Terracotta Army [Hardcover]

John Man (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: September 3, 2007

The Terracotta Army is one of the greatest, and most famous, archaeological discoveries of all time. 8,099 life-size figures of warriors and horses were interred in the Mausoleum of the First Emperor of China - each is individually carved, and they are thought to represent real members of the emperor's army. This is the remarkable story of their creation, the man who ordered them made, their rediscovery and their continuing legacy as a pre-eminent symbol of Chinese greatness. The First Emperor, Qin Shi Huang, was king of the Chinese state of Qin and the first man to unite China into a single empire. He built the first Great Wall and brought a single written script to the whole country. He was an inspired and ruthless ruler, but one also beset by paranoia and a desire for immortality. He is still considered the founding father of the modern state of China. On his death in 210 BC he was buried in a giant mausoleum near modern-day Xi'an. Legends of the treasures contained therein still tantalize the imagination today. In 1974, local farmers digging a well for water broke through into the burial mound and found the first of the Terracotta warriors. Further excavations have revealed the full splendour of the buried army. But the majority of the mausoleum is yet to be opened, including the burial chamber itself - myth tells us that amongst the treasures yet to be uncovered is a vast map of the First Emperor's kingdom with rivers marked with channels of flowing mercury. The story of the First Emperor and the Terracotta Army is a fascinating one, not least for the discoveries yet to be made.

Editorial Reviews

Review

“John Man conjures up an ancient people in an alien landscape in such a way as to make them live.”–Guardian --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

About the Author

John Man is a historian and travel writer with a special interest in Mongolia and China. After reading German and French at Oxford he did two postgraduate courses, one in the history of science at Oxford , the other in Mongolian at the School of Oriental and African Studies. He is the author of GENGHIS KHAN, ATTILA THE HUN and KUBLAI KHAN.

Product Details

• Hardcover: 416 pages
• Publisher: Bantam Press; 1St Edition edition (September 3, 2007)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0593059298
• ISBN-13: 978-0593059296
• Product Dimensions: 9.3 x 6.1 x 1.3 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.4 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (4 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #772,744 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

JOHN MAN

I usually write non-fiction, mainly exploring interests in Asia and the history of written communication. So 'The Lion's Share', available only on Kindle, is something different - a new edition of a thriller written some 25 years ago when I wasn't sure what I wanted to focus on. It's about the 'real' - in quotes, i.e. fictional - fate of Haile Selassie, Emperor of Ethiopia.

Most of the time, I like to mix history, narrative and personal experience, exploring the places I write about. It brings things to life, and it's a reaction against an enclosed, secure, rural childhood in Kent. I did German and French at Oxford, and two postgraduate courses, History and Philosophy of Science at Oxford and Mongolian at the School of Oriental and African Studies in London (to join an expedition that never happened).

After working in journalism and publishing, I turned to writing, with occasional forays into film, TV and radio. A planned trilogy on three major revolutions in writing has resulted in two books, 'Alpha Beta' (on the alphabet) and 'The Gutenberg Revolution', both republished in 2009. The third, on the origin of writing, is on hold, because it depends on researching in Iraq. (On the fourth revolution, the Internet, many others can write far better than me).

My interest in Mongolia revived in 1996 when I spent a couple of months in the Gobi. 'Gobi: Tracking the Desert' was the first book on the region since the 1920's (those by the American explorer Roy Chapman Andrews). In Mongolia, everything leads back to Genghis. I followed. The result was 'Genghis Khan: Life, Death and Resurrection', now appearing in 20 languages. Luckily, there's more to Mongol studies than Genghis. 'Attila the Hun' and 'Kublai Khan' came next.

Another main theme in Asian history is the ancient and modern relationship between Mongolia and China. 'The Terracotta Army', published to in 2007, was followed by 'The Great Wall', which took me from Xinjiang to the Pacific. 'The Leadership Secrets of Genghis Khan' (combining history, character analysis and modern leadership theory) and 'Xanadu: Marco Polo and Europe's Discovery of the East' pretty much exhausted Inner Asian themes for me.

So recently I have become interested in Japan. For 'Samurai: The Last Warrior', I followed in the footsteps of Saigo Takamori, the real 'Last Samurai', published in February 2011. After that, more fiction, perhaps.

I live in north London, inspired by a strong and beautiful family - wife, children and grand-children.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Four Stars for Research, One More for Enthusiasm, September 7, 2008

By 

Troy Parfitt "Why China Will Never Rule the W... (Canada) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Terracotta Army (Hardcover)

This is an interesting book written by an author who is always described as a travel writer and historian. Well, he's much more than that. John Man is a hands-on researcher: he interviews, he investigates, he observes, he calculates - and his enthusiasm is extraordinary and strangely uplifting. He is so genuinely enthralled with the Terracotta Army and its history that it's impossible not to share his enthusiasm.

