Two Kinds of Time [Paperback]

Graham Peck (Author, Illustrator), Robert A. Kapp (Introduction)

Book Description

Publication Date: August 2008

Graham Peck (1914-1968) made his first trip to China in 1935 and served with the U.S. Office of War Information in China throughout the 1940s. "Two Kinds of Time" is witty and eloquent in both its words and the drawings with which it is lovingly illustrated. Long out of print in its unabridged version, this engagingly written eye-witness narrative of China on the eve of revolution remains an important source of historical and political information. Robert A. Kapp's new introduction analyzes the book's original contribution and highlights its relevance to issues in the twenty-first century world. 'It gives me great joy to celebrate the reappearance of the best book on China that I have ever read, Graham Peck's "Two Kinds of Time", nearly six decades after its original publication. This book is at once hilarious and horrifying, heart-warming and heart-breaking, educational and entertaining' - From Robert A. Kapp's Introduction.

Editorial Reviews

Review

"What is missing in the most recent assessments of China's tectonic changes over the past half century is a baseline against which to measure the grand scale of its development. Two Kinds of Time by Graham Peck, written in lucid, descriptive prose by someone who has based his reportage on 'being there,' provides just such a baseline. In the most vivid way, Peck takes us back to Chiang Kai-shek's China during WWII, and by doing so, reminds us of the amazingly transformative odyssey this so-called "sick man of Asia's" has been on since." Orville Schell, Arthur Ross Director, The Center on US-China Relations, Asia Society "This unique and fascinating book tells how Graham Peck looked into the hearts of the Chinese of his day, from peasant to coolie to clerk, and understood what he saw as few Americans ever have. Today, rising China is immersed in a new kind of revolution. Understanding China is critical for our future - this book is a unique treasure-house of background for that understanding." Sidney Rittenberg, longtime resident in the People's Republic of China, now professor of China Studies at Pacific Lutheran University "Peck...viewed wartime China from the vantage point of the common man; his Two Kinds of Time is a rare and delightful work, filled with ironic humour and empathy for China's ordinary folk." The Cambridge History of China, vol. 13: Republican China, 1912-1949, ed. John K. Fairbank and Albert Feuerwerker

From the Publisher

"It gives me great joy to celebrate the reappearance of the best book on China that I have ever read, Graham Peck's Two Kinds of Time, nearly six decades after its original publication. This book is at once hilarious and horrifying, heart-warming and heart-breaking, educational and entertaining." - From the Introduction

"What is missing in the most recent assessments of China's tectonic changes over the past half century is a baseline against which to measure the grand scale of its development. Two Kinds of Time by Graham Peck, written in lucid, descriptive prose by someone who has based his reportage on 'being there,' provides just such a baseline. In the most vivid way, Peck takes us back to Chiang Kai-shek's China during WWII, and by doing so, reminds us of the amazingly transformative odyssey this so-called "sick man of Asia's" has been on since." - Orville Schell, Arthur Ross Director, The Center on US-China Relations, Asia Society

"This unique and fascinating book tells how Graham Peck looked into the hearts of the Chinese of his day, from peasant to coolie to clerk, and understood what he saw as few Americans ever have. Today, rising China is immersed in a new kind of revolution. Understanding China is critical for our future - this book is a unique treasure-house of background for that understanding." - Sidney Rittenberg, longtime resident in the People's Republic of China, now professor of China Studies at Pacific Lutheran University

"Peck . . . viewed wartime China from the vantage point of the common man; his Two Kinds of Time is a rare and delightful work, filled with ironic humour and empathy for China's ordinary folk." - The Cambridge History of China, vol. 13: Republican China, 1912-1949, ed. John K. Fairbank and Albert Feuerwerker

Product Details

• Paperback: 725 pages
• Publisher: University of Washington Press; 1st University of Washington Press Edition edition (August 2008)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0295988525
• ISBN-13: 978-0295988528
• Product Dimensions: 8.3 x 5.4 x 1.8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.8 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (2 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #559,099 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

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

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

3 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A highly recommended snapshot of this period, February 9, 2009

By 

Midwest Book Review (Oregon, WI USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Two Kinds of Time (Paperback)

China has been a vault of culture for millennia, yet some of its history is tremendously disheartening. "Two Kinds of Time" is a large memoir from Graham Peck about his time spent in China during one of its darkest times, with a focus on the era of World War II, where a Civil War was halted to resist the invasion of the Imperialistic Japanese. Serving the US army at the time, "Two Kinds of Time" is an extensive chronicle, a highly recommended snapshot of this period.

5.0 out of 5 stars Two Kinds of Time, by Graham Peck, October 16, 2011

By 

Sarah Lane (Ohio) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Two Kinds of Time (Paperback)

Reading this book deepens our understanding of what was really happening in China during the Japanese/Kuomintang era. Graham Peck was there, and he traveled around and got a first-hand look at many viewpoints and how the events that were taking place were affecting the people and steering the country in various directions. His keen insight and his commentary on what he saw and experienced are invaluable to anyone who wants to comprehend the China of today (and, for that matter, the world of today). This is the most thorough and insightful book I have ever seen about this subject, and I couldn't help thinking as I read it that human history is, in many ways, a script that has been played over and over in various settings and times. It's a tired old story of suffering, struggle, ruthless power and greed, and destructive wars. I believe the only way we will we learn the lessons from the past that we need in order to progress is to understand on a deep level what drives human society, and I believe Two Kinds of Time is a book that can help us toward that path. I'm thankful that there was such an intelligent pair of eyes recording all of this, and I hope this book will be widely read.