李国庆等丨第一部锡活字印本《文献通考》再议——对张秀民《中国印刷史》所载“佛山邓姓印工”条目的增补

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摘要 | 关键词

摘 要：张秀民先生在其所著《中国印刷史》一书中设立“佛山邓姓印工”条目，对这位印工创立锡活字印书工艺做了简要介绍。笔者依据原刊英文文献有关“佛山邓姓印工”的记载，依据目验传世的两部锡活字印本《三通》，对这个“佛山邓姓印工”条目进行了较为详细增补。与此同时，本文还研究了两套《三通》的流传情况、这位印工的姓名，以及这位印工自己留存的锡活字印本样书的有关情况。

关键词: 张秀民《中国印刷史》 “佛山邓姓印工” 锡活字《文献通考》 《三通》

张秀民先生在其所著的《中国印刷史》(1)第二章“活字印刷术的发明与发展”中设立“锡活字佛山邓姓印工”条目，专题讨论清代锡活字印本问题。这个条目全文约千余字，记载的内容，主要包含以下四个方面:

其一:张秀民先生撰写这个条目所依据的，是一份英文文献。

其二:这份英文文献首次对广东佛山邓姓印工使用铸造锡活字印书工艺做了较为详细的记述。

其三:张秀民先生说:“他还印了几种别的书，但书名已不可考了。”

其四:张秀民先生称邓姓印工锡活字印书工艺有独创性，并成功刷印了《文献通考》，“这是世界印刷史上第一部锡活字印本”。

张秀民先生在《中国印刷史》设立这个条目，限于篇幅，没有展开叙述，留下了增补空间。有鉴于此，我们依据这份英文文献《中国丛报》所载有关资料和海内外仅存的公私所藏两套传世锡活字印本《三通》，试就此条内容从四个部分进行增补。不妥之处，敬请方家赐教。

一、

关于英文文献的增补

张秀民先生在《中国印刷史》采用的这份英文文献(The Chinese Repository)没有中文名。学者对这份英文文献有多种译法:《中国丛报》《中国文库》《华事汇报》《中华丛刊》等。本文采用《中国丛报》，其名是目前国内比较通行的译法。

《中国丛报》由美国传教士裨治文在广州创办，是向西方读者介绍中国的第一份英文月刊。它创办于1832年5月，停办于1851年12月，共20卷232期。在长达20年的时间里，该刊大量、详尽地报道和评述了第一次鸦片战争前后中国的政治、经济、文化、外交、地理、历史和社会生活等各方面的内容。这些文章均来自早期传教士和文化素养、地位较高的在华外国人，是第一手资料。赖德烈称《中国丛报》是“有关中国知识的矿藏”“极其宝贵的史料”。丹涅特指出:“美国出版的有关1844—1853年的外交、领事资料很少，《中国丛报》可以弥补这一不足，同时它也是1832—1851年间其他出版物之外的一份非常有价值的资料。”谭维理认为:“20卷的《中国丛报》，不仅有价值极高的史料，而且还有在今天看来仍有参考价值的关于中国的研究论文。”从上举几位美国著名学者的评价，我们可以看到《中国丛报》具有多方面的价值。

这份珍贵的外文文献，分别刊载在《中国丛报》第19卷和第20卷中。笔者将这两卷有关内容分别予以抄录，并翻译成中文。

《中国丛报》第19卷版权信息标明，该卷印制于广州，包括1850年1月至12月的内容。在第四章“中国的金属活字印刷术”(Movable metallic Types among the Chinese)中较为详细地介绍了邓姓印工用锡活字印刷的情况，抄录如下:

THERE is good reason for believing that the Chinese had the art of printing books by blocks and types fully six hundred years before it was known in Europe, and though their knowledge does not detract from the merits of the invention of Gutenberg and Fust, still how many precious manuscripts and palimpsests might have been saved from irrecoverable destruction if Europe had commercial and literary intercourse with China in the days of the Heptarchy and Hejira. Movable types are still employed by printers, though the common mode of printing by xylography is regarded as cheaper. We have recently made the acquaintance of an enterprising bookseller and printer named Tang, who has devoted much attention to the manufacture of movable types by casting them in molds, and has already produced two fonts, with which he has printed several works. Mr. Tang is a partner of a book selling firm in Canton, which has expended upwards of ten thousand dollars on these fonts.

有充分的理由相信，中国人用木版或活字印刷书籍的工艺要先于欧洲人整整600年，虽然中国人关于印刷的知识并没有削弱谷登堡和富斯特所做发明的意义，但如果欧洲人在七国联盟及伊斯兰教纪元，就与中国人进行商业和文字交流，那么还会有多少珍贵的手稿和重写本可以免于不可挽回的损毁。即使人们认为常用的雕版印刷更便宜，出版商也依然使用活字印刷。我们最近结识了邓先生，一个很有进取心的书商兼出版商，他在模具铸造活字方面花费了很多精力，并且已经生产出了两种字体，还用它们印刷了好几部作品。邓先生是广州一家图书销售公司的合伙人，该公司已经为这些字体花费了一万多美元。

According to his account, the mode of making the type is to carve the character upon a small block of wood of the right size, cutting the strokes clean, and then make an impression of its face in fine clay, into which mold the melted tin is poured. The clay is separated from gritty particles by stirring it up in water, and pouring off that which does not soon settle, afterwards drying it. Four types are cast at once in a frame, and the clayey matrix broken in pieces when they are taken out, to be re-made for a second casting by a similar impression of the wooden type. They are afterwards planed to a uniform height. The next page is printed with these tin types, raised to the same height as the English ones, 4 lines high, in order to take the impression in the common hand-press; they are only 434 partly in order to suit the wooden frame in which they are set up and printed, but chiefly to save the expense of tin.

