Description
Book SynopsisTrade Review"Anthony J. Barbieri-Low’s The Many Lives of the First Emperor of China is evidence that historical “meta-analysis” can produce a book as absorbing as a good narrative history...if you’ve ever stood agape at the material riches of the Terracotta Warriors or sunk deep into an armchair with a good work of historical fiction or biography, then this book is also for you."
* Asian Review of Books *
"Offers the most well-rounded depiction available in any language of the First Emperor’s personality, lifestyle, and historical era, as well as the subsequent narratives that for centuries shaped how his reign was understood."
* Los Angeles Review of Books *
"This monograph by Professor Barbieri-Low, like its predecessors, offers brilliant insights into the history of China, and into ways of doing history, by finding a useful perspective that was hitherto ignored."
* Journal of Chinese History *
"Author Barbieri-Low looks at the first emperor of China in a lively, well-written, deeply scholarly book that unpacks how we know what we know about this controversial despot, alternately celebrated and reviled through millennia of history."
* Journal of Anthropological Research *
"Barbieri-Low has created a colorful kaleidoscope from which the reader can learn about the First Emperor, his reign, his impact, and his “many lives” reconstructed by scholars. The book demonstrates the author’s wide-ranging research, erudite knowledge, professional acumen, and elegant writing skills. The entire monograph is stylishly written, poignantly fluent, soundly organized, and logically arranged. Barbieri-Low’s engaging language grabs the attention of the reader who may want to read the whole book in one sitting. For anyone who wants to know more about China’s first empire, its founder, its history, its culture, and its influence, this book is highly recommended."
* Chinese Historical Review *
"The Many Lives of the First Emperor of China is a clearly written, pioneering book that makes tremendous scholarly contributions to Chinese history and culture."
* Journal of Asian Studies *
"An innovative and virtuoso journey through thousands of years of representations of the first emperor of China."
* Journal of Anthropological Research *
