A short history – Decisive Battles in Chinese History

This book is the only book in the English language that discusses the decisive battles fought on Chinese soil from the Warring States Period to 1944.

For this reason, this book is of interest despite its expensive price for a slim book of 196 page.

While there are many gems in this book {for example, the info that Rafe de Crespigny writings are available online, p 178 book} and Deane should be commended for his efforts, this book could have been a much better book. Tighter editing and more background details would have greatly enhanced this book. The reader is a bit lost unless he has considerable knowledge of Chinese history.

For example, to simply call the Former Qin dynasty as the Qin dynasty is a recipe for confusion. {p 40}. They are two different states and eras. Another error is the statement that in the Shang dynasty questions were written on oracle bones and submitted to a deity by priests who then wrote the answers. {p 5}. But until a better book comes along, I would recommend this book.

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *