印刷史家卡特生平钩沉(上)

A Study on the Life of the Printing Historian Thomas Francis Carter(Part Ⅰ)

卡特是著名的汉学家、印刷史家,所撰《中国印刷术的发明及其西传》是印刷史研究的经典著作,影响深广。论文利用档案资料与其他文献,对卡特的生平事迹与著述活动进行了考述。从家世背景、教育经历、传教活动、汉学研究、著述等几个方面,较为全面、细致地还原了卡特的人生经历,着重讨论了其从事汉学与印刷史研究的背景、因由和过程。卡特诞生于一个具有国际化背景的家庭,对中国文化有发自内心的亲近感和热爱,他主动开展关于中国四大发明的研究,在学界前辈的指引下专注于对中国印刷术起源及其世界传播的探讨,取得了举世瞩目的卓越成就。卡特在主持哥伦比亚大学中文系期间,推动了北美汉学研究的兴盛发展。对于卡特的研究还存在不少盲点和疑问,有待于学术界进一步拓展深化。

Thomas Francis Carter is a famous sinologist and printing historian. His book The Invention of Printing in China and Its Spread Westward is a classical work on printing history with profound and extensive inf luence. This paper delves into Carter's life and writings by examining related archives and research literature and gives an all-round and detailed depiction of Carter's life by presenting his family background, educational experience,missionary activities, Sinology research, and writings. The focus is laid on why and how Carter got into Sinology and printing history research. Affinity with and passion for the Chinese culture was actually natural for Carter as he was born into a family with international background. He actively engaged himself in research on the four great inventions of ancient China and focused on the origin and worldwide spread of Chinese printing with the guidance of the older generation in the academia, making remarkable achievements. Moreover, as head of the Chinese Department at Columbia University, Carter significantly promoted the development of Sinology in North America. There are still blanks to fill in and questions to answer regarding Carter and more research on this topic remains to be done.