Asian history Books

Book SynopsisThis deeply researched book describes one of the great forgotten battles of the 20th century. At its height it involved nearly a million Chinese and Japanese soldiers, while sucking in three million civilians as unwilling spectators and, often, victims. It turned what had been a Japanese adventure in China into a general war between the two oldest and proudest civilizations of the Far East. Ultimately, it led to Pearl Harbor and to seven decades of tumultuous history in Asia. The Battle of Shanghai was a pivotal event that helped define and shape the modern world.In its sheer scale, the struggle for China’s largest city was a sinister forewarning of what was in store for the rest of mankind only a few years hence, in theaters around the world. It demonstrated how technology had given rise to new forms of warfare, or had made old forms even more lethal. Amphibious landings, tank assaults, aerial dogfights and most importantly, urban combat, all happened in Shanghai in 1937. It was a dress rehearsal for World War II—or perhaps more correctly it was the inaugural act in the war—the first major battle in the global conflict.Actors from a variety of nations were present in Shanghai during the three fateful autumn months when the battle raged. The rich cast included China's ascetic Generalissimo Chiang Kai-shek and his Japanese adversary, General Matsui Iwane, who wanted Asia to rise from disunity, but ultimately pushed the continent toward its deadliest conflict ever. Claire Chennault, later of “Flying Tiger” fame, was among the figures emerging in the course of the campaign, as was First Lady Eleanor Roosevelt. In an ironic twist, Alexander von Falkenhausen, a stern German veteran of the Great War, abandoned his role as a mere advisor to the Chinese army and led it into battle against the Japanese invaders.Written by Peter Harmsen, a foreign correspondent in East Asia for two decades, and currently bureau chief in Taiwan for the French news agency AFP, Shanghai 1937 fills a gaping chasm in our understanding of the Second World War.Trade Review“Harmsen, a two-decade veteran of east Asia, demonstrates a breathtaking command of the battle itself—from the 10,000 meter, panoramic view of the terrain and history, down to the platoon level.” * Asian Review of Books *Mr Harmsen is an excellent writer. The book rattles along like a modern techno-thriller and moves gracefully between descriptions of the tactical battlefield and the impact on the company, platoon or individual to the strategic machinations of the top brass and the movement of armies and divisions. Whilst the book piqued my interest in the pre Second World War Sino-Japanese conflict it stands very successfully as an excellent piece of military writing in its own right. One only has to be interested in warfare to appreciate this book." * The Wargamer *Journalist Peter Harmsen’s new book, Shanghai 1937: Stalingrad on the Yangtze, reconstructs the battle narrative of those shocking three months, which saw the Japanese go from a minor military garrison in Zhabei to the Rape of Nanjing... presents a gripping chronology of two sides locked in a horrific death dance...the book genuinely shines. * Cityweekend.com *'This is a compelling account of this major but often overlooked battle, told from both sides of the conflict and covering every level of the conflict, from the experiences of the private soldier to the problems faced by the senior commanders on both side as well as the eyewitnesses from the international community in the city. The text is supported by a series of maps that help illustrate the course of the battle, and by photographs that show the impact of urban warfare on one of Asia's most prosperous and cosmopolitan cities. ' --History of War, July 2014 * History of War 07/01/2014 *“Enhances the bare facts with material gleaned from multiple diaries, reports, newspaper and magazine articles, books, and other accounts from combatants and civilians of all nationalities. In addition to on-the-spot impressions from a surprising number of Chinese and Japanese foot soldiers, the book also features eyewitness reports from and about foreigners living and working in the cosmopolitan city at the time... Engaging account of a little-known battle... Practically nothing else in English tackles this topic at this level. * Stone and Stone *'Shanghai 1937' has all the elements of a fabulous historical novel... Comparisons by online reviewers to Antony Beevor, author of 'Stalingrad' and 'Berlin,' are justly deserved... One of the really remarkable features of 'Shanghai 1937' is the huge collection of high-quality photographs, all of them in-period and directly relevant to the action, in three 16-page inserts. * Taiwan Today *

Read more less

Book SynopsisThe last instalment of the War in the Far East trilogy, Asian Armageddon 1944-1945, continues and completes the narrative of the first two volumes, describing how a US-led coalition of nations battled Japan into submission through a series of cataclysmic encounters. Leyte Gulf, the biggest naval battle ever, was testimony to the paramount importance of controlling the ocean, as was the fact that the US Navy carried out the only successful submarine campaign in history, reducing Japan's military and merchant navies to shadows of the former selves. Meanwhile, fighting continued in disparate geographic conditions on land, with the chaos of Imphal, the inferno of Manila, and the carnage of Iwo Jima forming some of milestones on the bloody road to peace, sealed in Tokyo Bay in September 1945. The nuclear blasts at the end of the war made one observer feel as if he was ‘present at the creation’. Indeed, the participants in the events in the Asia Pacific in the mid-1940s were present at the creation of a new and dangerous world. It was a world where the stage was set for the Cold War and for international rivalries that last to this day, and a new constellation of powers emerged, with the outlines, just over the horizon, of a rising China.War in the Far East is a trilogy of books comprising a general history of World War II in the Asia Pacific. Unlike other histories on the conflict it goes into its deep origins, beginning long before Pearl Harbor, and encompasses a far wider group of actors to produce the most complete account yet written on the subject and the first truly international treatment of this epic conflict. Author Peter Harmsen weaves together complex events into a revealing and entertaining narrative, including facets of the war that may be unknown even to avid readers of World War II history, from the mass starvations that cost the lives of millions across China, Indochina and India to the war in subarctic conditions in the Aleutians. Harmsen pieces together the full range of perspectives, reflecting what war was like both at the top and on the ground.Trade ReviewHarmsen provides a refreshing perspective to the controversial question how long the war in the Asia Pacific lasted. Harmsen stimulates any reader interested in WWII to contextualize the Japanese-American war of 1941 to 1945 within the much larger narrative stretching from the civil wars of China of the 1920s all the way until the evacuation of Saigon in 1975. * Yan Xu, Chair of History (Spelman College) and author of 'The Soldier Image and State-Building in Modern China' 19/08/2021 *It is ground-breaking. The book creates clarity and brings new information, even for a military historian who has studied these campaigns and operations on and above the sea for decades. The author deserves thanks for this incredible effort. * Misc US Reviewer *Table of ContentsChapter 1 The beginning of the end Chapter 2 Closing in on the Philippines Chapter 3 MacArthur Returns Chapter 4 Japan’s Last Offensives Chapter 5 On Japan’s Doorstep Chapter 6 Apocalypse Chapter 7 Postwar Asia

Read more less

Book SynopsisThe infamous Rape of Nanjing looms like a dark shadow over the history of Asia in the 20th century, and is among the most widely recognized chapters of World War II in China. By contrast, the story of the month-long campaign before this notorious massacre has never been told in its entirety. Nanjing 1937 by Peter Harmsen fills this gap. This is the follow-up to Harmsen's best-selling Shanghai 1937: Stalingrad on the Yangtze, and begins where that book left off. In stirring prose, it describes how the Japanese Army, having invaded the mainland and emerging victorious from the Battle of Shanghai, pushed on toward the capital Nanjing in a crushing advance that confirmed its reputation for bravery and savagery in equal measure. While much of the struggle over Shanghai had carried echoes of the grueling war in the trenches two decades earlier, the Nanjing campaign was a fast-paced mobile operation in which armor and air power played mayor roles. It was blitzkrieg two years before Hitler's invasion of Poland. Facing the full might of modern, mechanized warfare, China's resistance was heroic, but ultimately futile. As in Shanghai, the battle for Nanjing was more than a clash between Chinese and Japanese. Soldiers and citizens of a variety of nations witnessed or took part in the hostilities. German advisors, American journalists and British diplomats all played important parts in this vast drama. And a new power appeared on the scene: Soviet pilots dispatched by Stalin to challenge Japan's control of the skies. This epic tale is told with verve and attention to detail by Harmsen, a veteran East Asia correspondent who consolidates his status as the foremost chronicler of World War II in China with this path-breaking work of narrative history.Trade ReviewYou certainly get a feel for the pace and nature of the campaign, and the tensions between politicians and generals. […] a useful foray into a rare topic, with a 14-page bibliography demonstrating considerable research effort. * Miniature Wargames 19/07/2021 *The author has obviously researched both widely and deeply. That, combined, provides a really good overview of what was a particularly cataclysmic event in comparatively recent military history. * Baird Maritime 13/09/2021 *

Read more less

Book SynopsisA concise yet comprehensive history of traditional Okinawan and Japanese karate, with biographies of the great karate mastersThis concise-yet-comprehensive history of traditional Okinawan and Japanese karate includes authoritative biographies of the great karate masters of the past and the philosophical issues they faced as karate changed and evolved. Bringing a fresh understanding to the study of the martial arts, Mark I. Cramer dispels many of the often-repeated martial-arts myths as he details the lineages of the modern styles of karate and describes the social, cultural, and political events that influenced them. While most books focus on a single style of karate or the biography of just one of the great teachers, this book offers a well-researched and detailed overview. By bringing all of this knowledge together in one volume, Cramer?an award-winning inductee into the USA Karate Federation?s Hall of Fame?fills a crucial gap.

