Asian history Books

Book SynopsisIn relating the story of his life on the island of Deshima and in the port of Yokohama during the late 1850s, Dutch merchant C. T. Assendelft de Coningh provides both an unprecedented eyewitness account of daily life in the Japanese treaty ports and a unique perspective on the economic, military, and political forces the Western imperial powers brought to bear on newly opened Japan.A general Introduction provides essential historical and cultural background as well as a brief biography of De Coningh; substantial footnotes explain those terms, names, and cultural references that may be unfamiliar to modern readers. Thirteen illustrations are included, as are a chronology of events, a bibliography, and an index.Trade ReviewA great read--I couldn't put it down! A Pioneer in Yokohama truly brings the earliest months of the Japanese treaty port to life. From the brief Japanese 'Gold Rush' to duels and terrorist attacks, from the perils of international commerce to hilarious problems of translation and miscommunication, Dutchman De Coningh's memoir provides vivid insights into both nineteenth-century trade and Yokohama’s international community. Moreover, the extraordinary sleuth work done by translator Chaiklin to identify even the most preposterous-seeming events and characters adds the spice of historical confirmation to the drama. . . . A great resource for researchers, classrooms, and casual readers alike. --Sarah Thal, University of Wisconsin-MadisonA marvelous translation. We're all lucky to now have [this work] in English. . . . Chaiklin's introduction is especially good: based on solid research in primary and secondary works, it finds a nice balance between information for specialists and for the general reader. --Joshua Fogel, York UniversityThis is a fresh and distinct account of Japan in the last years of shogunal rule. De Coningh's prose reads almost like a novel, brimming with the thrill of discovery, the despair of homesickness and isolation, and moments of genuine terror. His stories, such as an account of making new friends in a foreign land over stiff drinks, have a wonderful immediacy, as though they were pulled from contemporary student’s blog posts. De Coningh's memoir gives insight into Dutch manners, mores, and politics, while his observations about Japan are astute, nuanced, and appreciative. His account is especially valuable because it contrasts Japan before and after the opening of the treaty ports: De Coningh relates both the cloistered isolation of old Dutch trading post in Nagasaki and the tumult and mayhem of the new port of Yokohama. This is a delightful read for anyone interested in nineteenth-century Japan, but Pioneer also offers insights into European political and economic rivalries. For teaching, it could be used in survey courses, or paired with other [contemporary] memoirs. --Mark Ravina, Emory University

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Book SynopsisThe only extant treatise on statecraft from classical India, the Arthsastra is an invaluable resource for understanding ancient South Asian political thought; it also provides a comprehensive and unparalleled panoramic view of Indian society during the period between the Maurya (320-185 BCE) and Gupta (320-497 CE) empires.This volume offers modern English translations of key selections, organized thematically, from the Arthasastra. A general Introduction briefly traces the arc of ancient South Asian history, explains the classical Indian tradition of statecraft, and discusses the origins and importance of the Arthasastra. Thorough explanatory essays and notes set each excerpt in its intellectual, political, and cultural contexts.Trade Review"It's of great value to nonspecialists to have this classic work of political theory and political prudence available. This carefully edited and lucidly commented volume will be useful for both research and for courses on the comparative history of politics and civilizations." --Randolph C. Head, University of California, RiversideThe translations are the collaborative product of the two leading authorities today on the Arthasastra. . . . Their work is consistently, meticulously accurate throughout, yet written in the most straightforward and direct manner imaginable. The material prefatory to each translated section is, again, clear and accessible. . . . Complex matters are effectively distilled in plain language, and the key issues brought out. Superb on all counts. I have been awaiting such a volume for a long time. --Timothy Lubin, Washington and Lee UniversityMcClish and Olivelle's general Introduction to the Arthasastra is destined to become a classic in the field of South Asian studies; they have translated the text itself in an accessible style that students and general readers alike will comprehend and enjoy. --James Frey, University of Wisconsin, OshkoshTable of ContentsIntroduction; Authorship & Date: The Cāṇakya Legend, The Composer of the Arthaśāstra: the Historical Kauṭilya, Date & Location of the Arthaśāstra; Historical Context: The Indus Valley Period, The Vedic Period, The Classical Period; Arthaśāstra: Text & Tradition: The Concept of "artha", The Genre of Śāstra, The Tradition of Statecraft, Structure & Style of the Text; The World of the Arthaśāstra: Kingship & Royal Authority, Ruling a Kingdom, The King's Administration, The Layout of the Kingdom, Society, Religion & Ethics, Conquest & Success. The Arthaśāstra -- How to be Good King; The Kingdom; Central Administration; The Judiciary; Internal Security & Suppression of Criminal Activities; Foreign Affairs; War; Index of Passages.

