Rafe de Crespigny is an Australian sinologist, now aged 90.
He specialises in the history of the Han dynasty and the Three Kingdoms period.
His most popular books are Imperial Warlord: A Biography of Cao Cao (2010) and Generals of the South (1990) (2018 internet revised 2nd edition), on Wu, one of the kingdoms of the Three Kingdoms period.
It is a pity his books are sold at very high prices, well in excess of USD100.
His biography of Cao Cao is thorough at 553 pages.
Using historical records and Cao Cao’s own words from his official proclamations and personal poetry, Rafe has given us a complete picture of one of the great strategists of China.
Cao Cao was portrayed unfavorably in the Romance of the Three Kingdoms by Luo Guan Zhong.
This is because Luo wrote it in the 14th century during the early Ming dynasty period, when Cao Cao was considered by the Ming Imperial throne as a usurper of the Han’s throne.