老城市系列·老南京：旧影秦淮[OldNanjing：ReflectionsofScenesontheQinhuaiRiver]

内容简介

When he was alive my grandfather often told a story about a friend of his who was a noted scholar. Whenever the scholar went into a bookstore or library， he would shake his head in disappointment， complain-ing that there were no books appropriate for him to read. Such an attitude was a typical drawback often associated with noted people in society. I have some-times come across people with the same prejudices. They are not really highbrow scholars. In fact they may not even be mediocre scholars， but they always complain that there are no good books to read. With strong words， they mock bookstores，libraries and all those who write， compile， and edit books.
To be fair， there are books that are not so good but there have never been as many good books as there are today. Book lovers find them with happy surprise in bookstores， on book stands， and in old and new libraries. In fact they soon discover there are too many good books to read. Books are a part of human civilization， brought forth in a steady stream. New books always come out before the old ones are even forgotten. A friend in the publishing business exclaimed， after re-tuming from a trip abroad， that the number of books in China is simply enormous， especially new editions of old books. To find a good old book abroad is some-times not easy ！
Chinese publishers have a fine tradition: they al-ways try to recommend good books and to urge people to read. As a result， the best old books keep being republished. As a writer I hope I can present readers with a good and interesting book. I often remind my-self of the necessity to work hard at my writing.
Over the years I have had the opportunity to come across countless numbers of pictures showing scenes in the history of Nanjing. In looking at these pictures， weighed down by dust accumulated through the years，
I have felt the breath and heartbeat of the city's history. I cannot help thinking how wonderfulit is to let others look at them also.
This book presents over three hundred such old pictures. Naturally this cannot be a complete collection.
History expresses itself in different ways. For people living today， pictures may depict reality but more often than not they reflect something unfamiliar and even strange. In either case they reveal something unique and they all constitute a great charm.