It is rather unfortunate that such a wonderful book has too small pictures. In some pictures, one can hardly see the fine details of the…
View More Beautiful but too small – Splendors of China’s Forbidden City: The Glorious Reign of Emperor QianlongDay: November 7, 2019
Not great – Shameful Flight: The Last Years of the British Empire in India
I expected more from this book. There were 3 clear errors in the Introduction which unfortunately slipped through: 1. On page 4 there was a…
View More Not great – Shameful Flight: The Last Years of the British Empire in IndiaGem of a book – Why the Allies Won
Richard writes very fully. His analysis of key themes of why the Allies won is excellent. The prose flows well and it is a joy…
View More Gem of a book – Why the Allies WonNot a full biography – Return to Dragon Mountain: Memories of a Late Ming Man
According to the review by the Washington Post, “historian Zhang Dai’s long life, which began in 1597 and ended around 1680, spanned the Ming Dynasty’s…
View More Not a full biography – Return to Dragon Mountain: Memories of a Late Ming ManWonderful book – Letters to Auntie Fori: 5000 Years of Jewish History
The author is a prolific historian. This is a wonderful collection of letters written by the author to his 90-year-old friend based in India. She…
View More Wonderful book – Letters to Auntie Fori: 5000 Years of Jewish HistoryBest book – Liberty or Death: India’s Journey to Independence and Division
This is an excellent history written by a person who has a sure grasp of the vast facts and numerous personalities involved in India’s fight…
View More Best book – Liberty or Death: India’s Journey to Independence and DivisionNot a book on the trial – The State of Israel vs. Adolf Eichmann
This is a rather rambling book on the Nazi Eichmann who was hiding in Argentina and brought back to trial in Israel by Israeli agents.…
View More Not a book on the trial – The State of Israel vs. Adolf EichmannWonderful series – Agatha Christie’s Marple: Series 5
The scripts are well-written and the sets exquisite. As a huge fan of Suchet’s Poirot, I am even tempted to say that this series is…
View More Wonderful series – Agatha Christie’s Marple: Series 5Infamous murders – Blood Lust
This book is a good introduction to two famous criminal cases. The second story on the murder trial of Jean Sinnappa, in particular, gripped the…
View More Infamous murders – Blood LustExcellent – The Man Awakened from Dreams: One Man’s Life in a North China Village, 1857-1942
Based on nearly 400 volumes of Liu Da Peng’s diary and other writings recorded over 50 years, this slim book illustrates what life was like…
View More Excellent – The Man Awakened from Dreams: One Man’s Life in a North China Village, 1857-1942