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Book SynopsisIn this rare firsthand account of an individual's pursuit of sagehood, the early Ming dynasty scholar and teacher Wu Yubi chronicles his progress and his setbacks, as he strives to integrate the Neo-Confucian practices of self-examination and self-cultivation into everyday life. In more than three hundred entries, spanning much of his adult life, Wu paints a vivid picture, not only of the life of the mind, but also of the life of a teacher of modest means, struggling to make ends meet in a rural community.This volume features M. Theresa Kelleher's superb translation of Wu's journal, along with translations of more than a dozen letters from his personal correspondence. A general Introduction discusses Neo-Confucianism and the Ming dynasty, and includes biographical information that puts the main work in context. A substantial commentary on the journal discusses the obstacles and supports Wu encounters in pursuit of his goal, the conflict between discipline and restraint of the self and the nurturing and expanding of the self, Wu's successes and failures, and Wu’s role as a teacher.Also included are a map of the Ming dynasty, a pronunciation guide, a chronology of Chinese dynasties, a glossary of names, a glossary of book titles, and suggestions for further reading.Trade ReviewWu Yubi undertook his intense inward turn toward self-perfection and sagehood in a political atmosphere of severe intellectual repression when it had become impossible for any thinker to venture outside the state-sanctioned Neo-Confucian orthodoxy. Wu found that the orthodoxy itself could be taken to furnish effective guidelines to making oneself a better person. His diary shows how demanding, frustrating, and unending such a quest might turn out to be. . . . Kelleher has beautifully accomplished the demanding job of addressing the needs of specialists, students and general readers. She has placed Wu Yubi in historical and cultural context and has made him humanly accessible. --John Dardess, University of Kansas

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Book SynopsisIn this rare firsthand account of an individual's pursuit of sagehood, the early Ming dynasty scholar and teacher Wu Yubi chronicles his progress and his setbacks, as he strives to integrate the Neo-Confucian practices of self-examination and self-cultivation into everyday life. In more than three hundred entries, spanning much of his adult life, Wu paints a vivid picture, not only of the life of the mind, but also of the life of a teacher of modest means, struggling to make ends meet in a rural community.This volume features M. Theresa Kelleher's superb translation of Wu's journal, along with translations of more than a dozen letters from his personal correspondence. A general Introduction discusses Neo-Confucianism and the Ming dynasty, and includes biographical information that puts the main work in context. A substantial commentary on the journal discusses the obstacles and supports Wu encounters in pursuit of his goal, the conflict between discipline and restraint of the self and the nurturing and expanding of the self, Wu's successes and failures, and Wu’s role as a teacher.Also included are a map of the Ming dynasty, a pronunciation guide, a chronology of Chinese dynasties, a glossary of names, a glossary of book titles, and suggestions for further reading.Trade ReviewWu Yubi undertook his intense inward turn toward self-perfection and sagehood in a political atmosphere of severe intellectual repression when it had become impossible for any thinker to venture outside the state-sanctioned Neo-Confucian orthodoxy. Wu found that the orthodoxy itself could be taken to furnish effective guidelines to making oneself a better person. His diary shows how demanding, frustrating, and unending such a quest might turn out to be. . . . Kelleher has beautifully accomplished the demanding job of addressing the needs of specialists, students and general readers. She has placed Wu Yubi in historical and cultural context and has made him humanly accessible. --John Dardess, University of Kansas

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Book Synopsis"Here at last is the text that many college teachers of Chinese, Asian, and world history have been waiting for: an accessible collection of primary sources on the life of the Italian Jesuit Matteo Ricci and the Catholic mission that he helped establish in China. Ricci's missionary career indeed constituted a key moment in modern history, for it was through his examples and recommendations that the Jesuits in China collectively adopted an accommodative approach to Chinese culture and embarked on various projects of cultural translation that resulted in the first wave of sustained interactions between Chinese and European civilizations. Instructors and students alike will benefit greatly from Hsia's lucid introduction, which sets Ricci's life story against the broader background of Portuguese Asia, Catholic renewal, and late Ming China; the pithy, informative introductory statements preceding each document; a chronological chart of major relevant events; and an excellent annotated bibliography of primary and secondary sources in multiple languages. This is a very affordable text produced at the highest academic standards." —Qiong Zhang, Associate Professor of History, Wake Forest UniversityTrade Review"An unparalleled window into this crucial encounter between multiple worlds." —Joanna Waley-Cohen, Julius Silver Professor of History, New York University"A highly accessible introduction to the history of the Jesuits in China. Hsia offers a clear and concise overview of the key figures in this crucial episode of intercultural encounter: the first intellectual and cultural meeting of Europeans and Chinese. . . . In addition to providing a broad vision of the European and Asian contexts for Ricci’s work in the introductory essay, Hsia gives a valuable selection of documents from both Chinese and Western sources in translation . . . [including] items that genuinely demonstrate the two sides of this cultural exchange." —Liam Matthew Brockey, Professor of History, Michigan State University"[A] valuable contribution to the field. Paired with a suitable companion volume, this book can lead to many fruitful and critical discussions about the nature of East–West encounters in the early modern period. This alone makes Hsia's book a valuable addition to the field of early modern history." —Michael Laver, Rochester Institute of Technology, in Education About Asia"Hsia's collection of source materials allows the reader to formulate his or her own conclusions—positive or pejorative—about the East-West encounter between Ricci and China. . . . [W]hat gives this book utility is the judiciously chosen series of original documents, some of which Hsia himself has translated in order to fill in areas previously missing in Ricci studies. Among the documents that more effectively reveal how Matteo Ricci formed his opinions of Chinese religion and influenced his missionary 'method,' are those that recount his discussions with Chinese Buddhist clerics and Confucian literati. . . . Such documents as this are useful examples of how East-West intellectual dialogue can be both creatively informative, while also being a frustrating illustration of how these disparate modes of thinking elude one another in veils of misunderstanding. That Hsia has now published these critical documents in one volume is a significant service to the field of China studies. [A] welcome addition to the scholarly project of better understanding how the Jesuit mission to China planted the seeds of cultural engagement and dialogue that have grown into the academic disciplines that look critically at Asia's historical past and cultural present." —Anthony E. Clark, in Journal of Jesuit Studies

