China

I am glad to have finished my first book on the history of China. John Keay had a tough task, and I believe he did well. I am also about 200 hundred pages into his book on India, and I think I will say the same of that book. My brother-in-law saw me when I was reading this book on China, and he quipped, "Isn't that book a little small to be covering the history of China?" Truly this book is just over 500 pages. What is impressive about it in my novice opinion, is that it does the job. It gives detail, but it covers material fast. And, it gives a generous citing of sources for further, deeper study.

I found the first 3600 years of Chinese history to be tough to read mainly because China doesn't interact much with the outside world during this time. But, around 600 AD, this changed. I expect as I study the history of China more, I will be able to think more about these early years. After reading this book, I have a basic matrix of Chinese history. It is a good starting point for future study.