按照他的说法，制作这种活字的方法是将字先刻在大小适当的小木块上，字的笔画要刻清楚，然后将小木块有字的一面压印在细黏土的模子上，再把熔化的锡倒进模子里。将黏土放入水中搅拌，使黏土从砂砾中分离出来，之后倒出没有迅速沉淀的泥水，将其烘干。一块细黏土上可以同时浇铸四个字。取出这四个字时，黏土模具会破裂成碎片，需要重新将模具进行整备，用于下一次木活字的压印。锡字的高度都一样。下一步是用锡字印刷，活字的高度和英文活字一样，以便用普通的手动印刷机印刷。锡字的高度只有四又四分之三行高，部分原因是为了适配用于排版和印刷的木制字架，但主要是为了节省锡字的成本。

The frame in which the types are set up and printed off, is a solid piece of rosewood, planed smooth, with its top guarded on three sides by a ledge, the top of which, just the height of the types, forms the border of the page when printed. The types are then set up in the frame, no composing stick being used, the columns separated by neat brass rules, and the leaf divided by a central column as in Chinese books. In the specimen here given, the types are not spaced, but in works printed with the other and larger font, the characters are usually separated. Twenty-one columns exactly fill the frame. A moving slide secures the types on the top, and completes the border round the page; the types are not justified, or spaced out in each column to the same length, the page being sufficiently tightened at the sides to prevent the types rising when inked. When the page is proved and corrected, it is printed in the ordinary Chinese way with a brush.

用于锡字排版和印刷的字架由坚实的红木制成，刨得很光滑，字架的顶部三边的宽度与字高相当，印刷时形成页面的边界。锡字排放在框架中，不用排字盘，而是由整齐的黄铜尺分隔成列，按中文书籍的惯例，各页之间由一个中央栏分隔开。在我们得到的样本中，活字之间没有空格，但在用其他较大字体印刷的著作中，活字有间隔。字架正好可以排21列活字。字架的顶部有一个滑块将锡字固定，并形成页面的边框。这些活字没有调整到每行同一长度，但每页四周没有空隙，以防着墨时活字会松动凸起。每页文字经过校对和更正后，就用中国传统的刷版方式进行印刷。

The number of types which have been cast for these two fonts exceeds 150,000, but what variety of characters is included in them we do not know. The principal motive Mr. Tang assigns for embarking in the enterprise was to print two sorts of lottery tickets with which his townspeople gamble very much; one of them, made from the Hundred Family Names, called Wei Sing Pu; and the other from Tsien-tsz' Wan, or Millenary Classic. He uses them also for what ever jobs may be required, but has never ventured the publication of a newspaper-or more likely has never thought of employing them for such a purpose.

上述两种字体的活字已经制作了150000个，但我们不知道其中都包括哪些字。邓先生从事该行当的主要动机是印制两种彩票，他家乡的人很喜欢用这两种彩票来赌博。其中一种彩票上的字出自《百家姓》，叫作闱姓票;另一种彩票上的字出自《千字文》。他还将锡字用于可能需要的任何工作中，但从未冒险出版过报纸，更可能是从未考虑过将锡字用于出版报纸。

In order to exhibit what is known respecting printing with movable types by the Chinese in former days, we here introduce a well digested paper by Stanislas Julien, translated for the China Mail; whether Mr. Tang has really read any of these notices we can not say, but he maintains the originality of his own invention, and we hope will not ultimately find it a losing undertaking.

为说明中国人早期关于活字印刷的知识，我们在此介绍斯坦尼斯拉斯·朱利恩(Stanislas Julien)的一篇文摘，这篇文摘已经被《中国邮报》所翻译。我们不确定邓先生是否真的读过这篇文摘，但他的发明具有独创性，而且我们不希望见到他的事业以失败告终。

《中国丛报》第20卷，包括1851年1月至12月的内容。在栏目四“文艺通告”(Literary Notices)中，第一篇即是《马端临〈文献通考〉》(Antiquarian Researches of Ma Twainlin)。

