A Concise History of China

Rating:
Summary: excellent introduction to chinese history
Review: "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.

Rating:
Summary: A Concise History of China
Review: "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.

Rating:
Summary: An Introduction for the 21st century
Review: J.A.G. Roberts' A Concise History of China is an introduction to China for a China ready to join the World Trade Organization. China is not an enigna or special case, but a microcosm of the world as a whole. Roberts' contribution is, that he undermines the notion of a unified Chinese culture or region.

Roberts most memorable chapters recount the disparate states which rose and fell, some contemporaneously, and the foreign influences always ar work on them. China is revealed as a continent of many nations, not as a monolithic and eternal concept.

Roberts' book is also well balanced, and his chapters, instead of following dynastic changes, roughly divide Chinese history into equal time periods. His polemical acumen is considerable, and his chapters are full pf debates between Western and modern Chinese historians. If there is one period where his skills are lacking, it is the immediate past, and the last pages are disappointing.

This is a relevant introduction to Chinese history, that places China historically in the world, and within its own worlds.

Rating:
Summary: An Introduction for the 21st century
Review: J.A.G. Roberts' A Concise History of China is an introduction to China for a China ready to join the World Trade Organization. China is not an enigna or special case, but a microcosm of the world as a whole. Roberts' contribution is, that he undermines the notion of a unified Chinese culture or region.

Roberts most memorable chapters recount the disparate states which rose and fell, some contemporaneously, and the foreign influences always ar work on them. China is revealed as a continent of many nations, not as a monolithic and eternal concept.

Roberts' book is also well balanced, and his chapters, instead of following dynastic changes, roughly divide Chinese history into equal time periods. His polemical acumen is considerable, and his chapters are full pf debates between Western and modern Chinese historians. If there is one period where his skills are lacking, it is the immediate past, and the last pages are disappointing.

This is a relevant introduction to Chinese history, that places China historically in the world, and within its own worlds.

Rating:
Summary: Not as concise as I wanted
Review: J.A.G. Roberts' A Concise History Of China refers to recent archaeological finds as it provides a new updated interpretation of China's early history. College-level readers will find it provides the latest ideas on Chinese history and culture, promising to appeal to libraries seeking the latest facts and information for their collections.

Rating:
Summary: Waste of great source material
Review: 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.

Rating:
Summary: An excellent starting point
Review: This book is an excellent starting point for delving into Chinese history. From this book I was able to get a cursory understanding of the creation and evolution of the Chinese state and society. Although Chinese history is massive, this 300-page book manages to navigate the reader though the labyrinth without getting bogged in details and most importantly without losing the reader. This is no easy feat.

Rating:
Summary: Waste of great source material
Review: 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.

Rating:
Summary: Spare, but good
Review: 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.