Shu xiaoshi 書小史

Shu xiaoshi 書小史 is a "small history" of calligraphy written during the Southern Song period 南宋 (1127-1279) by Chen Si 陳思 (1225-1264), who is better known as the author of the compendium Shuyuan jinghua 書苑精華. The preface by Xie Yuxiu 謝愈修 is dated 1267.

His book of 10 juan length provides the biographies of the most eminent masters of calligraphy from the oldest times to the Five Dynasties period 五代 (907-960). The biographies are arranged according to the social status of the masters, beginning with emperors, empresses, and princes, followed by commoners. The total number of biographies is nearly 500. Some points in the book are not correct. Gao You 高浟 (533-564), Prince of Pengcheng 彭城王, for instance, was not a calligrapher. Despite such shortcomings, the Shu xiaoshi is a valuable book on the history of Chinese calligraphy.

The original Song-period print has a length of 4 juan, to which the Jigu Studio 汲古閣 added, in manuscript form, six more juan. It was printed by the Baqianjuan Studio 八千卷樓 and is included in the series Wulin wangzhe yizhu 武林往哲遺著. In 1991, the Shanghai Guji Press 上海古籍出版社 published a facsimile.