《麻衣相法》是中國古代相書中最知名的著作，備受尊崇。然而關於它的編纂時代和編者，一直是個謎題。筆者從《明史》〈藝文志〉的一筆資料出發，搜索各種文集、目錄、墓誌銘、史傳等等，將其中零散的資料，相互串連、推論，考證出《麻衣相法》初版的年代、地點，以及編纂者——鮑栗之的真名和生平大略。釐清了出版年代和編者的真相，除了還原鮑栗之的編纂之功，還能凸顯《麻衣相法》承先啟後的關鍵地位，關於明朝以後相術、相書史的研究，遂有了可靠的中心點。一些疑難，諸如：《麻衣相法》何以如此受到重視、各種版本的互涉與先後問題、《神相全編》的由來等等，也有可合理解釋之依憑。

Mayi xiangfa (麻衣相法 Mayi’s Physiognomy) is the most well-known and highly regarded ancient Chinese work of its kind. Yet the period of its compilation and the identity of its compiler have remained an unsolved riddle for the past few centuries. Beginning with a clue hidden in the “Yiwen zhi” (藝 文志 Records of Literature) section of the Mingshi (明史 History of the Ming Dynasty), I have searched various anthologies, catalogues, epitaphs and biographies for further material. Threading together this scattered information, I have been able to deduce when the first edition of Mayi xiangfa was completed, ascertain the real name of its compiler, Bao Lizhi 鮑栗之, and sketch an outline of his life. The clarification of these facts not only restores the authorship of this significant contribution to physiognomy to Bao Lizhi, but also highlights the crucial position of Mayi xiangfa as a link in the sequence of physiognomic works. These new discoveries provide a more reliable basis for future research on later works of physiognomic theory or history, and for rational answers to several long-standing questions. These include why has so much attention been given to Mayi xiangfa; what is the sequence of the different editions, and what relationships exist between them; and what is the origin of the Shenxiang quanbian (神相全編 Complete Compilation on the Wondrous Art of Physiognomy).