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  1. A Pioneer in Yokohama

    C.T. Assendelft de Coningh
    Edited and Translated, with an Introduction, by Martha Chaiklin

    "A great read—I couldn’t put it down! A Pioneer in Yokohama truly brings the earliest months of the Japanese treaty port to life. From the brief Japanese 'Gold Rush' to duels and terrorist attacks, from the perils of international commerce to hilarious problems of translation and miscommunication, Dutchman De Coningh’s memoir provides vivid insights into both nineteenth-century trade and Yokohama’s international community. Moreover, the extraordinary sleuth work done by translator Chaiklin to identify even the most preposterous-seeming events and characters adds the spice of historical confirmation to the drama. . . . A great resource for researchers, classrooms, and casual readers alike."
         —Sarah Thal, University of Wisconsin-Madison

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  2. A Tale of Two Melons

    Sarah Schneewind

    "Undergraduates will join specialists in enjoying this feast of melons. Schneewind's marvelous little book is at once a primer in some key aspects of China's traditional civilization and history, as well as a case study of an obscurely understood event that took place in 1372, in the reign of Taizu, founder of the Ming Dynasty (1368-1644). When two melons share a single stalk, and a local grower presents the anomaly to the emperor, the symbolism, the intentions of the giver, the reaction of the recipient, and the meaning of the whole act to observers and later commentators turn out to be anything but straightforward. Divergent interpretations began immediately, and continue to the present day."
         —John Dardess,  University of Kansas

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  3. Analects

    Confucius
    Translated by Edward Slingerland

    "Confucius taught that 'virtue is never solitary; it always has neighbors.' (4.25). Based on the best modern and traditional Chinese and Western scholarship, Edward Slingerland's exemplary new translation of the Analects—including selections from the traditional commentaries on each passage of the text—is a welcome edition. Contemporary readers will be enlightened as to what Confucius taught his disciples and will share the experience of being a neighbor to all the generations of students who have pondered the sometimes cryptic and enigmatic words of Confucius. Slingerland's use of commentary gives readers a fighting chance at understanding and appreciating this foundational Confucian classic."  —John Berthrong, Boston University

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  4. Bashō: Travel Writings

    Matsuo Bashō
    Translated and Edited by Steven D. Carter

    "Destined to delight readers with its vibrant, spot-on translations, this definitive collection of haiku grandmaster Bashō’s travel writings, in prose as well as poetry, conveys the exquisite pleasures and heartbreaks of the road as a metaphor for life itself." —Adam L. Kern, University of Wisconsin–Madison

    "The travel writings of Matsuo Bashō are of enormous literary importance, and so it is a joy to see them collected in this compact volume, in translations of exemplary elegance, faithfulness, and accessibility. The annotations are especially valuable: they show a solid grasp of the author’s life, work, and times, and provide rich and detailed background information about allusions to Chinese and Japanese classics. Along with the high quality of the translations themselves, this thorough commentary makes the book a significant scholarly resource and will help readers appreciate the density and delicacy of Bashō’s writing. A very welcome addition to the English-language literature on one of the central poets of the Japanese tradition." —David B. Lurie, Columbia University

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  5. Battles, Betrayals, and Brotherhood

    Edited and Translated, with an Introduction, by Wilt L. Idema
    and Stephen H. West

     "Battles, Betrayals, and Brotherhood is a brilliant introduction to one of China’s best-loved heroic traditions. And of course the translations are wonderful—very lively!" —Katherine Carlitz, University of Pittsburgh

    "[A] veritable treasure trove of materials in English for those interested in exploring the immediate predecessors of the Ming novel [The Romance of the Three Kingdoms]. The translations in Battles, Betrayals, and Brotherhood are, as is typical of Idema and West's work, colloquial and lively while simultaneously meticulously researched. This volume is a welcome addition to our resources on early drama and the Three Kingdoms story cycle alike, and will no doubt continue to inspire lively class discussions and productive research for some time to come." —CHINOPERL: Journal of Chinese Oral & Performing Literature

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  6. Bhagavad Gita

    A New Verse Translation by Stanley Lombardo
    Introduction and Afterword by Richard H. Davis

    Stanley Lombardo's new verse translation of the most famous free-standing sequence from the great Indian epic The Mahabharata hews closely to the meaning, verse structure, and performative quality of the original and is invigorated by its judicious incorporation of key Sanskrit terms in transliteration, for which a glossary is also provided The translation is accompanied by Richard H. Davis' brilliant Introduction and Afterword. The latter, "Krishna on Modern Fields of Battle," offers a fascinating look at the illuminating role the poem has played in the lives and struggles of a few of the most accomplished figures in recent world history.

