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11 of 11 people found the following review helpful:
3.0 out of 5 stars
Reads as a tour guide to the Terra Cotta Army exhibit, July 20, 2008
This review is from: The Terra Cotta Army: China's First Emperor and the Birth of a Nation (Hardcover)
I had opportunity to attend the Terra Cotta Army exhibit at the Bower Museum, Santa Ana, California. I purchased this book on Amazon where it was discounted. Let me first comment that it might help if you read this book first before seeing the exhibit. The photographs are excellent and show much of what you will see at the exhibit. Unfortunately the text is rather uneven. On the positive side the beginning of the book, Part one which covers the discovery of the ARMY reads well as does the current state of restoration which ends the book as Part three. However, the history lesson in Part two of the book is dull and lifeless and it was my impression that Mr. Man just dictated and rambled through this section. When he devotes several pages to the film THE EMPEROR AND THE ASSASSIN or uses lines referencing the reader to having seen OFFICER AND GENTELMAN you know you're in for tour guide writing 101. I did learn a lot, and recommend the book mainly as a tour guide introduction to the exhibit traveling the US this year. Otherwise, buy it for the photographs and read Parts one and three.
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5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
As Exciting of History as it Gets!, September 1, 2008
This review is from: The Terra Cotta Army: China's First Emperor and the Birth of a Nation (Hardcover)
Author John Man, whose books are reflective of someone in love with history, has given readers a real treat, in his well written book "The Terra Cotta Army: China's First Emperor and the Birth of a Nation". He presents a close-up and almost personal look at something which has intrigued the world since its discovery in 1974.
Reading about the this historic discovery, with its life-size statues of warriors and horses, makes any armchair archaeologist feel like Indian Jones. It stirs the imagination of the reader. I consider any book a good read that allows me to continue my daydreaming about it long after having put the book down. This book will ignite that kind of inner adventure with readers!
I found the accompanying photos to be a wonderful addition to the written accounting. After reading this book, I would now love to go see the real thing. John Man has a way of making history seem like a novel. He captures the most important elements of the facts and uses just enough verbiage to give you a a full understanding without drowning you in data and details like so many historians and writers do. This is a fun to read book and not a text book!
This book , like all of John Man's books is a FIVE STAR Blockbuster! It is that good. Go buy a copy!
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1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
More than mere pottery, January 8, 2010
John Man has produced an excellent introduction to the Terra Cotta Army of China's first emperor in this excellent book entitled "The Terra Cotta Army." For those out there who have the opportunity to view some of these artifacts for the first time in 2010.
Man characterizes the 1974 discovery of the terra cotta army as the outstanding archeological discovery of the 20th century because it changed the perceptions of the short-lived, but important Qin dynasty and who is prepared to argue. Probably only the discovery of the Gnostic gospels or the tomb of Tutankhamun would come close to providing greater insight into the ancient world. The first Qin emperor was also the first emperor of China who unified the kingdoms of Qin, Zhao, Yan, Qi, Wei, Chu, and Han between 221-206 BC and established his capital on the Wei river in the city of Xianyang. Perhaps the greatest achievement of the Qin emperor was the unification of China, albeit a China which consisted of what would be the eastern third of modern China.
One real interesting narrative line n in the book is a discussion of the sources that are available on the Qin emperor. These are the histories of Sima Qian. These were written during the succeeding Han dynasty which really had no reason to promote the achievements of its predecessor. Sima Qian also appears to have used the Qin emperor (who was no sweetheart) as a means of expressing some of his anger at members of the Han dynasty (not an uncommon practice in the ancient world where literal truth always took a backseat to reader edification, Tacitus uses Tiberius to critique Domitian in the Annals). Along with the story of the Qin emperor and the machinations of the court, Man's exploration of Sima Qian, who is surely the Chinese Herodotus (though certainly not its Thucydides given his tendency to include the spiciest of stories no matter how improbable)
In addition to the history, Man also provides a great deal of information on how the artifacts were discovered (peasants digging a well), their excavation and the subsequent construction of a world class museum in Xianyang. The book includes pictures, many in color showing what the terra cotta army would have looked like when it was originally deposited in the Qin emperor's tomb. They were a riot of color just like most of the ancient world. All of these details add up to outstanding insights into this fascinating discovery.
I liked this book so much that when I discovered that Man had also written a book on China's other ancient landmark, the Great Wall, I immediately ordered it from Amazon. I am sure that if that book is only half as good as this one, it will be a delight.
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