'This is a very good book. Yen is both insightful in her analysis of the sources and implications of the aura of Chinese writing and careful in her discussions of how people think about characters.' - China Journal

• Acknowledgements Introduction: The Abode of Calligraphic Inscriptions 1. Dances with Power: Public Calligraphy and its Social Effects 2. Becoming a Person Through Wen 3. Handwriting and Personhood 4. Body-Person Engineering: Brush Techniques and Calligraphic Composition 5. Brush Work: Alternative Bodybuilding 6. Ideograms and Knowledge 7. Characters Reloaded Bibliography Glossary