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Book Synopsis"Here at last is the text that many college teachers of Chinese, Asian, and world history have been waiting for: an accessible collection of primary sources on the life of the Italian Jesuit Matteo Ricci and the Catholic mission that he helped establish in China. Ricci's missionary career indeed constituted a key moment in modern history, for it was through his examples and recommendations that the Jesuits in China collectively adopted an accommodative approach to Chinese culture and embarked on various projects of cultural translation that resulted in the first wave of sustained interactions between Chinese and European civilizations. Instructors and students alike will benefit greatly from Hsia's lucid introduction, which sets Ricci's life story against the broader background of Portuguese Asia, Catholic renewal, and late Ming China; the pithy, informative introductory statements preceding each document; a chronological chart of major relevant events; and an excellent annotated bibliography of primary and secondary sources in multiple languages. This is a very affordable text produced at the highest academic standards." —Qiong Zhang, Associate Professor of History, Wake Forest UniversityTrade Review"An unparalleled window into this crucial encounter between multiple worlds." —Joanna Waley-Cohen, Julius Silver Professor of History, New York University"A highly accessible introduction to the history of the Jesuits in China. Hsia offers a clear and concise overview of the key figures in this crucial episode of intercultural encounter: the first intellectual and cultural meeting of Europeans and Chinese. . . . In addition to providing a broad vision of the European and Asian contexts for Ricci’s work in the introductory essay, Hsia gives a valuable selection of documents from both Chinese and Western sources in translation . . . [including] items that genuinely demonstrate the two sides of this cultural exchange." —Liam Matthew Brockey, Professor of History, Michigan State University

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Book SynopsisThe saga of the Three Kingdoms—which recounts the dramatic story of the civil wars (ca. 180–220 CE) that divided the old Han Empire into the Shu, Wei, and Wu states—remains as popular as ever in China, having served as the basis of not only traditional operas and ballads, but also, in more recent years, of movies, television dramas, and video games. Translated into English for the first time here, the Sanguozhi pinghua (thirteenth century CE) provides a complete and fast-paced narrative account of the events of the period, from the beginning of the civil wars to the demise of the Three Kingdoms and the short-lived reunification of the realm by the Jin dynasty. Shorter, clearer, and more accessible to Western audiences than Luo Guanzhong’s later, greatly expanded Romance (Sanguo yanyi)—and beautifully rendered in this edition by two modern-day masters of the art of Chinese literary translation—the Records of the Three Kingdoms in Plain Language provides an ideal introduction to one of the foundational Chinese epic traditions. Tables of major Chinese dynasties and reigns, a guide to understanding formal Chinese naming conventions, a glossary of Chinese names and terms, and reproductions of some woodcuts from the original edition of the text are included.Trade Review"Idema and West have been collaborating on the production of scholarly works on, and translations of, Chinese vernacular literature for decades and work has set a very high standard for scholarly value, accuracy, and readability. This is their second volume on popular treatments of the famous Three Kingdoms period, a fascinating age that, as a topic, has dominated both traditional Chinese fiction and drama. . . . Records of the Three Kingdoms in Plain Language . . . presents a comprehensive introduction to all of the main characters (Liu Bei, Guan Yu, Zhang Fei, Cao Cao, Zhou Yu, etc.) and events (the Oath in the Peach Garden, The Battle at the Red Cliff, The Single Sword Meeting, etc.) that are so well known in China and deserve to be even better known in the West." —David Rolston, University of Michigan"A rollicking story cycle translated into lively English and ideal for undergraduate instruction. Also a crisp yet well annotated Introduction. Idema and West are two the best!" —Paul R. Goldin, University of Pennsylvania"The anonymous compiler of Records of the Three Kingdoms in Plain Language did not attempt to include all of the rich tapestry of narratives then available on the events of the Three Kingdoms era. Compared to the later Romance of the Three Kingdoms, it is significantly shorter . . . action and dialogue are prioritized over description, creating a narrative that is fast-paced and easy to read. "As with their earlier works, West and Idema skillfully navigate the tensions inherent in literary translation. The text succeeds in the difficult task of sticking close to the linguistic contours of the original text while producing a readable and enjoyable English rendering. "Plentiful notes explain historical and cultural references, anachronisms and historical inaccuracies, and discuss translation choices and their rationale. More supporting information is provided in the in-depth introduction to the history and legend of the Three Kingdoms era, the plain tale form in general, and this work in particular, while the thorough bibliography in English and Chinese is a valuable resource for research on the topic. The rigorous approach to the translation further contributes to its value as a resource. "Overall, this is a welcome and high quality addition to the existing English translations of early Chinese narrative literature, and a fantastic resource for research on both the Three Kingdoms story cycle and the plain tale form." —Ewan MacDonald, University of London, in Bulletin of the School of Oriental and African Studies

