The Steep Trail of Reform
Never Turn Back by Julian Gewirtz, published 2022, is a history of China in the 1980s. Julian using Chinese sources shows a China that was…
This year we celebrate the 500th anniversary of Ferdinand Magellan’s departure from Spain in 1519. Leading 5 ships and 260 men only 1 ship and…
View More Infectious read – Over the Edge of the World: Magellan’s Terrifying Circumnavigation of the GlobeKawamura attempts in this 2015 book to exonerate Hirohito from any form of culpability for the war waged by the Japanese government against China, the…
View More A partisan viewpoint – Emperor Hirohito and the Pacific WarOne may be surprised why Alexander Alekhine went all the way to play in Montevideo, the capital of Uruguay. This was the 8th South American…
View More Montevideo chess heritageThis 876 page book is an ambitious attempt to meditate on the state of Europe on the cusp of the new millennium. Mak travelled through…
View More An original approach – In Europe: Travels Through the Twentieth CenturyDespite the heroic efforts of General George C. Marshall and President Truman at the end of World War II, China fell to Communist rule. Why?…
View More A Gem – The China Mission: George C. Marshall’s Unfinished War, 1945-1947This beautiful coffee table book is a companion to an exhibition of the same name at the British museum from 26 Jan to 15 April…
View More Beautiful coffee table book – Hajj: Journey to the Heart of IslamThis is an excellent book if one wants to know the historical context of Shakespeare ‘s plays on 5 real english kings.Because the emphasis is…
View More A gripping tale – Shakespeare’s KingsTo appreciate the Japanese philosophy of wabi sabi, one must first make a trip to Kyoto Japan during the sakura/ cherry blossom season. It is…
View More A thought-provoking book – Wabi Sabi: The Japanese Art of ImpermanenceNot a single manuscript or draft of William Shakespeare’s 37 plays has been found. The First Folio printed in 1623, 7 years after his death…
View More Mystery unresolved – Shakespeare: The Evidence. Unlocking the Mysteries of the Man and his Work