China
A History

John Keay’s China, A History, provides a nice introduction for those curious about the world’s most populous nation and the rising economic superpower that we refer to as China. Prior to this reading I had scant knowledge of the nearly continuous 3-6ooo year history of the region that spans from Mon......more

I am a big fan of Keay’s earlier work on India, which provides a much needed systemic look at the narrative of Indian history and dynasty for the general reader. Speaking from experience, such books are hard to come by. China’s a different case. There are dozens of histories of China which do more o......more

There's a reason there aren't many single-volume, comprehensive histories of China around: writing one is a monumental undertaking. Keay is to be commended for this work. It's an excellent starting place for anyone interested in the subject, mindful of meaningful details, recent scholarship, and off......more

Before reading this book, I couldn’t even imagine history of China being packed into a single modest volume. But here it is! I had serious apprehensions once the volume arrived. History of China in such a book! I thought, this would be another Western (hence barbarian) endeavour towards inflicting g......more

THE SKIN OF THE DRAGON – BOOK REVIEW : CHINA A HISTORY In year 1793, Qianlong Emperor received George Macartney, representing King George III of England, in Beijing. Macartney was an object of interest but not of respect. His request of setting up British Embassy was rebuffed as also his proposal to......more