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Book SynopsisIn existence for 258 years, the English East India Company ran a complex, highly integrated global trading network. It supplied the tea for the Boston Tea Party, the cotton textiles used to purchase slaves in Africa, and the opium for China’s nineteenth-century addiction. In India it expanded from a few small coastal settlements to govern territories that far exceeded the British Isles in extent and population. It minted coins in its name, established law courts and prisons, and prosecuted wars with one of the world’s largest armies. Over time, the Company developed a pronounced and aggressive colonialism that laid the foundation for Britain’s Eastern empire. A study of the Company, therefore, is a study of the rise of the modern world. In clear, engaging prose, Ian Barrow sets the rise and fall of the Company into political, economic, and cultural contexts and explains how and why the Company was transformed from a maritime trading entity into a territorial colonial state. Excerpts from eighteen primary documents illustrate the main themes and ideas discussed in the text. Maps, illustrations, a glossary, and a chronology are also included.Trade Review"Ian Barrow has written a concise yet engaging, rich, and detailed history of the East India Company—its rise to power, evolution, and eventual demise. This book will be read with great interest by students as well as those general readers seeking a better knowledge of the world's first multi-national corporation and its important influence in the creation of the modern South Asian world." —Michael Dodson, Indiana University Bloomington"The book fills in a gap in scholarship on the English East India Company by providing a chronological guide to the Company's Indian activities. The East India Company serves as a reference for researchers starting their study of the English East India Company and as a source of information for students. Moreover, the selected primary sources provided at the end of the book represent an excellent entry into the study of the primary sources connected to contemporary English debates about the activities of the Company." —Karolina Hutková, London School of Economics, in The Economic History Review"Ian Barrow's slim volume uses the East India Company (or, as he refers to it throughout the book, simply the 'Company') as a case study through which to examine Britain's colonial journey. From the Company’s inception in 1600 to its formal dissolution in 1874, its trajectory reflects England's expanding global trade to obtaining a foothold in foreign lands to its problematic role as a colonizing country, through the growing challenges to and eventual collapse of that colonial authority. It is a concise history, but works well at bringing those multiple threads into one story. . . . There are many resources in this volume that will be beneficial for students and nonspecialists. A chronology, glossary, and series of maps provide useful aids to understanding and visualizing new concepts in the readings. Barrow closes with a concise and easily comprehensible summation of how the Company's story is important as a case study of colonial rule and imperialism, and this will be one of the book's most valuable aspects for educators. It is a story that is easy to follow, even in its complexity, and incorporates economic, religious, ethnic, political, and military history throughout the narrative. Students should find various topics that will hold their interest in this very readable book." —Michelle Damian, Monmouth College, in Education About Asia

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Book Synopsis"Scholars who know classical Chinese have been reading and citing Hon Mai's wonderful collection for many years. Now students can access these informative materials through Zhang's lively English translations. They are both fun to read and deeply informative about daily life, religion, markets, and multiple social groups in the twelfth century. The comprehensive thematic guide allows readers to locate tales by subject matter, making this collection of 100 narratives ideal for classroom use." —Valerie Hansen, Yale UniversityTrade Review"With these selections and translations from hong Mai's Record of the Listener, Zhang discloses, for the very first time to anglophone students and scholars, the variety and complexity of late medieval Chinese society. . . . Here we see representations of all social classes and occupations and all religious vocations—Buddhist monks, Daoist priests, Confucian literati, diviners, and mediums—as they interact to resolve familial tensions, realize their personal aspirations, and gain control over both their lives and their afterlives. . . . Zhang provides an extensive and lucid Introduction to Hong Mai and the Song Dynasty, as well as a unique thematic index that will allow teacher and student to cross-reference all the stories and reconstruct a picture of Chinese society in the twelfth century in far greater detail than is possible for any other medieval society, east or west. Brava!" —Edward L. Davis, University of Hawai'i at Mānoa"This readable and reliable translation of 100 selected narratives from Hong Mai's Yijian Zhi is ideal for courses in Chinese history or religion. Some of the best medieval Chinese ghost stories are around in these pages." —Paul R. Goldin, University of Pennsylvania

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Book Synopsis"The travel writings of Matsuo Bashō are of enormous literary importance, and so it is a joy to see them collected in this compact volume, in translations of exemplary elegance, faithfulness, and accessibility. The annotations are especially valuable: they show a solid grasp of the author’s life, work, and times, and provide rich and detailed background information about allusions to Chinese and Japanese classics. Along with the high quality of the translations themselves, this thorough commentary makes the book a significant scholarly resource and will help readers appreciate the density and delicacy of Bashō’s writing. A very welcome addition to the English-language literature on one of the central poets of the Japanese tradition." —David B. Lurie, Columbia UniversityTrade Review"Destined to delight readers with its vibrant, spot-on translations, this definitive collection of haiku grandmaster Bashō’s travel writings, in prose as well as poetry, conveys the exquisite pleasures and heartbreaks of the road as a metaphor for life itself." —Adam L. Kern, University of Wisconsin–Madison"Steven Carter is an outstanding scholar and translator, and his work here is superb. The six poetic travel diaries that he includes range from Bashō’s most beloved works to several lesser-known gems. With its copious and insightful annotations, introductions, maps, and appendices, all of which are informed by the best and latest Japanese scholarship, Travel Writings will long be the go-to source in English for Bashō’s lyrical travel ruminations. The work is sure to appeal to poets, students, and scholars alike, many of whom may be inspired to set out, with book in hand, to retrace the steps of the great seventeenth-century haikai master through the hinterlands of Japan." —R. Keller Kimbrough, University of Colorado Boulder