Read more less

Book Synopsis

Read more less

Book SynopsisAlthough the ultimate prize of the Great Game played out between Great Britain and Imperial Russia in the 19th century was India, most of the intrigue and action took place along its northern frontier in Afghanistan, Turkestan and Tibet. Maps and knowledge of the enemy were crucial elements in Britain’s struggle to defend the ‘jewel in the crown.’The Great Trigonometrical Survey of India had been founded in the 18th century with the aim of creating a detailed map of the country. While most people today are readily able to identify the world’s highest mountain, few know of the man, George Everest, after whom it was named, or the accomplishment that earned him this singular honor. Under his leadership, the Survey of India mapped the Great Arc, which was then lauded as ‘one of the greatest works in the whole history of science,’ though it cost more in monetary terms and human lives than many contemporary Indian wars.Much of the work of the Survey was undertaken by native Indians, known as Pundits, who were trained to explore, spy out and map Central Asia and Tibet. They did this at great personal risk and with meager resources, while traveling entirely on foot. They would be the first to reveal the mysteries of the forbidden city of Lhasa, and discover the true course of Tibet’s mighty Tsangpo River. They were the greatest group of explorers the world has seen in recent history – yet they remain the classic unsung heroes of the British Raj.The story of these extraordinary pioneers who explored much of Asia during the 19th century to fill in large portions of its map, and spy out the region for military reasons is often forgotten, but Riaz Dean’s vivid account of their exploits, their adventurous spirit and their tenacity in the face of great adversity, all set within the context of the Great Game and the Survey of India, will finally bring them the attention they deserve.

Read more less

Book SynopsisThe Luzon campaign of 1945 was the longest island campaign of the Pacific War, lasting from January 1945 to September 1945, and only ended with the surrender of Imperial Japan. It is often overlooked or mentioned in passing by most histories of that war, yet hundreds of thousands of Americans and Japanese fought in some of the worst conditions imaginable for eight months to clear Luzon of the invaders.This full account of the Luzon campaign stretches from planning stages to the end of the war and the surrender of over 50,000 Japanese troops under the noted Japanese general Yamashita. The landings at Lingayen Gulf, the Battle for Manila and the recapture of Corregidor are all included, as well as lesser-known battles for the summer capital of Baguio, the battle for Manila's water supply, constant jungle fighting, the raids to rescue Allied POWs, the recapture of Bataan, destruction of the only Japanese armored division to fight in the Pacific, American parachute drops on Corregidor and Aparri, and much more. Individual acts of heroism are highlighted as are the interactions among the senior commanders involved, including General MacArthur, General Krueger (6th Army) and General Eichelberger (8th Army). The book ends with the surrender of Imperial Japan and the end of the Luzon Campaign in September 1945.Table of Contents1. Introduction 2. The Lingayen Beachhead 3. The Central Plain 4. Securing the Beachhead 5. The Kembo Group 6. The Race to Manila 7. The Tragedy of Manila 8. Intramuros, the Walled City 9. The Shimbu Group 10. Seizing the Dams 11. Southern Luzon 12. North to Baguio 13. The Villa Verde Trail 14. San Jose, Digdig and Baguio 15. Baguio Falls 16. Balete Pass 17. The Bambang Front 18. Aparri 19. Pursuit 20. The Luzon Campaign Appendix A: U. S. Forces Order of Battle Appendix B: Imperial Japanese Army Order of Battle Appendix C: Luzon Campaign Medals of Honor Appendix D: Casualty Comparison Bibliography

Read more less

Book Synopsis

Read more less

Book Synopsis

Read more less

Book SynopsisWithout Borders: The Haqqani Network and the Road to Kabul is the untold story of the origins, political awakening, and rise of what the United States and its allies call the Haqqani Network, and what the Haqqani family calls the Haqqani Mujahideen. The author lived with the Haqqanis as a young reporter for the New York Times in the 1980s, in the mountains of eastern Afghanistan, when they were America's allies in the Afghan-Soviet war. After 9/11, the network became America's enemy. This book tells the exciting story of how the author began to try to find the Haqqanis again, and, later, his quest to understand their influence in the greater Middle East. This is the story of the rise of an ideology and movement born in the Mongol conquest of Baghdad in 1258, which resurfaced in Arabia and India in the 18th Century, lived on in the anti-Christian, anti-British, anti-European, and anti-Russian colonial movements of the 19th and 20th centuries, and in modern times evolved, with American help, into the Haqqani Mujahideen and their allies and followers around the world.

Read more less

a huge range and FREE tracked UK delivery on ALL orders.

Read more less

Book Synopsis

Read more less

Book SynopsisFrom the world of Good Night Stories for Rebel Girls comes the historical novel based on the life of Junko Tabei, the first female climber to summit Mount Everest.Junko is bad at athletics. Really bad. Other students laugh because they think she is small and weak. Then her teacher takes the class on a trip to a mountain. It's bigger than any Junko's ever seen, but she is determined to make it to the top. Ganbatte, her teacher tells her. Do your best.After that first trip, Junko becomes a mountaineer in body and spirit. She climbs snowy mountains, rocky mountains, and even faraway mountains outside of her home country of Japan. She joins clubs and befriends fellow climbers who love the mountains as much as she does. Then, Junko does something that's never been done before... she becomes the first woman to climb the tallest mountain in the world.Junko Tabei Masters the Mountains is the story of the first woman to climb Mount Everest. Even more than that, it's a story about conquering fears, personal growth, and never shying away from a challenge.This historical fiction chapter book includes additional text on Junko Tabei's lasting legacy, as well as educational activities designed to strengthen physical skills and conquer fears.About the Rebel Girls Chapter Book SeriesMeet extraordinary real-life heroines in the Good Night Stories for Rebel Girls chapter book series! Introducing stories based on the lives of extraordinary women in global history, each stunningly designed chapter book features beautiful illustrations from a female artist as well as bonus activities in the backmatter to encourage kids to explore the various fields in which each of these women thrived. The perfect gift to inspire any young reader!

Read more less

Book SynopsisWhat does contemporary China's diverse and exciting fiction tell us about its culture, and the relationship between art and politics? The Subplot takes us on a lively journey through a literary landscape like you’ve never seen before: a vast migrant-worker poetry movement, homoerotic romances by “rotten girls,” swaggering literary popstars, millionaire e-writers churning out the longest-ever novels, underground comics, the surreal works of Yu Hua, Yan Lianke, and Nobel laureate Mo Yan, and what is widely hailed as a golden age of Chinese science fiction. Chinese online fiction is now the largest publishing platform in the world. Fueled by her passionate engagement with Chinese literature and culture, Megan Walsh, a brilliant young critic, shows us why it’s important to finally pay attention to Chinese fiction—an exuberant drama that illustrates the complex relationship between art and politics, one that is increasingly shaping the West as well. Turns out, writers write neither what their government nor foreign readers want or expect, and they work on a different wavelength to keep alive ideas and events that are either overlooked or off limits. The Subplot vividly captures the ways in which literature offers an alternative—perhaps truer—understanding of the contradictions that make up China itself.Trade ReviewA New Yorker Best Book of 2022 An Economist Best Book of 2022 “Engaging, informative and — considering the ground it covers in 135 pages — astonishingly nuanced, The Subplot primes us to dig into her list of suggested further reading.” —The Wall Street Journal “A lively, lucid survey of contemporary Chinese fiction.... Walsh delivers a wry cornucopia, inviting for general readers who don’t know Mo Yan from Han Han.” —The New York Times “Illuminating...offers a superb introduction to Chinese publishing and the clever, subversive ways it’s thriving.” —Ron Charles, The Washington Post “A wonderful, pacy tour of contemporary Chinese literature.” —The Economist “A portal into people’s hearts and minds by exploring contemporary Chinese literature.” —GlobalAsia “Concise and fast-paced.... The Subplot will make you want to read more Chinese fiction.” —The New Statesman “An illuminating insight into the web fiction, sci-fi and subtle dissent read by one-fifth of humanity.” —Financial Times “A sharp, revealing portrait of contemporary China.... Elegantly written and fascinating.” —Adam Foulds, author of The Quickening Maze “An eye-opening glimpse into China’s ‘intentionally hazy’ authoritarian political climate of censorship and propaganda…. A succinct, fascinating overview of literary ambivalence in China.” —Kirkus Reviews “Drawing on a rich field of research, The Subplot not only crosses the language barrier, opening a window for the world to see contemporary Chinese literature, but it could also be an invaluable record for young Chinese people, both in China and overseas, to think about how society is affected by China's fast-pace of change.” —Xinran, author of The Good Women of China “In The Subplot, Megan Walsh showcases the diversity and vitality of contemporary Chinese literature. With economy and wit, she shows us why it’s so necessary to read literature to understand the story of China today.” —Angie Baecker, University of Hong Kong “A jaw-dropping look at what mainland Chinese are reading right now. Megan Walsh tells us why, in this time of China’s economic ascension, its literature is both liberating—and soul-crushing.” —Jan Wong, author of Red China Blues “We are what we read. As China is rising, people are naturally interested in what the Chinese are reading. This overview of the literature in China offers an interesting perspective of a country that is reshaping the world.” —Lijia Zhang, author of the novel Lotus and of Socialism Is Great!: A Worker’s Memoir of China

Read more less

Book SynopsisWithout the horse, India would not be this India ... The history of the horse in India is an epic tale of life and war, of migration and intermingling, and points towards a greater history throughout the world, the history of humans and animals in symbiosis.

