Customer Reviews

The First Emperor of China

5 star:		(2)
4 star:		(1)
3 star:		(0)
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I purchased The First Emperor of China by Jonathan Clements for research. As such, I looked forward to a rather dull and uninteresting book - and found it to be fascinating. While not necessarily a `page burner', it certainly held my interest (a good thing). I decided to read it before reading my other purchase, Records of the Grand Historian - Qin Dynasty by Sima Qian, Translated by Burton Watson. For me, that was a good decision, as The First Emperor of China is a much more `readable' book of the same period and person.

If your interests lie in Ancient China, I heartily recommend this book. It gives a flavor of the people, the customs, the culture, even the architecture. And it is a marvelous introduction to the Emperor as he was, rather than as the movies make him out to have been.

My one gripe about The First Emperor of China is the use of Endnotes. I absolutely HATE having footnotes relegated to the back of the book.

This is such a well researched biography. I wish I had read this book before seeing the recent movies and opera on the first emperor. It provides a very informative and lively account of that chaotic period in Chinese history.

This book is a good biography of Qin Shi Huang Di. It is enough complete. It would be better if the author had used very common words. However, it is sound and well-documented. He is a historical character that one cannot ignore. I will surely buy other books of mr. Clements.