    "Lucid, detailed, and erupting with fearsome visions, the Bhagavad Gita has baffled English-language translators for 250 years. Stanley Lombardo is the first to recognize that at its root the Sanskrit Gita was oral performance. Beyond word and meaning, past nuance or doctrine, Lombardo restores the archaic tradition of voice and conch shell. When you read this edition aloud the hair on your neck will stand up. Add a drum and it’s a performance. A grand old culture comes to life. Both essays by Richard Davis are superb, placing the Gita in historical context, back then, and more recently." —Andrew Schelling, Naropa University

     

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  7. Bing: From Farmer's Son to Magistrate in Han China

    Michael Loewe

    "This book is wonderful. Only someone with Loewe's deep and broad knowledge could provide such a work of historical fiction that gives life to the gleanings of historical research that are too scattered and incomplete for the less skilled to harvest. Add to this the interesting story and this makes for an effective, useful supplementary reading for courses on Chinese history." —Steven Davidson, Southwestern University

    "Only a master of the history of the early empires in China such as Michael Loewe could have spun this story tracing the gradual rise of a sympathetic character from plow boy to the official ranks at the Han court. Teachers will surely want to assign it to their students, as it perfectly illustrates key points that Loewe has made in more academic publications, for example, his Everyday Life in Early Imperial China during the Han Period 202 BC-AD 220. Comparative historians will find a wealth of information in it, including helpful notes suggesting further readings. Bing is as good as it gets in historical fiction." —Michael Nylan, University of California, Berkeley 

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  8. Buddhism As Philosophy (Second Edition)

    Mark Siderits

    In Buddhism As Philosophy, Mark Siderits makes the Buddhist philosophical tradition accessible to a Western audience. Offering generous selections from the canonical Buddhist texts and providing  an engaging, analytical introduction to the fundamental tenets of Buddhist thought, this revised, expanded, and updated edition builds on the success of the first edition in clarifying the basic concepts and arguments of the Buddhist philosophers.

    "Since the publication of the first edition of Buddhism As Philosophy, the need for such a book has only grown as even more undergraduate programs are teaching Buddhist philosophy and looking for accessible materials that still do justice to the tradition’s intellectual complexity. This updated version retains the first version's successful balancing act between fidelity to primary source material and application to general philosophical problems. The book teaches students how to do philosophy at the same time as it teaches them the particularities of Buddhist philosophy. Siderits moves fluidly from translations of primary texts to their explication and evaluation, both modeling expert philosophical methodology and pausing to explain to students how philosophical argumentation works." —Malcolm Keating, Yale-NUS College

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  9. Buddhism as Philosophy

    Mark Siderits

    The first edition of Buddhism As Philosophy is now out of print and has been replaced by a new second edition (October 2021). Click here for more information about the new second edition.

     

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  10. Butterfly Mother

    Translated by Mark Bender
    Based on a Version Compiled by Jin Dan and Ma Xueliang

    "Talk about 'persistent cultures'—this translation of the great epic, mythic tellings of the Miao/Hmong peoples is a window into a huge ancient soul of sustainable spirit and practice. Mark Bender's commentary provides context and details of places and singers that makes it even richer. This book provides new insights into how deeply oral recitation and performance can be embedded in a whole society, and some fresh, stunning stories."
         —Gary Snyder, author of Mountains and Rivers Without End

