古代小說家類圖書，素來被視為小道，而受到輕視。清際修纂四庫全書，雖也傳 承此種觀念，但在顧及文化整體性的原則下，收錄是類著作三百餘種。當年四庫館臣如何甄 選是類圖書？又如何隸類及部次其書？而所抄繕之各書，是否盡忠於原作內容等等問題，本 文均分別引據實證，予以分析，並給予客觀公允的評論。最後又提出調查明清相關是類圖書 之著作、重視宋元以下學術代變事實、關心民間通俗小說的發展，以及利用傳存清雍正朝以 前各書版本，用以校勘四庫本所著錄之各書等建言，供日後進行四庫全書補正工作之參考。

　　　　　Commonly viewed as petty talk or minor persuasions, ancient works in the genre of shiao-shuo have never been taken seriously by the literary circle. While this specuation was prevalent among the editors involved in the compilation of the Ssu-K'u Ch'uan-shu in the Ch'ing Dynasty, more than three hundred shiao-shuo titles were selected for inclusion in the library, so that the culture of China would be represented in a coherent whole. Yet, how did the editors make the selection? Once selected, how did they categorize or class the picks? Most importantly, were they true to the orginals when hand-copying? Citing veritable evidence, the author attempts to address these issues through an in-depth analysis and a fair, objective assessment of the Ssu-K'u Commission's work on shiao-shuo literature. It is suggested that an investigation of Ming and Ch'ing compositions in the shiao shuo style. A shift of attention to the transitions in post-Sung-Yuan scholarship, a renewed concern for the development of popular literature, as well as a comparative study of existing shiao-shuo imprints prior to the Yung-cheng reign and their Ssu-K'u versions may be of referential value of future bibliographical endeavors in the collation of the Ssu-K'u Ch'uan-shu.