The Book and the Silk Roads Workshop

Suzanne Akbari, Professor in the School of Historical Studies, convened a workshop on November 19, 2019, of researchers from the University of Toronto, Princeton University, and other institutions—as well as Nicola Di Cosmo, Luce Foundation Professor in East Asian Studies, and current Member Paul Dilley—for a day of study focused on “Formats of the Book in East Asia and Environs.”

Co-sponsored by the Andrew W. Mellon Foundation, Princeton’s Buddhist Studies Workshop, and IAS, the day began with a survey of manuscripts and early printed books at the Firestone Library, led by Martin Heijdra, Director of Princeton’s East Asian Library. Images from the exhibition are featured in a blog post by Julie Mellby, Firestone’s Graphic Arts Librarian.

The morning session on early book forms of East Asia, including fragments from the Dunhuang caves, was followed by presentations on The Book and the Silk Roads project by Toronto researchers Alexandra Gillespie, Amanda Goodman, and Jessica Lockhart, as well as a survey by Princeton’s Stephen Teiser of the Luce Foundation–funded project “Dunhuang Art and Manuscripts” (2014–18). Future collaborations—including a more public-facing event—will continue in the coming year.