Mao the scholar
Most people are under the impression that Mao is a coarse and illiterate leader, perhaps because of his round and big Hunan facial features. That…
The Jesuit in the Ming Court—Part 1
China had 200 million people at the end of the 16th century. It was the dream of the Society of Jesus, the Jesuits, to convert…
View More The Jesuit in the Ming Court—Part 1
Sikhs and the Partition of India, the Raw Deal—Part 1
If you read the papers recently, you will read that Sikh pilgrims from India had to apply for visas from Pakistan to visit the birthplace…
View More Sikhs and the Partition of India, the Raw Deal—Part 1
Tibet and Photography
Tibet in history has two schools of thought. One views Tibet as a feudalistic backwater where religion and rule by theocracy imposed by the elites…
View More Tibet and Photography
Da Vinci
Leonardo da Vinci: An Untraceable Life by Stephen Campbell. This 2025 biography is not typical. It is a very difficult read. By resisting a conventional…
View More Da Vinci
Ancient Christianities
Ancient Christianities: The First Five Hundred Years by Paula Fredriksen (2024) is not an easy read. The book traces the evolution of early Christianity. I…
View More Ancient Christianities
The Pen Behind the Gavel
This is a book for judges on how to write good and clear judgments. Ross Guberman in Point Taken (2015) suggests various approaches that a…
View More The Pen Behind the Gavel
1911 Revolution—Part 1
Dr. Sun Yat-sen has been given too much credit for the 1911 Revolution that toppled the Ching dynasty. (The Unfinished Revolution: Sun Yat-sen and the…
View More 1911 Revolution—Part 1
Reading Tibet
History of Modern Tibet (4 volumes) by Melvin C. Goldstein is considered the most authoritative and balanced history of modern Tibet. Goldstein uses both Chinese…
View More Reading Tibet
The Struggle for Modern Tibet
The Struggle for Modern Tibet: The Autobiography of Tashi Tsering (1997) is an unvarnished history of Tibet from 1929 to the 1990s. Tashi wanted to…
View More The Struggle for Modern Tibet
Red Star Over China
Red Star over China is now considered a classic work as it was the first account the world had of the Red bandits of China…
View More Red Star Over China