TitleTripiṭaka. Sūtrapiṭaka. Prajñāpāramitā. Vajracchedikā. Chinese
Additional title: Jin gang bo re bo luo mi jingAdditional title: 金剛般若 波羅蜜經
NamesKumārajīva, d. 412? (Translator)Zhenshou (Author)Lü, Shiming (Author)
Dates / OriginDate Issued: 1600Place: [China]
Library locationsRare Book DivisionShelf locator: *OVQ+ 09-88
TopicsMahayana Buddhism
GenresSacred books
NotesContent: Caption title.Content: Cover Title: Jin gang bo re bo luo mi jing quanContent: COLLECTION HISTORY: This digital presentation offers a glimpse into The New York Public Library's James Legge Collection of rare Chinese books. This collection of 230 titles, amassed by noted nineteenth-century missionary-scholar James Legge (1815-1897), was acquired by the Library in 1909, at which time it formed the basis of the NYPL's Chinese language rare book collection.
James Legge was, without a doubt, one of the most important Sinologists of the nineteenth century. Born in Huntly, Scotland in 1815, Legge was educated at Kings College, Aberdeen, and at Highbury Theological College, a Congregational seminary in London. It was during his time at Highbury that Legge determined to become a foreign missionary. He studied Chinese during his final year at the seminary and, upon his graduation in 1839, traveled to China, where he spent nearly three decades serving as a missionary in Hong Kong.
It was during his years in China that Legge embarked on the English translations of Chinese classics upon which his legacy largely rests, producing works such as _The Chinese Classics: With a Translation and Exegetical Notes_ and _The Chinese Classics: With a Translation, Critical and Exegetical Notes, Prolegomena, and Copious Indexes_. In the course of these literary efforts, Legge forged working relationships with some of the leading Chinese scholars of the time -- most notably with Wang Tao, the great Chinese literary commentator. Unlike many of his contemporaries, Legge was careful to give credit to the native, Chinese collaborators from whom he received assistance in the preparation of his translations. Indeed, states Legge biographer Norman J. Giradot, "Legge may even be seen to be an innovator in the ethics of cross-cultural scholarly attribution." (Giradot 356)
Legge returned from China in 1867. During his later years, he served as the first Chair of Chinese Language at Oxford University, all the while continuing his work translating classic Chinese texts. At the time of his death in 1897, Legge held degrees -- both earned and honorary -- from Oxford University, the University of Edinburgh, and the University of Aberdeen. Through his work as a translator, Legge laid the foundation for the study of Chinese classics in the English language. Although a great many translations and commentaries have appeared since his death, his editions of classic Chinese literature are still in print and widely read. (Source: NYPL Digital Gallery)Biographical/historical: BACKGROUND: The James Legge Collection is part of The New York Public Library's Chinese rare book collection, which comprises more than 1,000 titles. Of particular note amongst this body of materials are rich holdings of book and manuscript materials from the Ming (1368-1644 C.E.) and Qing (1644-1911 C.E.) Dynasties. In all, NYPL's holdings of rare Chinese materials form an important resource for the study of Chinese history, literature, philosophy, religion, and art. (Source: NYPL Digital Gallery)Funding: ACKNOWLEDGEMENT: The cataloging, preservation, and digitization of these titles was made possible as part of a grant from the National Endowment for the Humanities. The New York Public Library is grateful to the NEH for their generous support. (Source: NYPL Digital Gallery)Citation/reference: RELATED RESOURCES: Giradot, Norman J. _The Victorian Translation of China: James Legge's Oriental Pilgrimage_. Berkeley: University of California Press, 2002; Legge, Helen Edith. _James Legge, Missionary and Scholar, by His Daughter, Helen Edith Legge ...._ London: The Religious Tract Society, 1905; Pfister, Lauren F. _Striving for the "Whole Duty of Man": James Legge and the Scottish Protestant Encounter with China ...._ New York: Peter Lang, 2004; University of Pennsylvania. "The Online Books Page: Online Books by James Legge." ‹http://onlinebooks.library.upenn.edu/webbin/book/lookupname?key=Legge%2C%20James%2C1815-1897› (Source: NYPL Digital Gallery)
Physical DescriptionExtent: [46] folded leaves : ill. ; 30 x 9 cm.Text in gold ink, with some Tibetan scripts in pink ink on back.
Type of ResourceText
LanguagesChinese
IdentifiersNYPL catalog ID (B-number): b14983925NYPL Digital Gallery Description: 33466Universal Unique Identifier (UUID): 57db1cb0-0032-0130-36fe-58d385a7bc34
Rights StatementThe New York Public Library believes that this item is in the public domain under the laws of the United States, but did not make a determination as to its copyright status under the copyright laws of other countries. This item may not be in the public domain under the laws of other countries. Though not required, if you want to credit us as the source, please use the following statement, "From The New York Public Library," and provide a link back to the item on our Digital Collections site. Doing so helps us track how our collection is used and helps justify freely releasing even more content in the future.
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