Read more less

Book Synopsis

Read more less

Book SynopsisDuring the 1970s and early 80s, dozens - perhaps hundreds - of Japanese civilians were kidnapped by North Korean commandos and forced to live in 'Invitation Only Zones', high-security detention-centres masked as exclusive areas, on the outskirts of Pyongyang.The objective? To brainwash the abductees with the regime's ideology, and train them to spy on the state's behalf. But the project faltered; when indoctrination failed, the captives were forced to teach North Korean operatives how to pass as Japanese, to help them infiltrate hostile neighbouring nations.For years, the Japanese and North Korean authorities brushed off these disappearances, but in 2002 Kim Jong Il admitted to kidnapping thirteen citizens, returning five of them - the remaining eight were declared dead. In The Invitation Only Zone, Boynton, an investigative journalist, speaks with the abductees, nationalists and diplomats, and crab fishermen, to try and untangle both the kidnappings and the intensely complicated relations between North Korea and Japan. The result is a fierce and fascinating exploration of North Korea's mysterious machinations, and the vexed politics of Northeast Asia.Trade ReviewThe book reads like a modern day episode of 'The Twilight Zone, except it's completely true. * Mark Bowden, author of Black Hawk Down *Like Alice in Wonderland, the stories of the abductees reveal a society where logic has been turned upside down. Boynton's skillful reporting brings vividly to life a world that is enshrouded in mystery and paranoia. -- Lawrence Wright, Pulitzer Prize-winning author of The Looming TowerThe Invitation-Only Zone is a rare feat of investigative reporting. Robert Boynton's relentless pursuit of the chilling story of Japanese citizens abducted to the outskirts of Pyongyang, brings us well inside the heavily-policed realm of Kim Il-Song and his son, Kim Jong-Il. * Gay Talese *Engaging reading, surreal in some of the Orwellian detail. * Kirkus Review *The Invitation-Only Zone is a compelling examination of one of the most shocking chapters in North Korea's contemporary history. Impressively researched and documented, it is a book which must be read by anyone seeking insight into the behavior of the Pyongyang regime and why it is regarded with such fear and loathing by its neighbors, especially Japan. * Stephen Bosworth, ambassador to South Korea and Special Representative for North Korean Policy *A fascinating and compelling account of the bizarre events that changed the course of recent Japanese history. Robert Boynton has probed beneath the media sensationalism that has so far surrounded the abductions, and revealed an extraordinary story with roots lying deep in the troubled history of Korea and Japan. * Prof. Tessa Morris-Suzuki, Exodus to North Korea: Shadows from Japan's Cold War *With poignant and lucid prose, Robert Boynton dignifies the lives of the victims of North Korea's state-sponsored abductions of Japanese citizens during the 1970s and 80s. Confronting complications and contradictions on all sides, it reveals a web of powerful forces and gives much needed dimensionality to a story fit for Hollywood. * Prof. Alexis Dudden, Japan's Colonization of Korea *In assessing the fallout, both political and personal, Boynton is at his most acute. * The Independent *

Read more less

Book SynopsisProvides a comprehensive overview of the activities of the British navy in the Indian and Pacific Oceans from the earliest times to the present. This book outlines the early voyages of the English East India Company, its building of its own naval forces and its conflicts with Indian states. It examines the opening up of the Pacific Ocean, the wars with the French in the eighteenth and early nineteenth centuries and the activities of the British navy in the later nineteenth century, both off the coasts of China and Japan, and also in the many other places to which the navy's very great power extended. It goes on to consider the wars of the twentieth century, Britain's withdrawal from east of Suez, and Britain's continuing relative decline. Throughout, the book provides accounts of battles and other actions, and relates the activities of the British navy to the wider political situation and to the activities of other European and Asian navies.Trade ReviewThis is a huge canvas, and John Grainger draws on his considerable experience as a naval author to give the reader an overview and hopefully a stimulus for further research. -- Jon Wise * Warship *Creates an engaging narrative which is far more accessible than older reference volumes that precede this work. In addition to providing a chronology for scholars, it will also prove to be a very enjoyable text for interested non-specialist readers. * INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF MARITIME HISTORY *This text equips those thinking about the future of the region to understand the strategic advantage that the sea provides. -- Andrew Lambert * THE MARINER'S MIRROR *Table of ContentsIntroduction Part I: The Company and the Bombay Marine 1. The Company's Early Struggles (1600-1625) 2. The Company Survives (1625-1680) 3. Interlopers and Union (1680-1710) 4. Wider Interests, Greater Threats (1710-1750) Part II. The Bombay Marine and the Royal Navy 5. British Dominance Established (1748-1763) 6. The French Threat Continues (1763-1782) 7. The Decisive War (1782-1783) 8. A Ring of Enemies (1783-1803) 9 Destroying all Rivals (1803-1811) Part III: The Royal Navy and the Indian Navy 10. The Company Reduced, its Empire Expanded (1811-1838) 11. Imperial Warfare (1838-1863) 12. The British Lake (1863-1935) 13. A Successful Defence (1935-1945) 14. Imperial Withdrawal (1945 and after) Bibliography

Read more less

Book SynopsisBetween the ninth and the fifteenth centuries, Central Asia was a major political, economic and cultural hub on the Eurasian continent. In the first half of the thirteenth century it was also the pre-eminent centre of power in the largest land-based empire the world has ever seen. This third volume of Christoph Baumer's extensively praised and lavishly illustrated new history of the region is above all a story of invasion, when tumultuous and often brutal conquest profoundly shaped the later history of the globe. The author explores the rise of Islam and the remarkable victories of the Arab armies which - inspired by their vital, austere and egalitarian desert faith - established important new dynasties like the Seljuks, Karakhanids and Ghaznavids. A golden age of artistic, literary and scientific innovation came to a sudden end when, between 1219 and 1260, Genghiz Khan and his successors overran the Chorasmian-Abbasid lands. Dr Baumer shows that the Mongol conquests, while shattering to their enemies, nevertheless resulted in much greater mercantile and cultural contact between Central Asia and Western Europe.Trade ReviewA rarity - a labour of love, scholarship and high-class publishing ... an astounding achievement. * Literary Review *Many have written about Genghis Khan and his successors' national and international military campaigns. But seldom has the prose been so lucid and the illustrations so illuminating ... Under Baumer's expert guidance and firm hand, historians, religious scholars and the non-specialist can follow Genghis Khan's Islamic predecessors and the Mongols along the surface of the earth. * The Spectator *

Read more less

Book Synopsis'The kind of history deserving of a cinematic blockbuster' Julia Lovell, Literary Review'[A] gripping and meticulously researched account of an epic effort to transport delicate scrolls, paintings and carvings thousands of miles under the threat of bombing and invasion' Rana Mitter, Times Literary Supplement'Brilliant and thrilling... A tale of daring and adventure... A desperate race against time' Paul French, South China Morning Post_____The gripping true story of the intrepid curators who saved China's finest art from the ravages of the Sino-Japanese War and World War II.Spring 1933. The silent courtyards and palaces of Peking's Forbidden City are tense with fear and expectation. Japan's aircraft drone overhead; its troops and tanks are only hours away. All-out war between China and Japan is coming, and the curators of the Forbidden City are faced with an impossible question: how will they protect the vast imperial art collections in their charge?The magnificent collections contain a million pieces of art - objects that carry China's deepest and most ancient memories. Among them are irreplaceable artefacts: exquisite paintings on silk, vanishingly rare Ming porcelain and the extraordinary Stone Drums of Qin, which are adorned with 2,500-year-old inscriptions of crucial cultural significance.For sixteen terrifying years, under the quiet leadership of museum director Ma Heng, the curators would go on to transport the imperial art collections thousands of miles across China - up rivers of white water, across mountain ranges and through burning cities. In their search for safety the curators and their fragile, invaluable cargo journeyed through the maelstrom of violence, chaos and starvation that was China's Second World War.Told for the first time in English and playing out across a vast historical canvas, this is the exhilarating story of a small group of men and women who, when faced with war's onslaught on civilisation, chose to resist.'Fascinating... Brookes marries a reporter's grasp of detail with a novelist's narrative flair to bring clarity and readability to a complicated period of China's troubled history' Mail on SundayTrade ReviewA compelling story of art, war and adventure. An extraordinary odyssey of the imperial treasures of the Forbidden City, protected by heroic and remarkable curators... Superb -- Simon Sebag Montefiore, author of STALIN: THE COURT OF THE RED TSARA story of bravery and ingenuity, and equally of the critical role cultural heritage plays in forming and maintaining national identity. * Wall Street Journal *So much more than a work of art history, Brookes's book illuminates the exceptional dramas of the Chinese front in the Second World War, a theatre of the conflict that is still insufficiently understood -- Julia Lovell * Literary Review *Adam Brookes has an eye for a great story and knows how to tell it. Fragile Cargo cannot fail to delight... I enjoyed it enormously -- John Keay, author of CHINA: A HISTORYA riveting read... With his meticulously researched and detailed writing, Adam Brookes takes us on a compelling journey through this extraordinary chapter of Chinese history. Fragile Cargo reads like a thriller... Gripping stuff -- Alexi Kaye Campbell, writer of feature film WOMAN IN GOLD

