Marginalia Transcription and Scholarly Culture in the Qing Dynasty

Abstract In the Qing, transcription of marginalia became common scholarly practice, involving a number of different people who created a new reading culture. This article follows the marginalia trail of scholar and calligrapher He Zhuo 何焯 through various transcribers and others involved in the process: He’s disciples, later generations of scholars, bibliophiles, calligraphers, and booksellers. Connected through He’s and others’ marginalia across time and space, these transcribers established a network for the efficient transmission of information, knowledge, and thought. Transcription of such marginalia created a unique book culture that shaped scholarship, thought, and society in the Qing and produced critical texts that are still read today.