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Book SynopsisBy the time U.S. Commodore Matthew Perry's squadron of four ships sailed into Tokyo Bay on July 8, 1853, the Japanese Tokugawa government had already fended off similarly unwelcome intrusions by the French, the Russians, the Dutch, and the British. These Western imperialists had the power and the means to force Japan into the kinds of treaties that would effectively spell the end of Japan’s autonomy, maybe even its existence as an independent country. At the same moment, Japan was also grappling with a serious insurrection, the death of an emperor, and the death of a shogun—as well as with a series of natural disasters and associated famines. The Japanese response to this incredible series of catastrophes would permanently alter the balance of geopolitical power around the world. Drawing on the best recent scholarship, this short introductory volume examines the motivations and maneuvers of the major participants in the conflict and sets the "opening" of Japan in the context of broader global history. Selections from twenty-​nine primary sources provide firsthand accounts of the event from a variety of perspectives. Several illustrations are also included, along with a note on historiographic interpretation.Trade Review"In this concise volume, Clark provides a nice split between detailed yet engaging narrative history—of the sort required to understand Japan in the context of the nineteenth century world—and primary sources that include updated translations, previously unused sources, classic texts, and helpful visual materials. A welcome addition to world, East Asian, and Japanese history courses." —Michael Wert, Marquette University

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Book Synopsis"Frey's concise and readable history of the Indian Rebellion is an excellent introduction to one of the most important wars of the nineteenth century. The rebellion lasted more than a year and pitted broad sections of north Indian society against the British East India Company. British victory consolidated colonial rule that would only be dislodged by twentieth-century nationalist movements. Frey provides a crystal-clear account of the causes, principal events, and consequences of the rebellion. Equally importantly, he deftly discusses why the rebellion remains controversial. Well-chosen documents add texture to the analysis. This is the best short history of the rebellion in print." —Ian Barrow, Middlebury CollegeTrade Review"Frey skillfully condenses and explains the complexities of the Indian sepoy mutiny of 1857 and the campaign to suppress it. This is a heroic achievement. The context provided is extremely helpful and the concluding analysis provides a bold attempt at synthesis. The documents are well selected, being quite different from previous collections. This book is highly detailed and informative, well written, and engaging to read. For undergraduates, postgraduates, and researchers it will be a boon having so much information within a single volume. It will be especially useful in courses addressing South Asian, British, World, or Imperial history." —Crispin Bates, University of Edinburgh

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Book SynopsisOne of the most significant developments in China''s industrialisation is the growth of China''s automotive industry, which is a catalyst for many other linked sectors of its economy. China''s focus on its auto industry and the supporting infrastructure and development patterns could have significant implications for global auto manufacturing and trade. This book discusses issues and implications of China''s auto sector''s development and policies; provides an overview and issues of the United States-Chinese motor vehicle trade; provides trends in United States vehicle exports; and discusses the current state of the United States automotive parts market.

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Book SynopsisFully illustrated reference work on the systems of tank markings used by USMC combat units throughout the campaigns of the Pacific War.

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Book SynopsisRise of the Mongols offers readers a selection of five important works that detail the rise of the Mongol Empire through Chinese eyes. Three of these works were written by officials of South China's Southern Song dynasty and two are from officials from North China writing in the service of the Mongol rulers. Together, these accounts offer a view of the early Mongol Empire very different not just from those of Muslim and Christian travelers and chroniclers, but also from the Mongol tradition embodied in The Secret History of Mongols. The five Chinese source texts (in English translation, each with their own preface): Selections from Random Notes from Court and Country since the Jianyan Years, vol.2, by Li Xinchuan "A Memorandum on the Mong-Tatars," by Zhao Gong "A Sketch of the Black Tatars," by Peng Daya and Xu Ting "Spirit-Path Stele for His Honor Yelü, Director of the Secretariat," by Song Zizhen "Notes on a Journey," by Zhang Dehui Also included are an introduction, index, bibliography, and appendices covering notes on the texts, tables and charts, and a glossary of Chinese and transcribed terms.Trade Review"Our modern fascination with the Mongol empire only increases with each passing year. One global myth even claims that Chinggis Khan’s DNA can be found among most of the races of the world today—a story of genetic seeding that surely testifies to the obsessive awe with which the rulers of the largest empire in the history of the world are still held. The Rise of the Mongols: Five Chinese Sources, is thus a timely, important, and welcome addition to the limited sources on the Mongols currently available to us in English translation. Unlike the Yuanshi—the Chinese history of the Mongol dynasty that is retroactively written—Christopher Atwood’s and Lynn Struve’s five Chinese sources recount the important early days of the Mongol ascension to power through contemporary and even eyewitness accounts situated in both southern and northern China. Whether you're teaching Marco Polo, or The Secret History of the Mongols, or courses in early globalism, you’ll find this invaluable collection of newly-translated Chinese sources indispensable." —Geraldine Heng, author of The Invention of Race in the European Middle Ages, and Founder and Director of the Global Middle Ages Project

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Book SynopsisIn addition to providing excerpts from classic tales of Japan’s warrior past, this volume draws on a wide range of lesser-known but revealing sources—including sword inscriptions, edicts, orders, petitions, and letters—to expand and deepen our understanding of the samurai, from the order’s origins in the fifth century to its abolition in the nineteenth. Taken together with Thomas Donald Conlan’s contextualizing introductions and notes, these sources provide a rare window into the experiences, ideals, and daily lives of these now-sentimentalized warriors. Numerous illustrations, a glossary of terms, and a substantial bibliography further enhance the value of this book to students, scholars, and anyone interested in learning more about the samurai.Trade Review"This sourcebook provides, for the first time in English, translations of the key primary sources for the study of the history of the samurai across all eras of Japanese history. Conlan has framed these sources with compelling historical analysis, making the book required reading not only for students of the warrior class but for everyone interested in the broad sweep of Japanese history. This is an astounding resource."—Morgan Pitelka, The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill"Conlan is to be commended for putting together this volume. Samurai and the Warrior Culture of Japan smartly complements earlier, well-used anthologies but also forges in new directions—delving deeply into documentary sources, in particular—immeasurably enriching the resources available to teachers of pre-modern Japanese history and promising to become a mainstay in the classroom."—David Spafford, University of Pennsylvania

