name was Mengchong/孟冲, Xinbai/辛白), who became a major founder of the Qing history discipline in China due to the publication of his A Brief History of the Qing Dynasty (《清史要略》) by Peking University Law Publishing Department.

The university service functions of the Publishing Department of Peking University, as a major task, were the printing and distribution of lecture notes. For instance, the Lectures on Chinese History (Ancient History) (《中国史讲义（上世史）》) and Lectures on Chinese History (Middle History) (《中国史讲义（中世史）》) written by Yang Minzeng (杨敏曾, 1858-1939, styled Xun Zhai/逊斋), as shown in Table 2, were lecture notes from his history courses for the preparatory school at Peking University. They h**e been printed and distributed both inside and outside the campus, and the follow-up Lecture Notes on Chinese History (《中国史讲义》) was also printed in June 1920 (Peking University Publishing Department, 1920). The Poetics (《诗学》)by Huang Jie (黄节, 1873-1935, originally named Hui Wen/晦闻, styled Yukun/玉昆, and known as Chunxi/纯熙), as mentioned in Table 2, is the first edition published by the Publishing Department of Peking University in August 1918. This edition is a revised version of his earlier work The Origins of Poetics (《诗学源流》), which was initially published in 1910 as lecture notes for the Guangdong Superior Normal School and printed by the Guangdong Translation and Compilation Company, priced at 10.2 cents. The Poetics listed in Table 5 represents the third edition of the book published and distributed by the Publishing Department of Peking University. This edition is a further revision of The Origins of Poetics and was priced at 15 cents. In 1919, the year of the May Fourth Movement, the second edition of Poetics was published in September of that year. Since its first edition was published in 1918, Poetics is an academic work produced at the time of the alternation of the old and new eras in China, and it is also a pioneering work in the study of Chinese poetry in modern times, which has the same founding significance in the construction of the discipline as Lin Chuanjia’s History of Chinese Literature (林传甲的《中国文学史》), Wang Guowei’s Examination of Song and Yuan Operas (王国维的《宋元戏曲考》), and Lu Xun’s A Brief History of the Chinese Novel (鲁迅的《中国小说史略》) (Mao, 2000). Huang Jie taught at Peking University twice: from 1917 to 1925 and from 1929 to 1934. The Publishing Department of Peking University published the blueprint of his book Poetics, which is a mimeographed copy of his Poetics Lecture Notes (《诗学讲义》)in the second and third years of teaching Chinese language at Peking University.

The bibliographies in Tables 1-5 also reflect the fact that some books were published and distributed in stages or in different editions. For example, the book History of Western Ethics (《西洋**学史》) written by Japanese Yoshida Jingzhi (吉田静致) and translated by Yang Changji (杨昌济), is listed in Tables 1 and 2 as only the first, second, and third parts, priced at 0.25 yuan(i.e. silver yuan/银元, the same below) and 0.35 yuan, respectively; Tables 3 to 5 list the fourth part of the book (priced at 0.4 yuan), which was published in May 1919 after the publication of the full series, priced at 1 yuan, the same as the combined price of Parts I, II, III, and IV. The first edition of the whole series of the book is currently difficult to obtain; hence based on the advertisement in Peking University Publishing Department published on September 17, 1919, in the first edition of the Peking University Daily (《北京大学日刊》) (Volume 439), it can be inferred that the initial publication date of the complete edition should be between September and October 1919. This is also the estimated initial publication date of the complete edition listed in Table 2. Table 1 lists the bibliography published in the 6th volume, 3rd issue of New Youth on March 15, 1919, at which time Peking University Publishing Department had only issued the first volume of The Fundamental Problems of Ethics (《**学之根本问题》) by Theodor Lipps, translated by Yang Changji, priced at 0.25 yuan; Tables 2 to 5 list the bibliography after the publication of the second volume, thus the price of “The Fundamental Problems of Ethics” is for both volumes, which is 50 cents (0.25 yuan × 2 = 0.5 yuan). In Table 2, the price of Cheng Yansheng’s Selected Model Texts (《程选模范文》) is 40 cents, and in Tables 3 to 5, the price is 70 cents, which is consistent with the lead-printed edition of Selected Model Texts (Volume A) (《模范文选（甲编）》) published by Peking University Publishing Department in September 1918. This indicates that before the publication of the lead-printed edition, Peking University Publishing Department has issued a lower-priced oil-printed edition of Selected Model Texts (《模范文选》) compiled by Cheng Yansheng. According to Table 5, Peking University Publishing Department also published in the same period the Selected Model Texts edited and annotated by the professors of the Chinese Literature Department at Peking University, which included Wei Youfeng/魏友枋, Qian Xuantong/钱玄同, Liu San/刘三, Liu Wendian/刘文典, Liu Fu/刘复, Ma Yuzao/马裕藻, Shen Shiyuan/沈士远, Shen Yinmo/沈尹默, Shen Jianshi/沈兼士, and Zhu Xizhu/朱希祖. This book was first published in 1918 and was reissued in October 1921.