And it is a very interesting topic. I have seen the warriors and thought they were just all right. They were much more intriguing to read about; how they came to be, the tragedy that occured four years after the pits were finished, the myriad problems the archaeologists face, all the items that have been found, what has yet to be unearthed, what is currently being planned for the area and much, much more. Man's writing style is plain - don't look for flair - but it works and you feel you've learned quite a bit by the last page. This is the second John Man book I've read, the first being The Great Wall, which was also very good. There are not many China writers penning books these days about specialized China topics, but here's one; a good one.

Troy Parfitt, author of Why China Will Never Rule the World

5.0 out of 5 stars More Than Rows of Terracotta Soldiers, January 24, 2010

By 

Malcolm Gorman (Melbourne, Australia) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: The Terracotta Army (Paperback)

I confess that I knew very little about the terracotta soldiers until I read The Terracotta Army. They were just an impressive array of workmanship uncovered somewhere in China. I had gone to see a couple of them on display at the Melbourne Town Hall years ago. I was impressed, but admittedly a little more impressed that that's where The Beatles waved to swarming streets of screaming teenagers in an earlier time.

John Man brings them as much to life as is possible in a book. Alternating between the present and the past, in a style of writing that wouldn't be amiss in a historical movie, with frequent flash-backs. He seems to have a strong sense of both visual and haptic presence. Olfactory as well, as you scent the packed earth of the pits, and the fine clays brought to the terracotta factory. The photographic colour plates are stunning, and he took many photos that didn't make it into the book. And there were touching moments when he felt some of the objects themselves.

John Man doesn't just tell the reader what happened or what might have happened. He takes the reader through some interesting thought experiments, based on available manufacturing techniques of the times, materials, availability of workmen in sufficient numbers, and the intriguing manufacturing techniques of a modern maker of terracotta soldiers not far from the originals. The numbers and scenarios are of course estimates and probabilities. But following through his thinking processes makes it dead interesting.

He cites a few times the works of Joseph Needham which reminds me of another wonderful work of history Bomb, Book and Compass: Joseph Needham and the Great Secrets of China. by Simon Winchester which I heartily recommend.

I spent a month in China last October, and did only a brief tour of major attractions such as The Great Wall. John Man's works (and I'll be reading his The Great Wall: The Extraordinary Story of China's Wonder of the World when I can) turn tourist attractions into pilgrimages into the past, and also into the future as he describes some of the plans for further excavations and what archeologists might find.

As I was walking up the very steep inclines of The Great Wall, I wondered what it would have been like as a soldier back then. I'm looking forward to finding out.

5.0 out of 5 stars If you are interested in the Terracotta Army, February 1, 2009

By 

Jeffrey Hurley (Hong Kong) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: The Terracotta Army (Paperback)

Using various sources John Mann pieces together what may have evolved to allow an emperor to build the massive monuments that grace China today. Telling stories of treachery among royalty, strict enforcement of the law, and careful management of daoist priests as a backdrop to the description of the structure and building of the tomb that would become the eighth wonder of the world

Having had the opportunity to visit Xian and see this amazing site, with the excavated pits containing 8,000 soldiers at the battle ready, was a highlight and one of my child hood dreams. A dream I had from seeing the soldiers in national geographic article as a child. This book provides an excellent compliment to the wonders of this site. John Mann brings you through the historical description of the empire united by the Qin dynasty and the making of the soldiers and the tomb. Here are some examples of how John describes the construction of the terracotta army:

"Mass production meant specialize workmen, some prepared the furnaces, some the bronze, some the clay, some the basic designs, some the moulds. Each man an expert in his own field. there must have been constant pressure from management to lower unit cost and increase volume. The end result was the same for 1,000 years: High quality, efficient, regular, fast production; and no room for individuality and creativity. All the foundries lacked was a moving assembly line."

"The original statues and sections of statues from which the whole army was made could have been completed in under five years by one man. In fact of course, there would have been many. Given the emperors vast resources he could have had the molds ready in as little as three weeks...Thus the 8,000 statues could have been completed in under 10 months with as little as 200 men...often, you will read this operation involved 'hundreds of thousands' of workers, but that is to confuse the tomb as a while with the terracotta army, which was by comparison a small-scale affair with the potential for huge production figures, rather like a modern car factory."

If you are a fan of history you will appreciate the ease of this book combined with the depth of historical analysis and research. I recommend this book to anyone interested in the fascinating history of China and if you ever think you might make the trip to Xian one day.