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Book SynopsisThis unique and important anthology of Gandhi's writings offers a judicious, manageable and appealing selection from around 50,000 pages of work published originally in approximately 100 books. Alan Jacobs' choice includes the most telling speeches, news articles, letters, state documents and other writings, including autobiography. We gain an intimate picture of Gandhi's education and early life, his controversial marriage, his South African struggle, his deeply held religious and spiritual principles, his lively Ashram, and his strong political views. We are also told the story of Gandhi's momentous achievement in liberating India from British rule. The book starts with a full Introduction followed by a Biography giving us the main details of a life packed with significant incident. Part One of the selection, containing fascinating extracts detailing each period of Gandhi's eventful life in chronological order, reads like an enthralling narrative. Part Two assembles an assortment of

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Book SynopsisDespatches in this volume include that on the Far East between October 1940 and December 1941, by Air Chief Marshal Sir Robert Brooke-Popham; the despatch on operations in Hong Kong between 8 and 25 December 1941, by Major-General C.M. Maltby, General Officer Commanding British Troops in China; the report on the air operations during the campaigns in Malaya and Netherland East Indies between December 1941 and March 1942; and the important despatch by Percival detailing the fall of Malaya and Fortress Singapore. This unique collection of original documents will prove to be an invaluable resource for historians, students and all those interested in what was one of the most significant periods in British military history.

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Book SynopsisAn empathetic, moving account of what drives indigenous peasants to support armed struggle despite severe state repression, including lives lost, and homes and communities destroyedOver the past decade, the heavily forested, mineral-rich region of Bastar in central India has emerged as one of the most militarized sites in the country. The government calls the Maoist insurgency the "biggest security threat" to India. In 2005, a state-sponsored vigilante movement, the Salwa Judum, burned hundreds of villages, driving their inhabitants into state-controlled camps, drawing on counterinsurgency techniques developed in Malaysia, Vietnam and elsewhere. Apart from rapes and killings, hundreds of "surrendered" Maoist sympathizers were conscripted as auxiliaries. The conflict continues to this day, taking a toll on the lives of civilians, security forces and Maoist cadres.In 2007, Sundar and others took the Indian government to the Supreme Court over the human rights violations arising out of the conflict. In a landmark judgment in 2011 the court banned state support for vigilantism. The Burning Forest describes this brutal war in the heart of India, and what it tells us about the courts, media and politics of the country. The result is a fascinating critical account of Indian democracy.Trade Review“A very important and interesting book which should be widely read … A deeply disturbing analysis of the sacrifice of tribal lives and communities caught between the camouflaged barbarity of the security forces and the violent arrogance of a deflected rebellion. The appeal for reasoned humanity cannot be any stronger—or more eloquent—than this.”—Amartya Sen “How does democracy affect the prosecution of civil war? Nandini Sundar explores this question with untold courage and fierce determination in her remarkable extended ethnography of counter-insurgency in Chhattisgarh (India)—a desperate struggle to clear the land for mineral exploitation. Starting from poor adivasi villagers, aided and abetted by Naxalites, Sundar lays out in dispassionate detail the history of escalating violence, spurred on by the atrocities of a state-sponsored vigilante group and special police force. Stung by the lack of interest in the Indian media and parliament, she and two collaborators pursued and finally won a Supreme Court case against the state of Chhattisgarh. But, again, with no obvious effect. By multiplying opportunities to contest state violence, democratic institutions may have moderated but also extended the civil war. A rare and brilliant treatment of a topic few social scientists would dare to touch, let alone examine at such close quarters and for over two decades.”—Michael Burawoy “The Burning Forest is vivid, challenging and informative—an exemplar of engaged sociology and anthropology. It is a stellar account of the tension between villagers, insurgents and the multiple levels of state action and inaction, the intricate complications of the legal system and of course, the politics of it all. Nandini Sundar’s empathy for the people of the forest and their struggles for a dignified life and livelihood is heart-warming.”—Ari Sitas“This meticulous and powerful book not only documents a brutal regime of internal colonialism in the world’s largest democracy. It reveals the insidious ways in which consent to state oppression is manufactured and amplified. Everyone interested in the commingled fate of democracy and capitalism in the postcolonial world should read this book.” —Pankaj Mishra “Nandini Sundar, an extraordinary anthropologist-activist, pulls no punches in describing the greed and cynical violence of state agencies, mining companies, politicians and immigrants. Her account of life in the Maoist rebel zones is graphic, full of empathy but by no means uncritical. This is a story that everyone who cares about India must read.” —Partha Chatterjee “Nandini Sundar is one of India’s most distinguished anthropologists, and the leading academic authority on Bastar. But she is also one of Indian democracy’s most passionate voices. This is a searing critique of the state, and one that Indian democracy needs to hear.” —Pratap Bhanu Mehta “Every thinking Indian, every citizen who is concerned about the present and future of the Republic, should read The Burning Forest. It is an impeccably researched and finely written work of scholarship, redolent with insight, and displaying enormous courage as well.” —Ramachandra Guha, Hindustan Times “If many places are like Bastar, few books are like The Burning Forest. It resonates with classics on frontiers and dispossession.”—Christian Lund, Journal of Agrarian Change “Sundar’s book is an exceptional expose of the scandal of rural governance in India, a chronicle of State excesses, an anthropologist’s view about how conflicts perpetuate themselves and an account of how India’s democracy is degraded when few are watching. Policymakers ought to take away one the key lesson from it that there really are no military solutions to social conflicts.”—Sushil Aaron, Hindustan Times “Sundar’s book is a must-read for those interested in the genesis and the nature of conflict in Bastar.”—Hindu “The work needs to be celebrated for its scholarship, for its independence and for its courage.”—Tribune

