China: A Short History

by Owen Lattimore, Eleanor Lattimore

"A New and revised edition of the book published in 1944 under the title, "The Making of Modern China."

218 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 1944

About the author

Owen Lattimore was an American author, educator, and influential scholar of China and Central Asia, especially Mongolia. From 1963 to 1970, Lattimore was the first Professor of Chinese Studies at the University of Leeds in England, where he taught Chinese History, richly flavoured with personal reminiscences.

Reviews

[Juan · Rating 3 out of 5]

“China, a short History” is an essay wrote by Owen and Eleanor Lattimore in the late 40s. The writers try to describe the China of his time through Chinese history, geography and customs to finishing by analyzing the political situation of this Asiatic country divided between the government of the Kuomintang and the communists with a civil war lurking. They also analyze other powers having interests in the country (US, UK, Russia) and the relations between these actors of the international scene. In my opinion the best way of describing this book is with the word “interesting”. Highly recommended for enthusiasts of China or those interested in the origins of the international weight of this country.

[Yash Patel · Rating 2 out of 5]

Didn't expect a whole lot out of the book, so it pretty much met my expectations. Even with that said, this short "history" spent around 3 pages per each dynasty in China's history, so there was no depth provided on any one of them. Given that the book was written in the 1940s though, it was interesting to see him discussing "modern" China regarding the Kuomintang and Communist Party and how Lattimore expected that to play out. Not really worth reading for that though