Joseph W Esherick is an expert on Chinese History. In Ancestral Leaves, he gives us a human history of China from the 14th century to…
View More Introduction to Western specialists on China’s history (Part 1)Author: Julia_M
Afghanistan in the Age of Empires
Conquering Afghanistan is a mirage. (p 376). This book by Farrukh Husain (published in 2018) could not have been more accurate with the dramatic collapse…
View More Afghanistan in the Age of EmpiresIn search of Gandhi
The 1982 movie Gandhi was a phenomenal box-office success. It earned USD 128 million on a production cost of USD 22 million. (p 222). This…
View More In search of GandhiMao: The Man Who Made China
This is arguably the best one-volume biography on Mao. Revised in 2017, Philip Short has written a very readable book backed up by tremendous research.…
View More Mao: The Man Who Made ChinaA Critical Introduction to Mao
This is not an introduction to Mao. It is a deep dive. In this 2010 book comprising 14 essays by 15 scholars the subjects covered…
View More A Critical Introduction to MaoMao
This slim 205-page book published in 1999 of Mao by Jonathan Spence is a very concise biography. It merely scratches the surface of a leader…
View More MaoIs Jinnah a great lawyer? (Part 2)
Jinnah’s skill as a politician has always been scrutinized by his biographers. He is after all The Sole Spokesman for Pakistan. (Ayesha Jalal). He is…
View More Is Jinnah a great lawyer? (Part 2)Mao Tse Tung (Part 1)
All biographies of Mao focus on his failures and foibles. They magnify his disastrous Hundred Flowers Campaign of Feb 1957, and the Anti-Rightist Movement that…
View More Mao Tse Tung (Part 1)Innocence and War: Mark Twain’s Holy Land Revisited
Lord Ian Strathcarron wrote 2 excellent books of his travels with his family retracing Mark Twain’s two journeys. Both books are greatly enhanced by his…
View More Innocence and War: Mark Twain’s Holy Land RevisitedBuddhism in China
This 2003 book by John Kieschnick (born 1964) is to my knowledge the latest book on Buddhism in China. It’s an excellent book. John has…
View More Buddhism in China