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Book SynopsisHicky's Bengal Gazette is the story of India's first newspaper and its pivotal role in exposing the corruption of the British imperialist project.The story opens in late-eighteenth century Calcutta. The British are well-ensconced in Bengal but the Raj has yet to emerge. Irishman, James August Hicky, arrives in Calcutta as a surgeon's mate, seeking his fame and fortune. He soon finds himself in debtors' prison, however, and it's while in jail that he first acquires the printing press that sets him on a collision course with the British East India Company.Sensing a business opportunity, Hicky established the first newspaper in South Asia but quickly became committed to the freedom of the press at great personal cost. His Gazette exposed corruption in the East India Company and embezzlement in the Christian Church, making himself two powerful enemies in the process: Johann Zacharias Kiernander, an influential missionary and Warren Hast

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Book SynopsisThis book is the first full length political history of the Afghan Army, and as such is unparalleled in the range and depth of its analysis of this vitally important institution. Giustozzi locates the Army's development within the wider context of state- building in Afghanistan. His volume includes a brief survey of the period to 1953, but focuses mainly on subsequent developments, over the last four decades, as the officer corps began to be politicised and later factionalised, especially during the Russian-backed regime of the Communist People's Democratic Party of Afghanistan (PDPA), which ruled the country from 1978 to 1992. Despite the stress on the politics of praetorianism, the volume describes the Afghan Army's performance on the battlefield in detail, highlighting the potential contradiction between military effectiveness and political loyalty to the ruling elite. The volume covers developments to the end of 2013 and is the result of extensive interviews conducted with both Afghan Army officers and their advisers and mentors.Trade ReviewWill undoubtedly be the textbook on this subject. The importance of this book, however, goes far beyond its immediate subject. One of the reasons is that now, as in the past, the Afghan National Army is essential to the survival of the Afghan state. If the army collapses in the face of the Taliban, then, as in 1992 and 1929, not just the present Afghan regime but the state itself will fall and disintegrate--with no foreseeable prospect of it being put back together again. -- Anatol Lieven * New York Review of Books *America has spent 60 billion dollars building up the Afghan army. Today it is certainly big, but why is it not more capable? Giustozzi explores the troubled development of this 'fragile institution' in the context of state formation and the successive political settlements of Afghanistan's conflict-prone past. An authoritative and timely book. -- Professor Theo Farrell, Head of the Department of War StudiesOver the last decade, Antonio Giustozzi's books and articles concerning Afghanistan have established him as one of the world's leading scholars of country, its politics, and conflicts. This most recent book cements his reputation. It represents the first systematic history of a neglected topic - the Afghan Army - and Giustozzi rightly focuses his sophisticated analysis on the politics of this institution and its patrons and clients. This book is both enlightening and persuasive and deserves wide readership from students, scholars, and policymakers of Afghanistan alike. -- Thomas H. Johnson, Research Professor

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Book SynopsisAccording to the mass media, Japanese nationalism is on the rise. Tokyo''s stance on national security is becoming uncharacteristically assertive. This book explores the prospect of Japans remilitarisation and challenges the preconceived approaches taken by existing theories to Japans national security. The book examines Japans pacifism since the Second World War, developments in Japanese military build-up since the late 1960s, and Japans responses to the conflicts in Afghanistan and Iraq.

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Book SynopsisVictoria''s Chinatown is Canada''s oldest Chinese neighbourhood and has a lineage unbroken since 1858. With large-format colour photos and photocollages, Robert Amos and Kileasa Wong take you behind the doors of the 29 private clubs that make up the Chinese Consolidated Benevolent Association, where you''ll see the gilded altars, antique art and ornate furniture that grace the meeting halls. Through stunning pictures and text in both Chinese and English, you will meet the club members and take an inside look at the culture of this complex community. Inside Chinatown is sure to become a landmark publication chronicling the vibrant heritage of Chinese Canadians. Inside Chinatown was voted Monday Magazine''s Non-Fiction Book of the Year, and authors Robert Amos and Kileasa Wong were presented with a 2010 Outstanding Achievement Award from BC Heritage for their work on Inside Chinatown.

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Book SynopsisConceptualizes “graft”— the violent and creative processes of suturing arts as a method of empire building in western eighteenth-century IndiaGrafted Arts focuses on Maratha military rulers and British East India Company officials who used the arts to engage in diplomacy, wage war, compete for prestige, and generate devotion as they allied with (or fought against) each other to control western India in the eighteenth century. This book conceptualizes the artistic combinations that resulted as ones of “graft”—a term that acknowledges the violent and creative processes of suturing arts, and losing and gaining goods, as well as the shifting dynamics among agents who assembled such materials. By tracing grafted arts from multiple perspectives—Maratha and British, artist and patron, soldier and collector—this book charts the methods of empire-building that recast artistic production and collection in western India and from there across India and in Britain. This mercenary method of artistry propagated mixed, fractured, and plundered arts. Indeed, these “grafted arts”—disseminated across India and Britain over the nineteenth century to aid in consolidating empire or revolting against it entirely—remain instigators of nationalist agitation today.Distributed for the Paul Mellon Centre for Studies in British Art

