美国埃塞克斯学院图书馆所编第一份汉学书目(1895)研究

Books on Chinese Studies in the Library of the Essex Institute,USA(1895)

美国埃塞克斯学院图书馆1895年发布其第一份目录专辑《汉学书目》,收录31大类772种汉学图书。从类别看,行纪类、宗教及哲学类书目最多,中国牌戏、军事类书目最少;从出版年份看,最早的图书出版于1634年,最晚的出版于1895年当年,出版数量随年份后移显著增加;从出版地点看,这些图书来自全世界44个城市,伦敦、纽约最多,中国图书主要出自上海、香港和广州。该专辑一方面记录了汉学书目在美国的早期收藏,另一方面也向中国学界昭示了目录学这一西方汉学研究的重要路径。

The library of Essex Institute issued its first Special Catalogue in 1895,listing 772 titles on China in 31 categories.In terms of categories,books on travelling,religion and philosophy amount to the largest number while those on military and games are of the fewest;in terms of the year of publication,the earliest is in 1634 while the latest is in 1895,with the numbers growing steadily with the passage of time;in terms of places of publication,the books are from 44 cities worldwide with London,New York and Shanghai publishing the most.The majority of the books are in Western languages and a small number in Chinese.The Special Catalogue not only records books on China in the USA prior to the 20th century,but also shows to Chinese scholars that bibliography can be used as a research tool.