[.ca] A Concise History of China (ISBN 0674000757)

From Amazon.com:
This compact and accessible book successfully condenses four millennia of Chinese history into 300 pages. J.A.G. Roberts of Huddersfield University leads the reader through the chronological framework, adding sufficient detail and anecdote to provide color and texture. His writing is clear and punchy: every sentence counts. The index is thoughtful, the book's 10 maps helpful. Though the emphasis is on political history, economic and social developments are also described; for example, the introduction of a strain of rice from central Vietnam that allowed a significant expansion in population under the Song. The first half of the book takes the story to the beginning of the 19th century; the second half analyzes the modern period in more detail (this is probably a useful division for most readers, though a Chinese historian would have laid more equal emphasis on each dynastic period). The author has incorporated the latest scholarship, such as changing views on the status of women during the Song--their freedoms were not as restricted as was once thought. He uses newly translated Manchu sources to show that Qing successes owed as much to the dynasty's non-Han characteristics as to sinicization--a reversal of conventional wisdom--and approaches the dynamics of China's response to the West from a more Chinese viewpoint than is usual. A Concise History of China is an up-to-date and extremely useful introduction to a highly complex subject. --John Stevenson

excellent introduction to chinese history:
"A Concise History of China" has a great approach to summarizing the past 3000 years of chinese history with appropriate comparisons to other nations such as Great Britain, France, Mongolia, Korea, Japan, Vietnam, Russia, Portugal, Germany, Italy, and the United States. The book is filled with facts, and is complimented by Ebrey's "Cambridge Illustrated History of China" which discusses individual topics in less detail, but gives a better picture in its entirety.

Waste of great source material:
The history of China, from what I have heard and read, is a fascinating story. Chinese history, like most other history, proves that the best stories are true stories. Unfortunately, this is lost of JAG Roberts, the author of this book. I purchased this book to get an overview of Chinese history. But it was incredibly boring. The author packs so much information in such a small space, nothing is explored with any detail, feeling, or creativity. A good historical writer will propose a thesis in the beginning of the book and support that thesis. (ex. "The Chinese Communists are a continuation of (or a break from) the old dynastic regimes" or even something so simple as "China has a long tradition of civilization") Roberts does nothing of the sort. The reader merely gets a confusing outline of dynasties, leaders, and events in no narrative flow whatsoever, all without a purpose. It is not even entertaining.

Spare, but good:
This book successfully packs a lot into 300 pages, but the writing style isn't entertaining. Roberts often discusses different historical theories about a topic, which is helpful, but he rarely provides the anecdotes or details that make a history memorable.

Dull & poorly written!:
This is an extremely simplistic historical outline that is very poorly organized & written. DO NOT BUY IT!

A Concise History of China:
I had this text for a class I took, therefore, I had to read it. It was a fairly good overview of Chinese history, but it wasn't written all that well. It was hard to get through and the author was very inconsistent with the amount, or lack, of details. I think that if you're considering buying this book that another one would be better.