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Book SynopsisIn 2006, the Prime Minister apologized to the Chinese people for the legislated discrimination created by Canada''s head tax laws in the first half of the twentieth century, acknowledging the far-reaching and long-term consequences it has had on their families. A Cowherd in Paradise is the story of one such family. The book chronicles the remarkable lives of Wong Guey Dang (1902-1983) and Jiang Tew Thloo (1911-2002). Ah Dang was born into an impoverished family and sold as a child. In 1921, his adoptive father paid a five-hundred-dollar head tax to send Ah Dang to Canada. Eight years later, driven to create a family of his own, Ah Dang returned to China, where he chose Ah Thloo as his bride from a matchmaker''s photo. As a child, Ah Thloo worked as a cowherd and from the age of six was responsible for her family''s fortune--their water buffalo. Ah Thloo not only became a wife and mother, but also grew to be a courageous defender against invaders and a champion of the weak. Married for over half a century, the couple was forced to live apart for twenty-five years because of Canada''s exclusionary immigration laws. In Canada, Ah Dang became a successful Montreal restaurateur; while in China, Ah Thloo struggled to survive through natural disasters, wars, and revolutions. A Cowherd in Paradise is the moving tale of one couple''s search for love, family, and forgiveness.

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Book SynopsisIn contrast to the widely known experiences of Asian immigrants who came to Canada, this book looks at movement in the opposite direction. Using text and images, it is a collection of stories about how Canadians found Japan, the first place they reached when travelling westward across the Pacific. These connections began as early as 1848, when the adventurous son of a Hudson''s Bay Company trader tempted fate by smuggling himself, disguised as a shipwrecked sailor, into the closed and exotic land of the shoguns. He was followed by an intriguing cast of characters--missionaries, educators, businessmen, social activists, political figures, diplomats, soldiers and occasional misfits--who experienced a rapidly changing Japan as it underwent its remarkable transformation from a largely feudal society to a modern state. Now, when the world is becoming more Asia-centric, Finding Japan provides glimpses into an earlier era that challenged conventional perceptions about Canadian connections across the Pacific.

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Book SynopsisBeyond Beauty is the story of a remarkable journey that Bill Terry and his wife, Rosemary, undertook when they joined a party of Dutch and British alpine plant hunters intent on botanizing on the roof of the world. The expedition travelled in a convoy of eight jeeps over roads that were rarely paved and occasionally terrifying. They crossed fifteen passes, some as high as 5,000 metres (16,500 feet), where even in midsummer, the wind scoured exposed skin.They braved days at high altitude, panting in the thin air of the Tibetan plateau, and were rewarded with collages of rock, moss, lichen, flower, and foliage so sublime they might be imagined as perfect gardens, though no gardener or landscape architect had a hand in their creation.As the journey unfolds, Terry sketches the history of the region and observes life for Tibetans under direct Chinese rule and the ever-alert People''s Liberation Army. He reflects on the potential threat of a massive hydroelectric development to the wellbeing of the millions of people living downstream in Southeast Asia. Terry also contrasts the hardships suffered and dangers faced by pioneer plant hunters a century ago with the relative comfort and safety of modern travel in these remote and exotic lands.Throughout the book, the author''s distinctive photography portrays local custom and culture and celebrates the wildflowers in all their profusion, especially the almost heartbreaking beauty of the Asiatic Poppies.

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Book SynopsisForbidden Fruit is the intriguing story of a passionate North American woman's search for truth, meaning -- and love -- in post-Cultural Revolution China when windows were being thrown open, then slammed shut. ..highly engaging..richly remebered..marvelously deft.. Kirkus

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Book Synopsis Bringing to light the largely overlooked female participation in domestic and international art worlds, this book offers the first comprehensive study of how women embroiderers, traditionalist calligraphers and painters, including Shen Shou, Wu Xingfen, Jin Taotao, and members of Chinese Women’s Society of Calligraphy and Painting, shaped the terrain of the modern art world and gender positioning during China’s important moments of social-cultural transformation from empire to republic. Drawing on a wealth of previously unexhibited artworks, rare artist’s monographs, women’s journals, personal narratives, diaries, and catalogs of international expositions, Doris Sung not only affirms women’s significant roles as guardian and innovator of traditionalist art forms for a modern nation, but she also reveals their contribution to cultural diplomacy and revaluation of Chinese artistic heritage on the international stage in the early twentieth century.

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Book SynopsisThis book is one of the rare examples of an intercultural interpretation of Chinese historical thinking.

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Book SynopsisChinaâs Regional Development Policy: Coexistence of Public Intervention and the Use of Market Mechanisms

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Book SynopsisAn Analysis of the Current Situation of Power-sharing in Selected Asian Countries

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Book SynopsisIn 1959, the Dalai Lama fled Lhasa, leaving the People's Republic of China with a crisis on its Tibetan frontier. Sulmaan Wasif Khan tells the story of the PRC''s response to that crisis and, in doing so, brings to life an extraordinary cast of characters: Chinese diplomats appalled by sky burials, Guomindang spies working with Tibetans in Nepal, traders carrying salt across the Himalayas, and Tibetan Muslims rioting in Lhasa. What Chinese policymakers confronted in Tibet, Khan argues, was not a third world' but a fourth world' problem: Beijing was dealing with peoples whose ways were defined by statelessness. As it sought to tighten control over the restive borderlands, Mao's China moved from a lighter hand to a harder, heavier imperial structure. That change triggered long-lasting shifts in Chinese foreign policy.

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