According to the advertisement in the 266th issue of the Peking University Daily dated December 7, 1918, in the first edition, the books listed in Tables 1 to 5, including those on economics and law, as well as the books on literature and history such as Latin Outline (French Interpretation) (《拉丁文提纲（法文释义）》), Latin Exercises (French Interpretation) (《拉丁文演习（法文释义）》), Latin Outline (German Interpretation) (《拉丁文提纲（德文释义）》), Latin Exercises (German Interpretation) (《拉丁文演习（德文释义）》), and A Brief History of the Qing Dynasty, are published by Peking University Law Publishing Department. For example, Economics and Finance During the European War (《欧洲战时之经济财政》) was published by Peking University Law Publishing Department in March 1918 and was a reference book for students majoring in politics and economics at the university. German Wartime Economy (《德意志之战时经济》) is an economics book published by the same department in April 1918. Huang Youchang’s (黄右昌, 1885-1970, styled Fuxin/黼馨, also known as Liujiangzi/溇江子) Lectures onRoman Law (《罗马法讲义》) was printed by Peking University Law Publishing Department in October 1918. This was a revised edition of his Roman Law (《罗马法》) first published in February 1915 while he was teaching at the Hunan Law and Political School (湖南法政学校). The book was inscribed and prefaced by Cai Yuanpei (蔡元培), the president of Peking University at the time (Cheng, 2013). On November 1, 1923, the inaugural issue of the Hankou Bank Magazine (《银行杂志》) featured a list of legal drafts and books in Peking University Publishing Department Advertisement: Legal and Economic Book Catalogue (《北京大学出版部广告：法制经济书目》), such as Draft on Compulsory Execution Law (《强制执行法草案》), Draft on Bankruptcy Law (《破产法草案》), Draft on Maritime Law (《海船法草案》), Draft on Commercial Acts (《商行为草案》), Draft of the German Criminal Code (《德意志刑法草案》), Company Regulation(Draft) (《公司条例（草案）》), Current International Law on Warfare (《现时战事国际法》), The Effective Civil of Current Laws & Regulations (《现行律例关于民事有效部分》), German Wartime Economy, Public Finance Reference (《财政学参考》), Economics and Finance During the European War, and Economic Terms in English and Index (《经济名词英和索引》).

These works were predominantly listed in Tables 1 to 5, with Peking University Publishing Department serving as the general distributor. This further confirms that the books published by Peking University Law Publishing Department were later included under Peking University Publishing Department.

During the period from 1919 to 1922, Yadong Library distributed a number of books published by the Peking University Publishing Department, most of which are included in the aforementioned bibliography. However, there were exceptions. For instance, on October 30, 1919, the advertisement “Publications Introduction of Books Published by Peking University” (《出版物介绍·北京大学出版的书籍》) in the 2nd volume, Issue 1 of The Renaissance (《新潮》) listed five books issued by the Publishing Department of Peking University and Yadong Library in Shanghai. Among these, A History of Ancient Chinese Literature (《中国古代文学史》) written by Zhu Xizu (朱希祖, 1878-1944) was not covered in the above bibliography. A History of Ancient Chinese Literature is a lecture note published by Peking University Publishing Department, which was **ailable in both lithographic and oil-printed editions. The “General Introduction” at the beginning was lithographed, while the main text, which describes the history of literature from the Yellow Emperor to the Warring States period, was oil-printed. Zhu Xizu, styled Di Xian (逷先、迪先) or Tixian (逖先), was from Haiyan (海盐) Zhejiang Province. He was a student of Zhang Taiyan (章太炎) in his early years and was appointed to Peking University in 1913. He successively held positions such as a preparatory school professor, professor of liberal arts, director of the Institute of Chinese Studies, head of the Department of Chinese Literature, and head of the Department of History, until his departure in 1932. In the public’s perception, Zhu Xizu is renowned as a historian. However, during his early years at Peking University, Zhu Xizu taught the course “History of Chinese Literature”. According to the “Existing Curriculum of Undergraduate Studies in Liberal Arts” (《文科本科现行课程》) published in the November 29, 1917 issue of the Peking University Daily, Zhu Xizu offered “A History of Ancient Chinese Literature (From Antiquity to the Jian’an Period)” to first-year students in the Chinese Literature Department, “A History of Ancient Chinese Literature” to second-year students in the same department, and “A Brief History of Chinese Literature” to first-year and second-year students in the English Literature Department. However, he did not teach any courses in the History Department. According to the List of Courses of National Peking University (《国立北京大学学科课程一览》) in 1919-1920, the courses taught by Zhu Xizu include: “An Outline of the History of Chinese Literature” (2 class hours), “History of Chinese Literature (Volume One)” (for those who want to specialize in Chinese literature, 2 class hours), “Selected Masterpieces of Chinese Poetry and Prose”(4r class hours), “The History of Historiography” (1 class hour). It can be seen that it was only after he became the head of the Department of History in 1920 that the courses offered by Zhu Xizu were gradually transferred to history (Chen, 2005). In other words, before he became the head of the Department of History in 1920, he mainly served in Chinese Literature Department of Peking University.

