Shu pu, completed in 687, and Xu shu pu, written in 1208, are outstanding among early treatises on calligraphy. Chang Ch'ung-ho and Hans H. Frankel introduce and provide translations and annotations for these important texts. The book also includes a facsimile and a transcription of the original Shu pu and a transcription of Xu shu pu (the original is not extant), together with a glossary of calligraphic terms, an appendix of persons mentioned, and a full bibliography.

Because the concepts of calligraphy developed in tandem with theories on painting and literature, treatises on these three arts use similar ideas, terms, and images. The treatises in this volume will therefore be of interest to students in all these fields.