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  11. China: A History

    Harold M. Tanner

    "Tanner has written an excellent text on Chinese history which offers a fine balance between the traditional and the modern. He also charts a good balance between studies of the elite, government, philosophy and diplomacy and, on the other hand, analyses of ordinary people, economic institutions, social patterns, and folk religion. The book provides a comprehensive view of Chinese culture, including developments in literature and the arts. A generous selection of illustrations facilitates comprehension of and pleasure in the visual arts. Finally, Professor Tanner's consideration of Western contact with China and the attendant problems and gains is judicious and informative."
         —Morris Rossabi, Distinguished Professor of History, City University of New York

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  12. China: A History, Volume 1

    Harold M. Tanner

    China: A History, Volume 1: From Neolithic Cultures through the Great Qing Empire (10,000 BCE—1799) — Now available in two volumes, this accessible, yet rigorous, introduction to the political, social, and cultural history of China provides a balanced and thoughtful account of the development of Chinese civilization from its beginnings to the present day. Each volume includes ample illustrations, a full complement of maps, a chronological table, extensive notes, recommendations for further reading and an index.

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  13. China: A History, Volume 2

    Harold M. Tanner

    China: A History, Volume 2: From the Great Qing Empire through the People's Republic of China (1644—2009) — Now available in two volumes, this accessible, yet rigorous, introduction to the political, social, and cultural history of China provides a balanced and thoughtful account of the development of Chinese civilization from its beginnings to the present day. Each volume includes ample illustrations, a full complement of maps, a chronological table, extensive notes, recommendations for further reading and an index.

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  14. Classical Chinese for Everyone

    Bryan W. Van Norden

    In just thirteen brief, accessible chapters, this engaging little book takes "absolute beginners" from the most basic questions about the language (e.g., what does a classical Chinese character look like?) to reading and understanding selections from classical Chinese philosophical texts and Tang dynasty poetry.

    "Van Norden has pulled off the seemingly impossible. With his direction, a serious student could make real headway in learning classical Chinese—while learning a great deal about early Chinese thought as well."  —Robert E. Hegel, Washington University in St. Louis

    "An outstanding introduction to reading classical Chinese. Van Norden does a wonderful job of clearly explaining the basics of classical Chinese, and he carefully takes the reader through beautifully chosen examples from the textual tradition. An invaluable work." —Michael Puett, Harvard University

    Additional resources: Classical Chinese for Everyone title support page.

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  15. Confucian Moral Self Cultivation (Second Edition)

    Philip J. Ivanhoe

    A concise and accessible introduction to the evolution of the concept of moral self-cultivation in the Chinese Confucian tradition, this volume begins with an explanation of the pre-philosophical development of ideas central to this concept, followed by an examination of the specific treatment of self cultivation in the philosophy of Kongzi ("Confucius"), Mengzi ("Mencius"), Xunzi, Zhu Xi, Wang Yangming, Yan Yuan and Dai Zhen. In addition to providing a survey of the views of some of the most influential Confucian thinkers on an issue of fundamental importance to the tradition, Ivanhoe also relates their concern with moral self-cultivation to a number of topics in the Western ethical tradition. Bibliography and index are included.

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  16. Daily Life in the Mongol Empire

    George Lane

    “[A] general history book that uses primary source material throughout. It introduces students to the importance of primary sources and stresses how these early texts provide the evidence and foundations for all the words, ideas, and thoughts that make up traditional history books. The excellent biographies, including one listing many of the translated primary source materials, ensure that this book will be an essential component in any library of the Mongol Empire.”
         —Bulletin of the School of Oriental and African Studies

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  17. Early Buddhist Discourses

    Edited and Translated by John J. Holder

    Twenty discourses from the Pali Canon—including those most essential to the study and teaching of early Buddhism—are provided in fresh translations, accompanied by introductions that highlight the main themes and set the ideas presented in the context of wider philosophical and religious issues. Taken together, these fascinating works give an account of Buddhist teachings directly from the earliest primary sources.