Read more less

Book SynopsisColin Thurbon’s beautiful prose unfolds along the Silk Road, unearthing a richly layered past on his most ambitious journey. On buses, donkey carts, trains, jeeps and camels, Colin Thubron traces the drifts of the first great trade route out of the heart of China into the mountains of Central Asia, across northern Afghanistan and the plains of Iran into Kurdish Turkey. A magnificent account of an ancient world in modern ferment, Thubron covers over 7000 miles in eight months enduring a near-miss with a drunk-driver, incarceration in a Chinese cell, and undergoing root canal treatment without anaesthetic, along the way.VINTAGE VOYAGES: A world of journeys, from the tallest mountains to the depths of the mindTrade ReviewIt is hard to think of a better travel book written this century * The Times *A beautiful and profound travel book * Mail on Sunday *A masterpiece of travel writing ... a classic * New Statesman *Thubron is a very hardy traveller, and a very fine writer...[it is] a book of exceptional erudition, adventure and elegance -- Robert Macfarlane * Spectator *A poetic volume - interesting, shocking and deeply engaging, the work of a mature writer at the top of his game -- Sara Wheeler * Daily Telegraph *

Read more less

Book SynopsisThis is the go-to volume on bushido ("the way of the warrior"), drawing on a wide range of historical sources to paint a vivid picture of the samurai in action and separating the truth from the myth of samurai chivalry. It offers a long-overdue update to the attractive but inaccurate portrait of the samurai painted in Bushido: The Soul of Japan, which has been a bestseller ever since its publication in 1905, and the equally idealistic Hagakure (c.1716). In The Book of Bushido, Antony explores the reality of warrior behaviour versus the idealistic depiction created for an Edwardian audience by the author of Bushido: The Soul of Japan. He reveals the truth of how the samurai really behaved and of what they considered to be a warrior ethos. He replaces the image of the perfect eastern warrior with the much more interesting reality of hardened, bloodstained military leaders with human failings and a complex set of ideas about the world, who engage in ritual, magic and ceremony, who lead their followers in war and peace and who, above all, are fighting a battle between addiction to power and morality. This is the story of bushido – the way of the samurai.

Read more less

Book Synopsis"I was not prepared for how deeply this book captivated me ... Ghosts, Monsters, and Demons of India is exemplary of what a book can be, how it can operate. It's a bridge across space, time, and language" -Robin Sloan, author of Mr. Penumbra's 24-Hour Bookstore An encyclopedia of evil entities and folkloric fiends from across India, from Ladakh to Kerala, Lakshadweep to Nagaland, Naraka to Tuchenkwaka, complete with 60 spooky illustrations. Inside this book you will find ... Killer robots built with stolen Roman engineering technology that once guarded the relics of the Buddha The ghost of a 21-year-old motorcyclist whose Enfield Bullet is venerated at a highway temple in Rajasthan A Himalayan drum-playing spirit-teacher whose wife is a fearsome Yeti Diabolical entities conjured into existence by the simultaneous deaths of seven tigers Triple-rooted night-flying Vedic necromancers Call-centre employees from beyond the grave The dreaded Ngalei Ahmaw of Maraland, whose victims' heads detach themselves from their bodies at night and go wandering in search of blood ... AND MORETrade Review"[The authors] have done an astounding job of documenting, in vivid and highly entertaining detail, the imaginative ways in which people from the Indian subcontinent relate to, and make sense of their lives, relationships, and the world they inhabit ... a thrilling romp through the annals of what goes bump in the Indian night." - Helen Nde, Mythological Africans "Ghosts, Monsters and Demons of India is a must-read entry in the literary search for human meaning. It’s a trek through the dark corners of India’s cultural imagination populated with nightmarish creatures, demons, dark forest stalkers and all manner of grisly entities. It’s also a fantastic read." - Exquisite Terror Magazine

Read more less

Book Synopsis"Eurasian Crossroads" is the first comprehensive history of Xinjiang, the vast central Eurasian region bordering India, Pakistan, Afghanistan, Tajikistan, Kyrgyzstan, Kazakhstan, Russia, and Mongolia. Forming one-sixth of the People's Republic of China (PRC), Xinjiang stands at the crossroads between China, India, the Mediterranean, and Russia and has, since the Bronze Age, played a pivotal role in the social, cultural, and political development of Asia and the world. Xinjiang's population comprises Kazakhs, Kirghiz, and Uighurs, all Turkic Muslim peoples, as well as Han Chinese, and competing Chinese and Turkic nationalist visions boiled over into insurrection in 2009. This book provides the essential historical and cultural background to this fascinating part of the world. This new edition brings the story of the Uighurs up to date.Trade Review'[An] excellent ... and invaluable book.' -- Jonathan Mirsky, New York Review of Books'[A] very accessible, well written history of Xinjiang.' -- Jeffrey Wasserstrom, ‘Best China Books of 2020’, Five Books'The scope and depth of Mr. Millward's latest text is unmatched.' -- Ilaria Maria Sala, Far Eastern Economic Review'The requisite scholarly reading on the region.' -- Nicolas Becquelin, China Quarterly'Well written, well documented, analytical, detailed and stimulating. I recommend it strongly.' -- Colin MacKerras, American Historical Review'The first successful attempt to grapple with the entire history of Xinjiang ... Recommended.' -- Choice'Eurasian Crossroads is a highly readable history of this vast and crucial region, where China's high-speed development drive collides with the aspirations of Muslim communities for national identity and cultural preservation. James Millward skillfully weaves all the different strands of Xinjiang's complex history into the colorful tapestry of his book, which is set to become the definitive reference on Xinjiang for laymen and scholars alike.' -- Rob Gifford, former China correspondent for National Public Radio'Eurasian Crossroads is a superbly written history of a region little known to American readers. James Millward introduces many fascinating, diverse actors into the story of Xinjiang and makes excellent use of existing monographs and primary source material. There is no comparable study in the field.' -- Peter C. Perdue, T.T. and Wei Fong Chao Professor of Asian Civilizations, Massachusetts Institute of Technology'A masterful and insightful piece of integrative scholarship, unique in the literature in its scope and execution, and a pleasure to read.' -- Morgan Liu, H-Soyuz

Read more less

Book SynopsisThe Noncooperation Movement of 1920-22, led by Mahatma Gandhi, challenged every aspect of British rule in India. It was supported by people from all levels of the social hierarchy and united Hindus and Muslims in a way never again achieved by Indian nationalists. It was remarkably nonviolent. In all, it was one of the major mass protests of modern times. Yet there are almost no accounts of the entire movement, although many aspects of it have been covered by local-level studies. This volume both brings together and builds on these studies, looking at fractious all-India debates over strategy; the major grievances that drove local-level campaigns; the ways leaders braided together these streams of protest within a nationalist agenda; and the distinctive features of popular nonviolence for a righteous cause. David Hardiman's previous volume, The Nonviolent Struggle for Indian Freedom, examined the history of nonviolent resistance in the Indian nationalist movement. The present volume takes his study forward to examine the culmination of this first surge of struggle. While the campaign of 1920-22 did not achieve its desired objective of immediate self-rule, it did succeed in shaking to the core the authority of the British in India.Trade Review'Hardiman is among the foremost scholars of modern South Asian history. This work is highly original--a careful, and thoroughly fair, assessment of nonviolent politics. Much more than a new summation of existing research, it significantly expands the scope of what is usually understood as the Noncooperation movement.' -- Partha Chatterjee, Senior Research Scholar in Anthropology and Middle Eastern, South Asian, and African Studies, University of Columbia, and author of 'A Possible India: Essays in Political Criticism''The most detailed and sophisticated study of Noncooperation yet. More than just an historical narrative timed for its centenary, Hardiman addresses the most important intellectual and political problems raised by the movement. Lucid, gripping, and wholly original.' -- Faisal Devji, Professor of Indian History and Director of the Asian Studies Centre, University of Oxford'A vital, in-depth treatment of Noncooperation. Hardiman illuminates the politics of solidarity among Hindus, Muslims, and workers, the forging of unity and nonviolent discipline, and the tensions between ethical and strategic approaches to satyagraha. An important read for students of nonviolent resistance.' -- Erica Chenoweth, Professor, John F. Kennedy School of Government, Harvard University'Examining the range of movements drawn into Non-Cooperation under Gandhi’s leadership, Hardiman shows how tensions among elite leaders, and between them and popular movements, made it impossible to transform the upheaval into a coherent national movement. A welcome analysis illuminating "non-violence" and the dynamics of Indian politics.' -- Judith M. Brown, Beit Professor Emeritus of Commonwealth History, University of Oxford

