The Dynasties of China

First published in 1973, this concise history surveys imperial China from the Shang and Zhou through the Qin unification, Han, Tang, Song, Yuan, Ming, and Qing, ending with the revolution of 1911-12. Gascoigne organizes the account by dynasty, pausing on rulers, scholars, and artists who show how each court gathered and then lost the mandate to rule. Recurring themes include the examination system, the northern frontier, and the tension between Confucian administration and military power. A short close looks beyond the last emperor. The book is a narrative overview of successive houses, not a monograph on a single reign.

Bound in fwn cloth, blocked with a wrap-around design in black and red by Charlotte Orr.