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  18. Essays on the Moral Philosophy of Mengzi

    Edited, with Introduction, by Xiusheng Liu and Philip J. Ivanhoe

    "It is difficult to do justice to the richness of all the essays in this short review. . . . [T]he exceptionally rigorous and inspiring scholarship offered by this collection has laid the groundwork for future inquiries, and anyone interested in Chinese thought will benefit greatly from engaging with the authors' enlightening and rewarding reconstructions of Mengzi's moral philosophy. This is a remarkable achievement, especially given the fact that the Mengzi is an exceedingly difficult text."
         —Yang Xiao, Journal of the American Academy of Religion

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  19. Ethics in the Confucian Tradition (Second Edition)

    Philip J. Ivanhoe

    "This enlightening book is a comparative study of the moral and metaphysical theories of these two luminaries of the Confucian tradition. . . . Ivanhoe draws in masterful strokes the trajectory of the Confucian image of the sage, from the semi-divine creator heroes revered by Kongzi, to Mengzi's human exemplars of perfected self-cultivation, to Wang Yangming's concept of the innate sagehood of every human."
         —Rene Goldman, Pacific Affairs

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  20. Everyday Life in Early Imperial China

    Michael Loewe

    In this lively and accessible account, with illustrations on nearly every page, Michael Loewe gives us a vivid picture of the lives of peasants working the land, the lives of town inhabitants, and the elaborate hierarchy of institutions and civil servants that sustained the vast imperial government. In a new Preface and an updated Bibliography, Loewe calls our attention to the significance of scholarly research and discoveries since the original publication of his classic work.

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  21. Faith, Myth, and Reason in Han China

    Michael Loewe

    In his classic study of the cultural history of Han China, Michael Loewe uses both archaeological discoveries and written records to sketch the conceptual background of various artifacts of the Han period, and shows how ancient Chinese thought is as much informed by mythology as it is dependent on reason.

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  22. Filial Piety and Its Divine Rewards

    Edited and Translated, with an Introduction, by Wilt L. Idema

    Of the many ballads, tales, and plays extolling filial piety (xiao)—the foundational virtue of imperial China—none was more popular in that era than the legend of Dong Yong and his heavenly helpmate, Weaving Maiden. Continually revised and embellished over a millennium, the tale's popularity remains, finding new expression in Chinese film and opera in the twentieth century. The five versions of the legend presented here, alongside a selection of related texts, illustrate changing perceptions of xiao from the tenth century through the first part of the twentieth in a variety of genres. An appendix traces the development of the related legend of Weaving Maiden and Buffalo Boy from myth to folktale.

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  23. Genghis Khan and Mongol Rule

    George Lane

    "[With] implications for such current themes as globalization, global villages, and global conditions for peace . . . this book tells a grand story in the brief compass of seven chapters, with a well-written historical introduction, a helpful chronology, sixteen biographies portraying the international cast of personages who traversed empires, and a glossary indispensable to a work of this nature. Twenty-one primary documents give historical credence to the Mongol story itself, a story that is told only in the oral tradition of The Secret History of the Mongols. Maps and illustrations round out the material in support of the text."
         —The History Teacher

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  24. God and the World's Arrangement

    Translated, with Introduction and Explanatory Notes, by Nirmalya Guha, Matthew Dasti, and Stephen Phillips

    "Students and scholars should welcome this outstanding translation and commentary. Offering core passages of Nyāya and Vedānta in accessible English will expand the horizon of contemporary philosophy of religion and make more evident the often-overlooked elements of natural theology in non-Western philosophy." —Charles Taliaferro, Overby Distinguished Chair, St. Olaf College

    "Building on a long tradition of textual study, an increasing number of universities today demonstrate interest in Asian perspectives on philosophy, religion, theology, politics, and other disciplines—even for general education. This book offers a welcome and a needed addition to teachers and students that want to learn about Asia through a careful reading of primary source material. It covers some broad topics recognizable in the philosophy of religion, and it gives precision through the presentation of specific texts from the Indian tradition. This book offers a clear picture into the scholastic and commentarial writing from two monuments in the Indian tradition, Shakara and Vacaspati. The discussion around the primary source material offers helpful contextualization, and the primary readings introduce students to a complex and a detailed world of philosophy, theology, and the unique modes of commentarial writing in Shankara, Vacaspati, and related theologians, philosophers, and root texts of their time." —Jonathan Edelmann, Department of Religion, University of Florida