THE experiment of printing with metallic types noticed on page 247 of our last volume has been quite successful, and bids fair to be employed to a large extent in producing books in this city. We have just seen a reprint of the last edition of the Wan Hien Tung Kau 文獻通考 or Antiquarian Researches of Ma Twanlin, noticed in Vol. IX. pp. 143-147, printed with the largest of the two fonts there referred to, in a style equal to any printing done by xylography. This edition is contained in 348 kiun or chapters, bound up in 120 volumes, and extends through 19,348 post folio pages. The type is large in proportion to the page, and the white paper gives the letterpress an open, agreeable appearance not often seen in Chinese books. We have obtained a few of the types used in printing the Antiquarian Researches, which we: here introduce to show their style. They are made of block tin in clay molds in precisely the same manner and height as those given on page 248 of our last volume. These are much worn by the friction of the brushes used in taking the impressions, and therefore do not look as well as those previously given, which were nearly new. The narrowest of these two sizes are used for notes, explanations, etc., and in order to facilitate the composing of the page, the larger ones are cast with a wide shoulder, so that the body of the type shall be just twice the size of the small ones underneath. The types in the upper of these two lines are placed close together, though the characters look very wide apart.

The publishers have not ventured to append their names to the copies they have issued, the Researches being a governmental work; we do not know whether any notes have been added, to lead them to take this precaution.

上一卷第247页提到，用金属活字印刷的试验非常成功，并有希望广泛地用于广州的书籍出版。第九卷第143—147页中展示了马端临《文献通考》(Antiquarian Researches)最后一版的重印版，用的是前面提到的两种字体的最大字号，效果与雕版印刷相同。本版装订为120册，包含348卷，共计19348页。相对于页面活字足够大，白纸使得正文赏心悦目，在中文书籍中难得一见。我们得到了几枚用于印制《文献通考》的活字，这里要展示它们的样式。它们是由黏土模具中的锡块制成，其制作方式和高度与上一卷第248页提到的方法完全一致。由于印制过程板刷的摩擦，活字受到磨损，不像之前我们得到的那些近乎全新的活字。最小的活字用于题注、注释等，为便于排版，较大的活字留有较多的边宽，以至于其大小是下面小字的两倍。字体的间距较大，但行距很小。

出版商没敢把自己的名字印在刻本上，因为《文献通考》属于官刻本。我们无法得知是否有指示让他们如此。

图1 这是卫三畏从邓姓印工手里得到的10枚印制《文献通考》的锡活字样式，

上面5个是大字用于排正文，下面5个是小字用于排注释，

取自《中国丛报》原文影印

以上是《中国丛报》的两卷内容，比较详细记述了中国广东佛山地区邓姓印工首创锡活字印书工艺并用来刷印《文献通考》的情况，是首次也是唯一一份记述中国人使用锡活字印书的英文文献，十分珍贵。2008年广西师范大学出版社影印出版了这份《中国丛报》，为我们了解该报所载内容提供了原始文献。

二、

关于广东佛山邓姓印工使用铸造锡活字印书工艺的增补

笔者根据《中国丛报》的原文记载及张秀民先生在《中国印刷史》中作的记述，对邓姓印工使用铸造锡活字印书工艺做了如下归纳和增补:

第一步，雕刻单体木活字。选用大小一样尺寸的木条，在其一端的顶部，雕刻一个个单体的木活字。需要刊刻一大批这样的单体木活字，作为锡活字印刷的字源。这些单体的木活文字，是阳文反字。刻好这些木活字后，需要按照一定的顺序进行排列，以便取用和归还。

第二步，制作整块泥版字模。选用当地特有的一种质地细腻的黏土做材料，把黏土放入水中搅拌成糊状，让黏土充分稀释，然后澄清，倒去上层浮水，把掺杂在里面的砂砾分离出来，之后倒出不易沉淀的泥浆，经干化处理后，就得到了制作字模的材料。把这些材料经过处理，就可以使用了，按照设计好的尺寸制成泥版。接着，用雕刻好的单体木活字在泥版上面按照行格顺序压印。至此完成整块儿泥版字模的制作。这块压印了文字的泥版字模是阴文正字。

第三步，制作锡活字。在泥版上面可以一次浇铸四个单字。把经高温融化的锡液浇入泥版字模中。等到锡液冷却凝固后，取出四个单字时，用黏土做成的模具会破裂成碎片。这些碎片可以重新进行加工，再制成泥版，用于下一次木字的压印。这就完成了用模具浇铸制成锡活字的过程。制成的锡活字是阳文反字。这位邓姓印工利用锡模造出了两种字体，所造锡活字的数量超过了15万个。锡是比较便宜的金属材料。当地特产胶泥，几乎不用花钱，取之不尽，用之不竭。张秀民指出，用这个泥版字模造字“比西洋用铜模铸字既简便，又经济。为了节约金属材料，他所铸锡字只有四分多高，比外国铅字短矮”。

第四步:排版印书。把铸成的锡活字按照一定方法进行组织，以便印书时寻找和归还。排版印书时，把锡活字一个个排列在光滑坚固的花梨木字盘内，扎紧四边，以免印刷时活字松动。每半页十行，中间是书口，这样就和雕版书一样，把一页分成了左右两面。他用这套锡活字，成功印出了元代史学家马端临的名著《文献通考》。全书共计348卷，凡19348面，订成120大册。他还印制了其他几部书籍。

如果按照常规的木活字印书，需要事先雕刻基本够用的木活字，尤其是常用字，如“之”