《资治通鉴·隋纪·隋纪六》
炀帝喜好读书写作，他任扬州总管时设置的王府学士达百人。他经常命令这些人进行修撰工作，直到他登上帝位，前后近二十年，修撰工作从未停止过。从经术、文章、兵、农、地理、医、卜、释、道以至赌博、鹰狗等都编撰有新书，无不精深广博，共编成书三十一部，一万七千余卷。
帝好读书著述，自为扬州总管，置正府学士至百人，常令修撰，以至为帝，前后近二十载，修撰未尝暂停；自经术、文章、兵、农、地理、医、卜、释、道乃至蒱博、鹰狗，皆为新书，无不精洽，共成三十一部，万七千馀卷。
Emperor Yang loved reading and writing, and when he was the governor-general of Yangzhou, he had set up as many as 100 scholars in the王府. He often ordered these people to do revision work, and until he ascended to the throne, the revision work had not stopped for nearly 20 years. From scriptures, articles, military affairs, agriculture, geography, medicine, divination, Buddhism, Taoism to gambling, eagles, and dogs, new books were compiled, all of which were profound and extensive, and a total of thirty-one books and more than 17,000 volumes were compiled.