時報
- Commercial Press facsimiles: Jiguge editions of Tang and Yuan writers
A prominent book advertisement identifies the Commercial Press, facsimile reproduction and a collection of Tang and Yuan authors. This partial reading covers the advertisement’s title band; it makes no claim about the small-print contents, prices or neighboring news.
Upper center-right boxed book advertisement: publisher line, edition line and large title only.
Translation
Commercial Press facsimiles: Jiguge editions of Tang and Yuan writers
Facsimiles published by the Commercial Press
Jiguge editions
Collected works of Tang and Yuan writers
Context
Why the edition’s name mattered
Jiguge was associated with the collector and publisher Mao Jin in the late Ming period. Surviving books identify its role in printing major classical works. Naming that edition in an advertisement appealed to readers who cared not only about a work’s title but about the textual tradition in which it had been transmitted.
Reading the old page through a new printing
A facsimile reproduces the appearance of an earlier page rather than simply setting its words in new type. For classical books, that lets readers see features of the source edition alongside its text. The advertisement makes this method of reproduction part of the product: it offers access to an older book through a newly published copy.
Modern publishing also carried classical literature
Founded in Shanghai in 1897, the Commercial Press became a major publisher of educational and scholarly books. This advertisement shows another side of modern print commerce: the same newspaper market that carried current news could also sell collections of much older literature. Tang and Yuan writers remained part of the reading culture served by a modern publishing house.
Original
商務印書館影印 汲古閣本 唐元人集
商務印書館影印
汲古閣本
唐元人集