Read more less

Book SynopsisIf not for the famous Indian mutiny-rebellion of 1857, the Santal 'Hul' (rebellion) of 1855 would today be remembered as the most serious uprising that the East India Company ever faced. Instead, this rebellion-to which 10 per cent of the Bengal Army's infantry was committed and in which at least 10,000 Santals died-has been forgotten. While its memory lived among Santals, British officers published little about it, and most of the sepoys involved died in 1857. In the words of one British officer, the Hul was 'not war ... but execution', and perhaps thus was dismissed as unworthy of attention by military historians. Drawing for the first time on the Bengal officers' voluminous reports on its suppression, Peter Stanley has produced the first comprehensive interpretation of the Hul, investigating why it occurred, how it was fought and why it ended as it did. Despite the Bengal Army virtually inventing counterinsurgency operations in the field (and the Santals improvising their first war), the Hul came to an end amid starvation and disease. But between its bloody outbreak, its protracted suppression and its far-reaching effects, Stanley demonstrates that the Hul was more than just 'execution'-it was indeed a war.Trade Review‘Hul! Hul! provides a unique insight into the oft-overlooked Santal rebellion of 1855… For the first time, the rebellion… has been explored largely through the military records of the East India Company and has thrown new light upon the nature of the tribal uprising.’ -- Frontline'A gripping account of an important episode in India’s colonial history seen from a nuanced military-social perspective. The Hul was overshadowed by the events of the great uprising of 1857 but has finally been resurrected by the chronicler that it deserves.' -- Rana Chhina MBE, Editor, United Service Institution of India (USI) Centre for Armed Forces Historical Research'That Santals stood to be shot every time their drums beat for a Santal is both poignant and chilling, as is this book—the most comprehensive, riveting retelling of the rebellion—a history that continues to inform and define the Santals.' -- Ruby Hembrom, founder and Director of adivaani, and author of Disaibon Hul'A thorough study of the 1855 Santal Rebellion which rocked the Bengal Presidency. Stanley portrays the origin, course and consequences of the Adivasi insurgency and British counterinsurgency based on the British military records. Incisive and thought-provoking.' -- Kaushik Roy, Guru Nanak Chair Professor, Jadavpur University, and Global Fellow, Peace Research Institute Oslo'Lucidly written, imaginatively structured, and richly documented. This fascinating account of the Santal rebellion, which lies at the unusual intersection of Adivasi history and military history, is a must-read for scholars of both these fields.' -- Sangeeta Dasgupta, Associate Professor, Centre for Historical Studies, Jawaharlal Nehru University'Anchored in painstaking research undertaken in archives across several continents, Hul! Hul! is a thoughtful, judiciously balanced and richly textured account of the origins, events and legacies of one of the largest yet hitherto overlooked uprisings against colonial rule in India. A compelling narrative from which students of military history, Indian history and imperial history will all stand to profit.' -- Douglas Peers, Professor of History, University of Waterloo

Read more less

Book SynopsisHistorians have long regarded fashion as something peculiarly Western. In this surprising, sumptuously illustrated book, Antonia Finnane challenges this view, which she argues is based on nineteenth- and twentieth-century representations of Chinese dress as traditional and unchanging. Fashions, she shows, were part of Chinese life in the late imperial era, even if a fashion industry was not then apparent. In the early twentieth century the key features of modern fashion became evident, particularly in Shanghai, and rapidly changing dress styles showed the effects. The volatility of Chinese dress throughout the twentieth century matched vicissitudes in national politics. Finnane describes in detail how the close-fitting jacket and high collar of the 1911 Revolutionary period, the skirt and jacket-blouse of the May Fourth era, and the military style popular in the Cultural Revolution gave way finally to the variegated, globalized wardrobe of today. She brilliantly connects China’s modernization and global visibility with changes in dress, offering a vivid portrait of the complex, subtle, and sometimes contradictory ways the people of China have worn their nation on their backs.Trade Review'It is clear from these pages how frequently the world of fashion has turned to China for inspiration.' -- Los Angeles Times'[A] beautifully illustrated book... with delightful analysis of how gender, class,and nationalism have influenced Chinese fashions through the ages.' -- The China Beat'Finnane has produced an impressive history of modern Chinese fashion and much more. It will be a vital cores text for students of Chinese cultural history for decades to come.' -- -- The Journal of Asian Studies'Changing Clothes in China is beautifully produced, offering readers a splendid visual presentation of its rich content.' -- Business History Review'This book makes important contributions to scholarship in the areas of both history and fashion.' -- American Historical Review'This attractive and approachable book presents an overview of Chinese dress, both male and female, from the late imperial period to the present. ... It is a significant addition to the literature and ... I know of no immediate competitors with which this can be compared.Its publication is to be welcomed as a contribution to the debates about culture, modernity and gender in twentieth-century China, and, more widely, to the growing body of work on clothing and identity. ' * Verity Wilson, formerly Curator of Costume, Victoria and Albert Museum, London' *'This is the long-awaited, authoritative and definitive study of fashion in modern China, a topic if not a nascent field that has attracted recent scholarly and media attention. The author, a pioneer in this area, has accomplished an incredible feat-producing a vigorously-argued book that would advance intellectual debates while remaining accessible to the general reader. This book has a great many strengths. Previous Anglophone monographs on Chinese dress-by Vollmer, Garrett and Wilson for example-were works of collectors and museum curators. They focus on the material construction of dress and their regional or social variations at the expense of systemic cultural and economic analyses. As a result, the meaning of "fashion" as a cultural-economic phenomenon in China remains dimly understood. This is the first book-length work that situates "fashion" in historical contexts, from the world trading system and urban development to revolutionary movements in modern China. ... The book will launch fashion study as a serious intellectual endeavor in the field of Chinese studies while appealing to scholars in comparative fields (fashion studies, socio-economic history, cultural history, and post-colonial studies) and the general reader alike. It would make an appropriate textbook in an advanced undergraduate class on modern Chinese history or comparative history of fashion.' - * Professor Dorothy Ko, Columbia University *

Read more less

Book SynopsisThe historiography of modern India is largely a pageant of presumed virtues: harmonious territorial unity, religious impartiality, the miraculous survival of electoral norms in the world's most populous democracy. Even critics of injustices within Indian society still underwrite such claims. But how well does the 'Idea of India' correspond to the realities of the Union?In an iconoclastic intervention, Marxist historian Perry Anderson provides an unforgettable reading of the Subcontinent's passage through Independence and the catastrophe of Partition, the idiosyncratic and corrosive vanities of Gandhi and Nehru, and the close interrelationship of Indian democracy and caste inequality. The Indian Ideology caused uproar on first publication in 2012, not least for breaking with euphemisms for Delhi's occupation of Kashmir. This new, expanded edition includes the author's reply to his critics, an interview with the late Praful Bidwai of the Indian weekly Outlook, and a postscript on India under the rule of Narendra Modi. Anderson considers whether his regime is as much of a break with the practices and thought processes of Congress rule as is generally supposed.Trade ReviewA magnificent achievement. It is a product of his ability, near-unique in today's world of ideas, to distill a country's history and politics into a few thousand words that are at once combative and informative * Business Standard, New Delhi *Anderson's scepticism towards India's claim to be a postcolonial democracy uniquely untainted by repression, emergency powers and other dark arts of territorial "unity" is timely -- Maria Misra * Prospect *Perry Anderson brings together a set of arguments that will be received with disquiet by the scholars and ideologues who have constructed a celebratory, self-righteous consensus about the Indian Republic. Instead of writing off the unspeakable violence and egregious injustice in our society as aberrations in an otherwise successful model, Anderson points to serious structural flaws and the deep seated social prejudices of those who have administered the Indian State in the decades since Independence. It is important to read this book seriously, with equanimity and an open mind, instead of flinching and turning away from it -- Arundhati RoyWell sourced and artfully crafted, offering a comprehensive history of India's ideology -- Yahya Chaudhry * Jacobin *Anderson is unanswerable when he points to a consistent Indian pattern of silence, evasion, and distortion about India's military occupation of Kashmir and its attendant regime of extrajudicial execution, torture, and detention. Many readers will be struck by the evidence Anderson adduces of the insidious dominance of upper-caste Hindus in every realm of social and political life and by his portrait of the primordial politics of caste and religion, which have enshrined a patrimonial state built on nepotism and dynasty worship. Admirers of Gandhi and Nehru will encounter many awkward facts, especially regarding their roles in the partition of India, a calamity usually blamed on British colonial administrators and Indian Muslim leaders -- Pankaj Mishra * Foreign Affairs *Exposes some substantial faultlines in recent Indian writing about India and with some justice questions the emerging consensus around India's democratic successes -- David Arnold * Times Literary Supplement *With his sharp and lucid prose, Anderson strips away many of the liberal myths surrounding Mohandas Gandhi, Jawaharlal Nehru, and Indian democracy itself. His incisive insights, his sweeping vision, his invocation of telling detail are all here in full measure -- Ravi Palat * Critical Asian Studies *

Read more less

Book SynopsisChina's emergence as a twenty-first-century global economic, cultural, and political power is often presented as a story of what Chinese leader Xi Jinping calls the nation's "great rejuvenation," a story narrated as the return of China to its "rightful" place at the center of the world.In China's Revolutions in the Modern World, historian Rebecca E. Karl argues that China's contemporary emergence is best seen not as a "return," but rather as the product of revolutionary and counter-revolutionary activity and imaginings. From the Taipings in the mid-nineteenth century through nationalist, anti-imperialist, cultural, and socialist revolutions to today's capitalist-inflected Communist State, modern China has been made in intellectual dissonance and class struggle, in mass democratic movements and global war, in socialism and anti-socialism, in repression and conflict by multiple generations of Chinese people mobilized to seize history and make the future in their own name. Through China's successive revolutions, the contours of our contemporary world have taken shape. This brief interpretive history shows how.Trade ReviewRebecca Karl brings to life in wonderful detail the successive revolutionary moments that constituted modern China, illuminating their importance even when they failed to achieve their goals. Although that modern world may now be behind us, Karl shows how the modern Chinese experiments provide an essential basis for thinking revolution in our future. -- Michael Hardt, co-author of AssemblyHow do we reckon with "state communism" and the twentieth-century revolutions now that they have passed? This is not an abstract question, but a pressing concern for all those who are committed to the long struggle against capitalism during the current interregnum. Rebecca Karl's China's Revolutions in the Modern World underscores the centrality of China's revolutionary experience to global modernity, and, through an analysis of China's one and a half centuries of revolution in its many permutations, offers readers a deepened understanding of revolution itself. -- Prof. Christopher Connery, University of California, Santa CruzKarl blows away the manufactured fog that has obscured our understanding of China's radical history. She allows us to see the patterns of serial revolution that have brought so much turmoil and innovation to modernity. Breathtaking and indispensable! * Andrew Ross, author of Fast Boat to China: Lessons from Shanghai and Stone Men *It is exceedingly rare for a book to provide both a synthetic, comprehensive overview of a complex historical period and new, original perspectives for our understanding of that period: Rebecca Karl achieves just that in this clearly written and insightful volume. By investigating seven revolutionary moments, from the Taiping to 1989, Karl shows us that China's revolutions were part and parcel of global struggles to define possible futures. Unabashedly anti-teleological, theoretically inspired, and politically engaged, China's Revolution in the Modern World is a perfect introduction to modern China for non-specialists, an excellent teaching tool, but also a revealing read for China specialists, who will find much to think with in this volume. -- Fabio Lanza, author of The End of Concern: Maoist China, Activism, and Asian StudiesChina's Revolutions in the Modern World is an insightful, sometimes provocative, and always readable survey of the most tumultuous events in China's history. Karl provides a convincing narrative of political, social, and intellectual change while offering a unique global perspective as well as nuanced discussions of gender and historiographical issues. This book would make an excellent introductory text in university undergraduate courses. -- Peter Zarrow, author of China in War and Revolution, After Empire: The Conceptual Transformation of the Chinese State, and Educating ChinaA tour de force re-narration of modern China's revolutionary moments. Written with uncommon grace and lucidity, Karl invites readers to rethink China's past as lived creations of the present and explorations of possible futures. A spectacular achievement! -- Ching Kwan Lee, author of The Specter of Global ChinaRebecca Karl's masterful study of revolution in modern China shows us how revolutionary movements became thinkable. -- Asad Haider, author of Mistaken IdentityA concise and thought-provoking overview of nearly two centuries of Chinese revolutionary movements by historian Rebecca Karl, starting with the Taiping Rebellion which broke out in 1850. -- Carlos Martinez * Morning Star *

