Abstract
Abstract This article analyses patterns of book donations to local school libraries in the Ming (1368–1644), drawing on a data set made with LoGaRT, a Chinese text mining and processing software created by the Max Planck Institute for History of Science. Records of donated books and other records explaining donor motivations make it possible to show what types of people donated, and what books they selected. Donors gave books on a broad range of topics. Big data makes it possible to identify changes over time and space, and enhances our understanding of book circulation. This article builds on Timothy Brook’s work on Ming school libraries, in which he argued that they had a set of core books issued by the central government, but little else. I argue that donated books were also important for many library collections.
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