Brief History of the Dynasties of China [Paperback]

Bamber Gascoigne (Author)

Book Description

Series: Brief History | Publication Date: September 25, 2003

Although China's great empire lasted for longer than any other, no country has suffered so great an imbalance between the fame of its art and obscurity of its history. The names of the great dynasties are familiar, yet who can actually locate a T'ang horse or a Ming vase in its social or cultural context? By focusing on the key colourful characters of the eight major dynasties, Bamber Gascoigne brings to life 3500 years of Chinese civilization. His bird's-eye view starts on the borders of myth. It moves swiftly on to the greatest achievements of language and thought, the cultural treasures and imperial palaces, wars won and lands lost to the Mongols, finally to arrive at the 1912 Revolution, which contained within it the seeds of Communism that ensured the overthrow of the last emperor. Via this portrait of an empire and its peoples he has opened the door to a world for too long inaccessible to the West.

Editorial Reviews

About the Author

Bamber Gasgoigne won scholarships to Eton and Cambridge, and a Harkness Fellowship to Yale. He presented television's University Challenge for 25 years and has written several books, including The Treasures and Dynasties of China, A Brief History of the Great Moghuls and A Brief History of Christianity.

Product Details

• Paperback: 240 pages
• Publisher: Robinson Publishing (September 25, 2003)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1841197912
• ISBN-13: 978-1841197913
• Product Dimensions: 7.6 x 5.1 x 0.8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 7.8 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (2 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #2,400,526 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

4.0 out of 5 stars Good Research Vehicle, August 28, 2011

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Victoria Rose "Victoria J. Rose" (Burbank, California) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Brief History of the Dynasties of China (Paperback)

Seller was prompt. Material arrived when predicted. Material was in excellent shape as advertised. Material was as adveristed. Dry Read. This is an excellent elemental research source. Great to kick off deeper investigations. I will use this seller again.

5.0 out of 5 stars Excellent Short History, September 9, 2008

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L. Young "palmtree2000" (West Orange, NJ USA) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)    (REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Brief History of the Dynasties of China (Paperback)

This is an excellent short history of the Dynasties of China for the novice. He covers all of the dynasties from the Shang to the Qing, covering thousands of years. This is a short history so he covers only the most important events of each Dynasty, but has plenty of quotes from historical figures of the time, poets etc. There are color pictures of artifacts of interest and there is a very brief summary at the beginning of the book of each Dynasty for quick reference. This book ends with the Qing Dynasty and only covers the post 1912 history of China in a very brief postscript.