Read more less

Book SynopsisChina's resistance to Imperial Japan was the other great internationalist cause of the 'red 1930s', along with the Spanish Civil War. These desperate and bloody struggles were personified in the lives of Norman Bethune and others who volunteered in both conflicts. The story of Red Friends starts in the 1920s when, encouraged by the newly formed Communist International, Chinese nationalists and leftists united to fight warlords and foreign domination.John Sexton has unearthearthed the histories of foreigners who joined the Chinese revolution. He follows Comintern militants, journalists, spies, adventurers, Trotskyists, and mission kids whose involvement helped, and sometimes hindered, China's revolutionaries. Most were internationalists who, while strongly identifying with China's struggle, saw it as just one theatre in a world revolution. The present rulers in Beijing, however, buoyed by China's powerhouse economy, commemorate them as 'foreign friends' who aided China's 'peaceful rise' to great power status. Red Friends is part of Verso's growing China list, which includes China's Revolution in the Modern World and China in One Village. Founded on original research, it is a stirring story of idealists struggling against the odds to found a better future. The author's interviews with survivors and descendants add colour and humanity to lives both heroic and tragic.Trade ReviewA fascinating read, based on deep knowledge of the "red friends". People of all kinds and various nationalities, mostly Western, Sexton has an obvious sympathy with them, but also the ability to give the unvarnished truth where necessary. Sexton is sensitive, often witty and also innovative, uncovering hitherto unfamiliar material. Not only well written, but really excellent scholarship. -- Colin Mackerras, Professor Emeritus, Griffith University, AustraliaThis book is a comprehensive guide to an intricate history of the Chinese Communist movement seen through the eyes of foreign activists who contributed to its final victory. It is an enthralling collection of human stories well-written and captivating. Marked by abundant historical details and facts, yet elegantly designated for a general reader, it stands out as an extremely useful source of information for everyone who is interested in communist studies. It is an enchanting anthology of tales about foreign participants in the Chinese revolution - Russian, German, Dutch, American, Indian, New Zealand, British, Polish, and Japanese. Some of them are well-known, some others much less so. Some were staunch Stalinists, some others stubborn Trotskyists or Maoists, some were idealists, some others pure pragmatists. But all were inspired by a heroic struggle of the Chinese people for national and social liberation and were dedicated to the Chinese revolutionary course regardless of their political denominations. This book pays homage to every one of them shedding abundant light on their lives and fates. -- Alexander V. Pantsov, professor of history and holds the Edward and Mary Catherine Gerhold Chair in the Humanities at Capital University in Columbus, OhioRed Friends is a kind of book I've been waiting for a long time. The indispensable international dimension of the otherwise indigenous Chinese revolutions deserves an honest and fully explored history. In particular, the communist revolution in China was profoundly internationalist, in its self-consciousness and engagements as much as its regional and global magnetism. John Sexton most skilfully recounts important personal and collective experiences of 'red' foreign participants in China's protracted liberation struggle. These fascinating stories, involving far reaching and complex contextual narratives across national and partisan boundaries, are told in an elegant prose with great historical sensibility. At a perilous time of capitalist nationalism and imperialism, this book is a powerful and refreshing reminder of a lost world where revolutionary nationalism and internationalism were born twins. -- Lin Chun, Professor in Comparative Politics at the LSE, author of Revolution and Counterrevolution in China (2021).

Read more less

Book SynopsisFrom long lost paintings to ephemeral sculptures; from whimsical performances to iconic public murals; and from independent films to landmark design objects, the surprising and provocative contents of Moving Focus, India have been provided by a varied group of experts. A first of its kind, this book invited 54 artists, curators, historians and writers to each create a list of five works of art, made at any time since 1900, by artists living in India or identifying as part of its diaspora. With over 250 individual nominations, including artists whose works have been exhibited at venues as various as Houghton Hall (Anish Kapoor, 2020), the Asia Society Museum, New York (MF Husain, 2019) and the Piramal Museum of Art, Mumbai (SH Raza, 2018), the exercise produced thrilling and unexpected choices across many mediums. Drawing from a wide range of private and public collections, the selections reveal the diversity and inclusiveness of today’s art scene: an art scene that has embraced the progressive changes evident in society at large. In addition to these lists, the book includes reflections on collecting, curating and canon-formation from a range of important voices, by way of a roundtable discussion and a series of essays. Spread over two volumes and marked by an innovative and fresh design sensibility, whether you are familiar with modern and contemporary art from the subcontinent or looking for an introduction, Moving Focus, India contains a wealth of information. Lavishly illustrated with over 1,000 archival and freshly commissioned photographs, this book is an important and timely addition to the global art discourse and a key source of reference. Nominated artists include Ramkinkar Baij, Chittaprosad, VS Gaitonde, Amrita Sher Gil, Rummana Hussain, Bhupen Khakhar, Nasreen Mohamedi, Benode Behari Mukherjee, Meera Mukherjee, Mrinalini Mukherjee, Gieve Patel, Sudhir Patwardhan, Nilima Sheikh, Jangarh Singh Shyam, KG Subramanyan, Vivan Sundaram, Zarina and many more.

Read more less

Book SynopsisA sweeping journey through the ebbs and flows of Pakistan's history.

Read more less

Book SynopsisThe central issues discussed in this new collected work in the highly successful ancient textiles series are the relationships between fiber resources and availability on the one hand and the ways those resources were exploited to produce textiles on the other. Technological and economic practices - for example, the strategies by which raw materials were acquired and prepared - in the production of textiles play a major role in the papers collected here.Contributions investigate the beginnings of wool use in western Asia and southeastern Europe. The importance of wool in considerations of early textiles is due to at least two factors. First, both wild as well as some domesticated sheep are characterized by a hairy rather than a woolly coat. This raises the question of when and where woolly sheep emerged, a question that has not up to now been resolvable by genetic or other biological analyses. Second, wool as a fiber has played a major role both economically and socially in both western Asian and European societies from as early as the 3rd millennium BCE in Mesopotamia, and it continues to do so, in different ways, up to the modern day. Despite the importance of wool as a fiber resource contributors demonstrate clearly that its development and use can only be properly addressed in the context of a consideration of other fibers, both plant and animal. Only within a framework that takes into account historically and regionally variable strategies of procurement, processing, and the products of different types of fibers is it possible to gain real insights into the changing roles played by fibers and textiles in the lives of people in different places and times in the past.With relatively rare, albeit sometimes spectacular exceptions, archaeological contexts offer only poor conditions of preservation for textiles. As a result, archaeologists are dependent on indirect or proxy indicators such as textile tools (e.g., loom weights, spindle whorls) and the analysis of faunal remains to explore a range of such proxies and methods by which they may be analyzed and evaluated in order to contribute to an understanding of fiber and textile production and use in the past.Trade ReviewThe research will be a valuable resource for those who study the history of clothing and weaving, as well as ethnographers and archaeologists. * Journal of Dress History *Table of ContentsPreface 1 Introduction 2 The Neolithic Revolution in the Fertile Crescent and the origins of fiber technology 3 Early Wool of Mesopotamia, ca. 7000-3000 BC. Between prestige and economy 4 Continuity and Discontinuity in Neolithic and Chalcolithic Linen Textile Production in the Southern Levant 5 Fibers, Fabrics and Looms: A link between animals fibers and warp weighted looms in the Iron Age Levant 6 An archaic, male exclusive, loom from Oman 7 The TOPOI Research Group "Textile Revolution" - Archaeological background and a multi-proxy approach 8 Fibres to Fibres. Thread to Thread. Comparing Diachronic Changers in Large Spindle Whorl Samples 9 Finding the woolly sheep: meta-analyses of archaeozoological data from Southwest- Asia and Southeast-Europe 10 Taming the Fibres: Traditions and Innovations in the Textile Cultures of Neolithic Greece 11 Ex Oriente Ars? "Anatolianizing" spindle whorls in the Early Bronze Age Aegean islands and their implications for fiber crafts 12 Different skills for different fibres? The use of flax and wool in textile technology of Bronze Age Greece in light of archaeological experiments 13 Neolithic flax production in the pre-Alpine region - Knowledge increase since the 19th century 14 Underrated. Textile-making in Neolithic lakeside settlements in the Northern Alpine Foreland 15 Textile materials in the Mesolithic and Neolithic and their processing 16 Raw materials, Textile Technologies, Innovations and Cultural Response in Central Europe in the 3rd to 1st mill. BC 17 First genetic evidence for the origin of Central European sheep (Ovis ammon f. aries) populations from two different routes of Neolithisation with contributions to the history woolly sheep 18 Sheep Husbandry in the Ancient Near East

