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How did Chinese collectors during the Song dynasty value books connected to famous publishers or scholars?

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During the Song dynasty, Chinese collectors began to demonstrate a sophisticated appreciation for books that extended beyond their utilitarian value. This interest is reflected in the development of the term shanben, which originally referred to books carefully collated for accuracy before evolving to encompass fine editions.1

Collectors of this era specifically valued books based on their provenance and association with notable figures. They sought out items that were:

Printed by renowned publishers.1
Copied in manuscript form by famous scholars.1
Annotated by celebrities.1

This focus on the book as an object of cultural and historical significance highlights the early emergence of bibliophilic interest in China, where the identity of the creator or the quality of the edition became central to a collector's assessment of a work's worth.1