Thank you for the kind words.
Joseph Needham's 8-volume Science and Civilization in China, published by Cambridge University Press over a span between 1954 through 1978 is a towering work. It is encyclopedic and exhaustive, with hard data, illustrations and good background information. A first rate reference book. He also authored Clerks and Craftsmen in China and the West, Cambridge University Press, 1970, 470 p.
Fairbank is very informative on Chinese culture, but rather vague and conventional in approach. I myself do not read much about China in the English language, Chinese being my first language. My own feeling is that since Chinese history is written as literature, reading translations loses a lot for anyone who reads Chinese. Nevertheless, I find Jacques Gernet's A History of Chinese Civilization (written in French as Le Monde chinois in 1972, and translated into English by JR Forster, cambridge University Press, 1982, 750p) an excellent work on general political and cultural history. By and large, German and French scholars on China seem to be able to get into the subject more. They seem to have less of an urge to "Westernize" the material and less patronizing. Gernet's History has a very thorough bibilography.
Henry
Daniel wrote:
> Henry's way of drawing on the full span of Chinese history to discuss
> contemporary issues is so interesting. Yes, the world does have a different
> appearance depending on the culture from which it is viewed. Well, that's
> obvious.
>
> Since you're on the list, Henry, I can't resist asking you what you think of
> Needham's work, "Science and Civilization in China." I've also read
> Fairbank's new (relatively new) survey of Chinese history. Would you mind
> saying a few words about these two?
>
> Much obliged,
> Quincy