Read more less

Book SynopsisThe twenty-four contributions in Look at the Coins! reflect the vast scope of Joe Cribb's interests, including Asian numismatics, museology, poetry and art. The papers are arranged geographically, then chronologically or thematically. The first seven papers look at coins, charms and silver currencies in or from China: Chinese coin-shaped charms, Han dynasty gold unearthed in the Tomb of the Marquis of Haihun, Jiangxi, silver in the history of Chinese currency, a metallurgical and historical study of Song dynasty coins, the Department of Iron Coins at Dongtangzi Hutong in Beijing and the only known annotated plan of a Chinese mint, the six million dollars in silver of the Canton Ransom, and a hoard of Chinese coins found in Turkey. One paper focuses on the coins and medals of the two Pahlavi Shahs of Iran. Nine papers look at finds from ancient Central Asia and Afghanistan: coins of South Soghd in the first two centuries AD, the identity of the rider on Indo-Greek coins, the phonology of Greek names in Kharo??hi script, questions of identity and interpretation in Gandharan reliefs, first-century AD coins in stupa deposits and the beginning of the Buddhist relic cult in Afghanistan, a hoard of Kushan gold coins from Swabi, Gandharan Jatakas, Avadanas and Purvayogas, Indian imitations of Kushan coins, and a new gold coin of Vasudeva I. Four papers relate to India: Roman coins found in India, Hera?ika' in the inscriptions of the Western Deccan (c. 200 BC300), the peck and shroff marks of sixteenth-century North India, andHenry Ernest Stapleton and the coin collection in the Heberden Coin Room, Ashmolean Museum, Oxford. Two papers relate to South East Asia: one revisits the Stamford Raffles' Collections, and the other discusses a hybrid pendant found in Thailand.The last contribution celebrates some of Joe's less well-known interests: poetry, art medals and art photography.

Read more less

Book SynopsisDhirendra Jha's deeply researched history places Nathuram Godse's life as the juncture of the dangerous fault lines in contemporary India: the quest for independence and the rise of Hindu nationalism.On a wintry Delhi evening on 30 January 1948, Nathuram Godse shot Gandhi at point-blank range, forever silencing the man who had delivered independence to his nation. Godse's journey to this moment of international notoriety from small towns in western India is, by turns, both riveting and wrenching. Drawing from previously unpublished archival material, Jha challenges the standard account of Gandhi's assassination, and offers a stunning view on the making of independent India.Born to Brahmin parents, Godse started off as a child mystic. However, success eluded him. The caste system placed him at the top of society but the turbulent times meant that he soon became a disaffected youth, desperately seeking a position in the infant nation. In such confusing times, Godse was one of hundreds, and later thousands, of young Indian men to be steered into the sheltering fold of early Hindutva, Indian nationalism. His association with early formations of the RSS and far-right thinkers such as Sarvakar proves that he was not working alone. Today he is considered to be a patriotic hero by many for his act of bravery, despite being found guilty in court and executed in 1949.Trade ReviewDhirendra K. Jha has anatomized, with calm resourcefulness, the politics and psychology of a fanatic. He has also written a secret and sinister history of modern India-the one we need to understand our ruinous present -- Pankaj MishraThis book goes beyond the plot that resulted in Mahatma Gandhi's assassination, which the author meticulously analyses. It is indeed highly revealing of the omnipresence of the RSS on the Indian political scene in the 1940s. If the organization did not fight British colonialism and did not contest elections, it was intimately related to Savarkar's Hindu Mahasabha, the first Hindutva party, and, more importantly, organically linked to the Hindu Rashtra Dal, a militant body co-founded by Nathuram Godse - a man who, as Dhirendra K. Jha shows, never left the RSS -- Christophe Jaffrelot, author of Modi's IndiaNot just a very readable and credible account of the plot and the people behind Gandhi's murder, including a psychological analysis of his assassin, but a comprehensive study of the wider politics of the Hindu Mahasabha, the RSS and their leaders, including Savarkar, which makes it a must-read and highly relevant in today's context -- Mridula MukherjeeAlthough the biography of Godse is a biography of an assassin whose psychological profile might indicate his tendency towards extreme actions like political murder, it is also a story of a nation whose identity was forever mutated by the fact of British colonialism and the multiple atrocities that colonialism involved. -- Ron Jacobs * Counterpunch *

Read more less

Book Synopsis

Read more less

Book SynopsisIn 1912, Rash Behari Bose made his dramatic entrance into India's anti-colonial freedom movement when he orchestrated a bomb attack against the British Viceroy during a public procession in Delhi. Forced to flee his homeland, Bose settled in Japan, becoming the most influential Indian in Tokyo and earning the affectionate title 'Sensei' among Japanese youth, military personnel and far-right ultranationalists. Throughout the 1920s and 1930s, Bose remained a perpetual thorn in the side of the British Empire as he built and maintained a global network of anti-colonialists, radicals, smugglers and intellectuals. After siding with Imperial Japan against his British adversaries during the Second World War, Bose died in 1945--just two years before India gained its independence. A complex, controversial and often contradictory figure, Bose has been described as a committed democrat, an authoritarian, an advocate of religious harmony, a Hindu chauvinist, an anti-Communist, a political pragmatist, an idealist, a Japanese collaborator, an anti-racist, a cultural conservative, a Pan-Asianist, an Indian nationalist, and much more besides. Drawing on extensive archival research in India, Japan and the UK, this refreshing new biography brings to life the largely forgotten story of one of twentieth-century Asia's most daring revolutionaries.Trade Review'Relocates Rash Behari Bose’s place in modern Indian history.' -- The Times of India'An intriguing account of a forgotten but significant figure in the annals of anticolonialism.' -- Priyamvada Gopal, author of 'Insurgent Empire''Rash Behari Bose is a key figure among Indian "expatriate patriots", and, like many of his contemporaries, defies easy political categorisation. Well-written, fast-paced, and filled with remarkable events, "Fugitive of Empire" is a compelling story.' -- Carolien Stolte, Assistant Professor, University of Leiden, and author of 'The League Against Imperialism''McQuade's meticulously researched biography of Rash Behari Bose reveals the multifaceted nature of anti-colonialism in the first half of the twentieth century. An original and captivating read, connecting waves of revolutionary movements, it fills a major gap in global historiography.' -- Ole Birk Laursen, Researcher, Lund University, and author of 'Anarchy or Chaos: M. P. T. Acharya and the Indian Struggle for Freedom''McQuade's evocative account of Rash Behari Bose reads like a novel, taking us through some of the most dramatic moments of India's struggle for independence and revealing the global dimensions of anti-colonialism during the first half of the twentieth century.' -- Kim A. Wagner, Professor of Global and Imperial History, Queen Mary, University of London, and author of 'The Skull of Alum Bheg' and 'Amritsar 1919'

Read more less

Book Synopsis

Read more less

Book SynopsisThis book addresses the thorny issue regarding the authenticity of the Yulanpen Sūtra, the scriptural source for the Yulanpen Festival or Hungry Ghost Festival in East Asia. The sūtra, which features Mulian (Skr. Maudgalyāyana) adventuring into the Preta realm to rescue his mother, is catalogued in the Chinese Buddhist bibliography with the Indo-Scythian Dharmarakṣa (Ch. Zhu Fahu, ca. 266–308) given as the translator. However, in modern Chinese, Japanese, and Western scholarship, the sūtra is more often than not regarded as a Chinese Buddhist apocryphal scripture and the Mulian myth as an apocryphal story created by Chinese Buddhists to foster the sinicisation and transformation of Indian Buddhism mainly on the grounds that there is no extant Yulanpen Sūtra in Indic sources and that the sūtra stresses Confucian filial piety and ancestor worship. This book challenges these widely held beliefs by demonstrating that filial piety and ancestor worship are not peculiar to Confucian China but also inherent in Indic traditions and that the sūtra is a Chinese creative translation rather than an indigenous Chinese composition.Trade ReviewThe eminent Chinese scholar of Buddhism, Xiaohuan Zhao, once again shows his mastery of the Buddhist canon by tracing the complex movements of this important sutra from India to China. This work provides an important addition for our current understandings of traditional Buddhist religion, literature, art, and history— Thomas Michael, Beijing Normal University, China.This is a most comprehensive attempt at solving the origin of the Yulanpen Sutra. Zhao Xiaohuan had offered us a detailed examination from every angle of this long-lasted controversy and provided a very plausible view of the Indic origin of the Yulanpen Sutra. No future study of this sutra could be done without consulting this book— Mu-chou Poo Visiting Professor Hong Kong University of Science and Technology Adjunct Professor Department of History The Chinese University of Hong Kong Website: http://muchoupoo.wixsite.com/homeTable of ContentsList of Figures; Preface; Author’s Notes; Introduction; 1. Yulanpen Sūtra and Maudgalyāyana; 2. Etymologies of Yulan, Pen and Yulanpen; 3. Yulanpen Sūtra in Chinese Buddhist Catalogues; 4. Yulanpen Sūtra: Apocryphal or Authentic?; Conclusion; Glossary; Bibliography; Index

