China News Service, Beijing, February 7 (Reporter Ying Ni) The Commercial Press's top ten best books in February 2024 were released online on the evening of the 6th, including "Cymology (Third Edition·Sequence Edition)", "Reading Modern Novels", "History of the Development of Human Thought: Discussion of Speculative Thoughts in the Ancient Near East", "Past History of the Han Family", "History of Qin and Qin Instruments", "Collected Works of Babbitt (9 volumes)", "On the Worship of Nietzsche: A Critique", "Critical Legal Movement: The Great Mission in the New Era", "Chinese Translation of World Literature Masterpieces Series (Fourth Series)", and "Jieben Kangxi Dictionary (Collection Edition)" were selected.
The books released this time span ancient and modern times, China and foreign countries, and cover many fields such as linguistics, history, literature, philosophy, and law.
Book cover of "The Commercial Press's Top Ten Books" in February 2024. Photo courtesy of The Commercial Press
The much-anticipated "Cymology (Third Edition, Sequence)" is published for the first time. This version is based on the original third edition of "Cymology" and adopts phonetic arrangement, which fills the gaps in the "Cymology" version over the past century, responds to readers' needs for dictionary phonetic retrieval, and greatly facilitates readers' inquiries. and research, making the century-old "Cymology" not only a valuable information for scholars of writing, but also a window for the majority of culture and language enthusiasts to explore the profound history of Chinese characters. The "Kangxi Dictionary" published in 1716 is an important character book in the history of Chinese dictionaries. Mr. Zhang Yuanji personally abridged the "Kangxi Dictionary" to more than 9,000 words in the "Jieben Kangxi Dictionary", retaining commonly used words and common words, and adding The use value of the excerpt is improved. The collection version released this time is produced by high-definition scanning page by page of "Jieben Kangxi Dictionary" and typesetting. It is carefully designed in a hardcover format, which perfectly combines the academic value and artistic value of this dictionary, making it highly valuable for collection.
In terms of literary books, "Collected Works of Babbitt (all 9 volumes)" brings together important works of Owen Babbitt, a giant in literary criticism in the 20th century. From profound philosophical speculation to sharp literary criticism, this collection of essays reflects Owen Babbitt's important academic contributions as a literary critic and a leading figure in humanism, and presents readers with a magnificent ideological landscape. The new masterpiece "Modern Novel Reading" by literary master Mr. Wang Dingjun reveals the various possibilities and expressions of modern novel creation, providing a reading experience with a refreshing perspective for the majority of literature lovers. The "Chinese Translation of World Literature Masterpieces Series" continues to expand its lineup and is now in its fourth series, with more than 130 titles. This set of books provides readers with a series of excellent Chinese translations of world literature classics. These translations not only promote Cross-cultural exchanges have also opened up a broader literary horizon for Chinese readers. "History of the Han Family" chronicles the century-old ups and downs experienced by the "Tianchenghao" Han family, the leader of Tianjin's "Eight Great Families". The author uses letters, diaries, old photos and interviews to focus on the Han family, with Li Lianpu and Mei Mei as the center. The Yiqi, Fu Tong, Kuang Shoukun, and Wei Lihuang families used their ancestors’ mixed life experiences of joy and sorrow and their hesitating and searching spiritual world to connect the big historical narrative, thus sketching a multi-layered and three-dimensional historical picture.
In terms of history, "History of the Development of Human Thought: Discussion of Speculative Thoughts in the Ancient Near East" contains the top research results and writings of pioneers in the fields of Egyptology and Assyriology. The discussion leads readers into a mythical era that is completely different from modern life. As an important work in the field of music history, "History of Guqin and Guqin Instruments" not only comprehensively traces the evolution of Guqin art, but also deeply explores the unique status and influence of Guqin in traditional Chinese culture. It is a collection of the results of the author's many years of in-depth research on Guqin. . The book also contains nearly 160 pictures, including precious guqin, decorations, players, music, historical documents, etc., showing the beauty of guqin and the style of qin players.
In terms of philosophical and political books, "On the Worship of Nietzsche: A Critique" provides a new perspective for understanding Nietzsche's complex philosophy and is an important work of critical academic research. The book "Critical Legal Movement: The Great Revolution in the New Era" embodies Unger's academic thoughts and brings a new theoretical perspective and innovative power to legal research.
It is reported that the Commercial Press’ annual “New Year Blooms” event was also launched at the same time as the new book launch conference in February. During the event, the Commercial Press will hold a number of colorful activities such as "Introduction to the 127-year-old Commercial Press" and "Talk with Famous Chinese Translation Writers" to accompany readers and friends to welcome the New Year with reading. (over)