Conclusions

Yadong Library was a small private publishing and distribution institution established in Shanghai in 1913. On March 22, 1919, Yadong Library officially became the Shanghai General Distribution Office of Peking University Publishing Department, specializing in the distribution of books published by Peking University. This marked the beginning of the golden era in the development of Yadong Library, as it began to act as the official agent for the distribution of books published by the Publishing Department of Peking University in Shanghai. As an advertisement, Yadong Library published bibliographies of books published by Peking University Publishing Department in some newspapers and magazines. Through these bibliographies, one can gain insight into the characteristics of the books published by Peking University Publishing Department at that time. The majority of these books were lecture notes from Peking University professors, and some even became seminal works in their respective disciplines, among other things. Indeed, Peking University Publishing Department also handled the distribution of books published by Yadong Library. For instance, issues 1857-1861 of the Peking University Daily from January 23 to 28, 1926, continuously published announcements titled “New Arrivals Published by Yadong Library at Special Prices” (《新到亚东图书馆特价书籍》) of Peking University Publishing Department.

References

Chen, P. (2005). Three early lecture notes on the history of literature at Peking University. ChineseBook ReviewMonthly, 11(10), 40-45. (陈平原. 早期北大文学史讲义三种[J]. 博览群书, 2005(10):40-45.)

Cheng, B. (2013). The beginning of Roman law education in modern China: Starting with Huang Youchang’s Roman law and the modern. Legal Education Research, 9(2), 83-102, 378. (程波. 近代中国罗马法教育的开创：从黄右昌的《罗马法与现代》说起[J]. 法学教育研究, 2013, 9(2):83-102, 378.)

Mao, Q. (2000). Research on Huang Jie’s Poetics. Journal of Peking University (Philosophy and Social Sciences Edition), 37(3), 121-126. (毛庆耆. 黄节《诗学》研究[J], 北京大学学报(哲学社会科学版). 2000, 37(3):121-126.)

Peking University Publishing Department (1920). Announcement of the publishing department announcement (1920). Peking University Daily, 2nd edition, June 17. (出版部告白[N]. 北京大学日刊, 1920-06-17(2).)

Wang, J. (2023). A historical examination of the Yadong Library. Publishing & Printing, 34(3), 96-105. (王建辉. 亚东图书馆的历史考察[J]. 出版与印刷, 2023(3):96-105.)

Yadong Library (1919a). Catalogue of books published by Peking University Publishing Department. New Youth, 6(3), advertising page (between 338 and 339). (亚东图书馆. 北京大学出版部书目[J]. 新青年, 1919, 6(3):广告页(介于338与339之间).)

Yadong Library (1919b). A guide for purchasers of books published by Peking University Publishing Department. Shenbao,7th edition, March 20. (亚东图书馆. 购北京大学出版部书籍者鉴[N]. 申报, 1919-03-20(7))

Yadong Library (1919c). Books published by Peking University. Yu Xing (the Supplementof Eastern Times),1st edition, April 24. (亚东图书馆. 北京大学出版书籍[N]. 小时报附录余兴(《时报》副刊), 1919-04-24(1).)

Yadong Library (1919d). Books published by Peking University Publishing Department. Young China, 1(2, 2nd edition), end of volume advertisement Page 1. (亚东图书馆. 北京大学出版部书籍[J]. 少年中国, 1919, 1(再版2):卷末广告页1.)

Yadong Library (1921). The books published by Peking University Publishing Department. Young World,(Supplemental Japanese Issue), end of volume advertisement page. (亚东图书馆. 北京大学出版部书籍[J]. 少年世界, 1921(增刊日本号):卷尾广告页)

Yadong Library (1922). The books published by Peking University Publishing Department, managed by Yadong Library in Shanghai. The Republic of China Daily, 1st edition, April 18. (亚东图书馆. 北京大学出版部书籍 上海亚东图书馆经理[N]. 民国日报, 1922-04-18(1).)

本文原载Journalism and Mass Communication 2024年14卷第2期，原文浏览：Analysis of the Books Issued by Yadong Library.pdf。中译文浏览：亚东图书馆经理北京大学出版部图书及其分析.pdf。