Read more less

Book SynopsisThe world's largest democracy and second-most populous country, 21st century India is a dynamic nation with a thrusting economy, made up of a variety of beliefs and peoples united under one flag. Its history is a unique story of ancient empires and civilisations, some dating back to humankind's earliest times. Ancient India was home to myriad kingdoms with boundaries that were ever changing while a variety of cultures and religions have flourished over the millennia as the influence of foreign invaders and occupiers has come and gone. The country was under foreign rule from the early 1800s until the demise of the British Raj and independence in 1947. With countless languages and cultures and many religions, India is one of the world's most diverse nations. From the late 1980s, India has opened itself to the outside world, encouraging economic reform and foreign investment and is now courted by the world's leading economic and political powers, including its one-time enemy, China. It is now a major power with a burgeoning middle class, having made substantial strides in areas such as information technology. It has launched a space programme and, famously, boasts a massive film industry, its 'Bollywood' films being amongst the most-watched in the world. Meanwhile, India still has major issues with poverty and illiteracy and campaigns have been launched to alleviate these problems. A Short History of India traces the fascinating path from the India of ancient empires and powerful kingdoms to the flourishing, vibrant nation that it is today.

Read more less

Book SynopsisIn this highly original and now classic text, Ian Buruma explores and compares how Germany and Japan have attempted to come to terms with their violent pasts, and investigates the painful realities of living with guilt, and with its denial.As Buruma travels through both countries, he encounters people whose honesty in confronting their past is strikingly brave, and others who astonish by the ingenuity of their evasions of responsibility. In Auschwitz, Berlin, Hiroshima and Tokyo he explores the contradictory attitudes of scholars, politicians and survivors towards World War II and visits the contrasting monuments that commemorate the atrocities of the war.Buruma allows these opposing voices to reveal how an obsession with the past, especially distorted versions of it, continually causes us to question who should indeed pay the wages of guilt.Trade Review"'A comparative study of great subtlety and intelligence' Spectator * 'A profound book' Hugh Trevor-Roper, Sunday Telegraph 'Absorbing and sometimes surprising' A. C. Grayling, Financial Times 'Buruma's sensitive account... is most disturbing to read. I strongly recommend [this] unusual book.' Sunday Times"

Read more less

a huge range and FREE tracked UK delivery on ALL orders.

Read more less

Book SynopsisIn The Story of India, Michael Wood weaves a spellbinding narrative out of the 10,000-year history of the subcontinent. Home today to more than a fifth of the world's population, India gave birth to the oldest and most influential civilization on Earth, to four world religions, and to the world's largest democracy.Now, as India bids to become a global economic giant, Michael sets out on an epic journey across this vibrant country to trace the roots of India's present in the incredible riches of her past. The Story of India is a magical mixture of history and travelogue, and an unforgettable portrait of India - past, present and future.Trade ReviewAn entertaining history of one of the world's most fascinating places * Daily Telegraph on the hardback edition *A marvellously vivid portrait of India's 10,000-year-old cultural and religious history...Gorgeously illustrated and intelligently written, this is both an erudite and entertaining history * Sunday Telegraph on the hardback edition *This is a beautifully illustrated cultural history, a traveller's tale and a compelling and readable guide to the rise and rise of a civilization * The Good Book Guide on the hardback edition *Michael Wood is the maker of some of the best television documentaries ever made on history and archaeology. * Times Literary Supplement *

Read more less

Book SynopsisIn Babylon, Paul Kriwaczek tells the story of ancient Mesopotamia from the earliest settlements around 5400 BC, to the eclipse of Babylon by the Persians in the sixth century BC. He chronicles the rise and fall of dynastic power during this period; he examines its numerous material, social and cultural innovations and inventions: The wheel, civil, engineering, building bricks, the centralized state, the division of labour, organised religion, sculpture, education, mathematics, law and monumental building. At the heart of Kriwaczek's magisterial account, though, is the glory of Babylon - 'gateway to the gods' - which rose to glorious prominence under the Amorite king Hammurabi, who unified Babylonia between 1800 and 1750 BC. While Babylonian power would rise and fall over the ensuing centuries, it retained its importance as a cultural, religious and political centre until its fall to Cyrus the Great of Persia in 539 BC.

Read more less

Book SynopsisThis book begins in 1820 with the Portuguese attempt to create a third, African, empire after the virtual loss of Asia and America. In the nineteenth century the most valuable resource extracted from Angola was agricultural labour, first as privately owned slaves and later as conscript workers. The colony was managed by a few marine officers, by several hundred white political convicts, and by a couple of thousand black Angolans who had adopted Portuguese language and culture. The hub was the harbour city of Luanda which grew in the twentieth century to be a dynamic metropolis of several million people. The export of labour was gradually replaced when an agrarian revolution enabled white Portuguese immigrants to drive black Angolan labourers to produce sugar-cane, cotton, maize and above all coffee. During the twentieth century this wealth was supplemented by Congo copper, by gem-quality diamonds, and by off-shore oil. Although much of the countryside retained its dollar-a-day peasant economy, new wealth generated conflict which pitted white against black, north against south, coast against highland, American allies against Russian allies.The generation of warfare finally ended in 2002 when national reconstruction could begin on Portuguese colonial foundations.Trade Review'This is a fabulous book, an inspiring work of scholarship that reflects the author's deep engagement with Angola for over half a century. With humour and literary skill, Birmingham condenses several hundred years of compelling history without skipping detail. By the end, you begin to understand why contemporary Angola is like it is.' * Lara Pawson, author of In the Name of the People: Angola's Forgotten Massacre *'This is an exciting excursion through Angola's past conducted by its most authoritative historian. Already in colonial times as rich as French West Africa and today perhaps the most dynamic economy in Africa, Angola is described through the writings of travellers and the experiences of its people, with no attempt to disguise the traumas inflicted on them by colonial rulers, dictators and warlords.' * Malyn Newitt, Professor of History in the Department of Portuguese and Brazilian Studies, King's College London *'Angola is now a key player and power-broker across Africa, and so an understanding of the unique historical forces that have shaped it is more important than ever. There are few outsiders who know the country better than David Birmingham, and he has written a timely and incredibly readable book on this rising power. His great knowledge and insight shines through on every page with vignettes and description which tell the tortured story of Angola's rise to nationhood.' - * Toby Green, Lecturer in Lusophone African History and Culture, King's College London and editor of Guinea-Bissau: Micro-State to 'Narco-State' *

Read more less

Book SynopsisThe Maldives is a small and beautiful archipelago south of India, more renowned for luxury resorts than experiments in democracy. It is a country of contradictions, where tourists sip cocktails on the beach while on nearby islands local women are flogged for extramarital sex and blackmarket vodka costs $140 a bottle. Until 2008 the Maldives also hosted Asia's longest-serving dictator, Maumoon Abdul Gayoom. A former political prisoner, Mohamed Nasheed, an environmental activist, journalist, and politician, brought Gayoom's thirty-year autocracy to a sudden end, in the Maldives' first democratic elections. Young, progressive and charismatic, President Nasheed thrust the Maldives into the spotlight as a symbol of the fight against climate change and the struggle for democracy and human rights in one of the world's strictest Islamic societies. But dictatorships are hard to defeat, enduring in a country's institutions and the minds of people conditioned to autocracy over three decades. Democracy brought turmoil, protests, violence and intense political polarisation.The ousted dictatorship overthrew Nasheed's government in February 2012, supported by Islamic radicals and mutinying security forces. Amid Byzantine intrigue, the fight for democracy was just beginning.Trade Review'Little is published on the Maldives ... J.J. Robinson's new book is a rare, welcome contribution. A British-Australian who for several years edited Minivan News, easily the country's best newspaper, he reported close-up on matters to which few outsiders pay great attention.' * Economist *'It is putting it mildly to say that the real Maldives is nothing like the holiday paradise experienced by most of the beach tourists and scuba divers who visit the islands, and JJ Robinson's political history - one of very few to have been published on the Indian Ocean archipelago - tells us why.' * Financial Times *'Entertaining book, which is stuffed with heroes, villains, coups and countercoups, as well as plenty of sex, religion and corruption. It reads like a Carl Hiaasen novel.' * Literary Review *'Maldivians won't thank Robinson for this portrait, and yet it's horribly compelling...there's courage and defiance at the heart of this book...a sad and salutary tale, boldly told.' * The Spectator *'Too little attention has been paid to the Maldives as a country, rather than a luxury resort. As J.J. Robinson notes in this comprehensive, perceptive and readable account of it's recent politics, the island nation has been a bellwether of change, good and bad, across much of the Islamic World. Any one interested in south Asia, and the tensions in many other Muslim countries, should read this excellent book.' * Jason Burke, South Asia correspondent of the Guardian, and author of The New Threat From Islamic Militancy *'A compelling and frightening account of a young democracy betrayed by corruption and Islamic extremism - the Maldives may be a small country, but JJ Robinson's book has lessons that need to be learned worldwide.' * Mark Lynas, climate advisor to former President Nasheed *

Read more less