A Biographical Dictionary of the Qin, Former Han and Xin Periods (221 BC - AD 24) (Handbook of Oriental Studies, 16) [Hardcover]

Michael Loewe (Author)

Book Description

ISBN-10: 9004103643 | ISBN-13: 978-9004103641 | Publication Date: April 2000

This is a unique and conclusive reference work about the 6,000 leading individuals known to us from China's formative first empires. Over decennia Michael Loewe has painstakingly collected all biographical information available. Not only those are dealt with who set the literary forms and intellectual background of traditional China, such as writers, scholars, historians and philosophers, but also those officials who administered the empire, and the military leaders who fought in civil warfare or with China's neighbours. The work draws on primary historical sources as interpreted by Chinese, Japanese and Western scholars and as supplemented by archaeological finds and inscriptions. By devoting extensive entries to each of the emperors the author provides the reader with the necessary historical context and gives insight into the dynamic disputes and their far-reaching consequences. No comparable work exists for this important period of Chinese history. Without exaggeration a real must for historians of both China and other cultures.

Editorial Reviews

Review

'"Simply said, this is a work of consummate mastery and high utility. It will last for decades and beyond. All who have occasion to study the early imperioal period are deeply in Loewe's debt for this great gift. The book and its author deserve the Prix Stanislas Julien.'
Paul W. Kroll, "Journal of the American Oriental Society, 2002.
'..".une mine de renseignements inestimables sur tous les aspects de la vie politique et sociale dans la Chine des Han Occidentaux.'
Michel Cartier, "Review of Bibliography in Sinology, 2001.
'"an invaluable resource to serious students and enlightened amateurs alikeA source book of unprecedented depth and scope, the biographical dictionary includes several features that make it far superior to any comparable work known to meThis volume now appears to me to be an unexpected boon of inestimable worth, and the debt owed to Michael Loewe for his painstaking labours is huge.'
Michael Nylan, "Journal Royal Asiatic Society, 2001.

About the Author

Michael Loewe, Ph.D. (1963) in Chinese Studies, London, was a Lecturer in Chinese Studies, Cambridge from 1963 to 1990, and a Visiting Professor at Harvard and Chicago. He has published widely on the dynastic, religious and institutional history of China's early empires.

Product Details

• Hardcover: 837 pages
• Publisher: Brill Academic Pub (April 2000)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 9004103643
• ISBN-13: 978-9004103641
• Product Dimensions: 9.4 x 7.9 x 2.2 inches
• Shipping Weight: 4.4 pounds
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #2,190,923 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Discover books, learn about writers, read author blogs, and more.