A Biography of Cao Cao
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…
Enjoying Haiku
To enjoy haiku one must read it in small doses. Here are 3 excellent choices which I bought at the British Museum.
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Classics — Chapman and Malaya
Whenever I travel, my style is to bring and read books related to my sojourn in situ. These are two classic books on Malaya written…
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The Trial of OJ — In Contempt
This book published in 1996 shortly after the acquittal. It is actually a book about Darden and his life before and after the verdict. So,…
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Excellent history — Churchill and Malta’s War 1939-1943
This is an excellent book on the role played by Malta during World War 2. It is best read after one has walked and smelled…
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Violence in HK— Rebel City: Hong Kong’s Year of Water and Fire
The title is a misnomer. Perhaps intended to grab attention. At its peak about 2 million marched to protest the proposed extradition bill. HK has…
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Spencer Chapman
Colonel Spencer Chapman’s book The Jungle is Neutral is a WWII classic. His life is in this biography by Moynahan. Name the island which Chapman…
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An abridgement — The Romance of the Three Kingdoms
This 2018 new translation is by Martin Palmer a visiting professor in Religion, history and nature at University of Winchester, UK, assisted by 3 other…
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Understanding Iran
Two wrongs make a right? BBC in its 2020 Panorama – Hostage in Iran postulated that dual UK and Iranian citizens who are arrested in…
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Hostile takeover – Cold Steel: Lakshmi Mittal and the Multi-Billion-Dollar Battle for a Global Empire
I read this in 2008. It is an exciting account of the fight for control of Arcelor, the world’s biggest steel producer. The two protagonists…
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Biography of Lee Kuan Yew
This is the best multi volume biography on Lee Kuan Yew. It was written by his press secretary, a Britisher. In the good old days,…
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