Frances Wood (1) (1948–)

I was almost entirely unfamiliar with this period in world history before reading this book, which I acquired in no small part because of its excellent title - surely a contender for one of the best book titles of the year. But perhaps many people are unfamiliar with this subject. My relative ignorance made the book all the more fascinating. Wood pays reverence to her sources - perhaps too much. At times the book felt like a rather dry survey of documentary sources, and I was not surprised, after reading it, to learn that she was (is?) a librarian. On reflection, the book feels like it was written by an archivist, rather than a historian. There is not a great deal here in terms of weaving together a grand narrative, although that isn't really intended as a criticism, only a qualification. Most of the time I suspect it is the historian's desire to concoct such things which renders the more accessible histories unreliable.… (lisätietoja)

Great Books of China: From Ancient Times to the Present by Frances Wood is a non-fiction book about Chinese literature. Frances Wood is an English librarian, sinologue and historian known for her writings on Chinese history.

This book allows reader to discover classic books and texts from China. The author writes a small section about each book which is considered a treasure of Chinese culture.

I have never heard of many of these books myself and I’m glad I took the time to read this introductory book to various genres including history, science, travel and poetry. These books were written by scholars throughout history and the author did an excellent job presenting them in context to the time they were written in and to the society they were written for.

The author touches on Confucian and Daoist writings, famous novels, poetry, historic manuals, gardening and manual labor. The sections are concise, easy to read and understandable.

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