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…
A difficult read – Trials of the Diaspora: A History of Anti-Semitism in England
I bought this book mainly to see Julius’ analysis of The Merchant of Venice in particular and William Shakespeare in general. I have always been…
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Pre-World War 2 – Old Shanghai: Gangsters in Paradise
This is a wonderful history of Shanghai told through interlocking portraits of several Chinese who played prominent roles in Shanghai history from 1900 to 1946.…
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Excellent – Out in the Midday Sun: The British in Malaya 1880-1960
This is an excellent history of the British in Malaya. The period covered is from 1880 to 1960. It is well-written and full of anecdotes…
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Delightful – No. 1 Ladies’ Detective Agency – The Complete Series (2009)
This series has its charm. The characters are well fleshed out and likable. But the plots are rather simplistic and if you are looking for…
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Wonderful – The Code-breaker’s Secret Diaries: Rediscovering Ancient Egypt
The hieroglyphs script was only deciphered in 1822 by Jean Francois Champollion. That is 23 years of hard work after the Rosetta Stone was found…
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Average – Zhou Enlai: The Last Perfect Revolutionary
This book published in 2007 is the most recent English language biography on Zhou En Lai after Eldest Son by Han Su Yin published in…
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Excellent – On China
This book is not a narrative history of China. Readers looking for a primer on Chinese history will not find it here. Instead what we…
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Revisits Africa – The Masque of Africa: Glimpses of African Belief
Any new book by VS Naipaul is an event to look forward to. VS Naipaul’s latest book The Masque of Africa is his observations of…
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Beautiful book – Grand Canal, Great River: The Travel Diary of a Twelfth-century Chinese Poet
This is a very interesting diary of a journey undertaken between July to Dec 1170. The famous poet Lu You was assigned to take up…
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Excellent novel – And the Rain My Drink
This is a classic novel of the Malayan Emergency seen through the eyes of a Chinese girl Suyin who fell in love with a British…
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