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  25. Governing China

    John W. Dardess

    “This compact narrative history of government institutions and their dialectical relation to society makes a perfect introduction to traditional China for political science, modern history, and comparative politics classes. The thesis, upheld by both specifics in lively prose and thought-provoking cross-period comparisons, is that unity, however valorized, always required hard work: military, political, and cultural creativity amidst ever-changing ethnic, class, and religious formations. Dardess also washes out old libels on non-Han, female, and eunuch power holders simply by recounting the facts.”
         —S. Schneewind, University of California, San Diego

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  26. Images of Women in Chinese Thought and Culture

    Edited, with Introduction, by Robin Wang

    This rich collection of writings—many translated especially for this volume and some available in English for the first time—provides a journey through the history of Chinese culture, tracing the Chinese understanding of women as elucidated in writings spanning more than two thousand years. From the earliest oracle bone inscriptions of the Pre-Qin period through the poems and stories of the Song Dynasty, these works shed light on Chinese images of women and their roles in society in terms of such topics as human nature, cosmology, gender, and virtue.

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  27. Introduction to Classical Chinese Philosophy

    Bryan W. Van Norden

    "This book is an introduction in the very best sense of the word. It provides the beginner with an accurate, sophisticated, yet accessible account, and offers new insights and challenging perspectives to those who have more specialized knowledge. Focusing on the period in Chinese philosophy that is surely most easily approachable and perhaps is most important, it ranges over of rich set of competing options. It also, with admirable self-consciousness, presents a number of daring attempts to relate those options to philosophical figures and movements from the West. I recommend it very highly." —Lee H. Yearley, Walter Y. Evans-Wentz Professor, Religious Studies, Stanford University

    "This book on philosophers who arose in the Eastern Zhou Dynasty is also an introduction to comparative ways of nonsuperficial thinking both within Chinese tradition and between Chinese tradition and the West. . . . The work is carefully detailed at every philosophically interesting turn, providing, e.g., a detailed discussion of mysticism that does not conflate traditions but sees distinctiveness. Throughout there are translations of technical terms, along with both pinyin and Chinese characters. Chapters conclude with well-crafted review questions. . . . Appendixes on hermeneutics, Chinese language, and the Kongzi are very useful. Summing up: Highly recommended." —F. J. Hoffman, West Chester University of Pennsylvania, in Choice

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  28. Kalila and Dimna

    Nasrullah Munshi
    Translated from the Persian by Wheeler Thackston

    "This masterful translation of one of the most popular books of world literature makes available to an English readership the animal tales known collectively as Kalila and Dimna. Named after the two jackals of Pancatantra fame, this collection of stories is based on a 12th-century Persian translation of an 8th-century original Arabic rendition by Ibn al-Muqaffa‘. Set within a frame narrative of counsels given to the Raja of India by his Brahmin minister, the engaging tales about cats and mice, storks and crabs, tortoises and geese, owls and crows, and princes and ascetics, function as cautionary illustrations of human predicaments and all-too-human vices and virtues. Far from being a collection of children’s fables, Kalila and Dimna is a Machiavellian mirror for princes containing advice on how to preserve oneself from one’s enemies and get ahead at court and in life. The dialogues that constitute the bulk of the narrative harbor a dramatic immediacy, exerting a powerful effect even on a modern-day reader." —Maria Subtelny, University of Toronto

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  29. Master Sun's Art of War

    Sun Tzu
    Translated, with Introduction, by Philip J. Ivanhoe

    “P. J. Ivanhoe is one of the English-speaking world’s foremost translators and interpreters of classical Chinese philosophical texts. His translation of the Sunzi Bingfa reads beautifully, adorned only by sobering photographic plates of the famed terracotta army of the first Qin emperor that turn one back to the text in a properly reflective mood. The Introduction and endnotes are blessedly spare, providing just the right amount of interpretive scholarship to assist comprehension of the text, while not interfering with its intrinsic simplicity, clarity, and profundity.”
        —Sumner B. Twiss, Distinguished Professor of Human Rights, Ethics, and Religion, Florida State University

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  30. Matteo Ricci and the Catholic Mission to China, 1583–1610

    R. Po-chia Hsia

    Series: Passages: Key Moments in History

    "A highly accessible introduction to the history of the Jesuits in China. Hsia offers a clear and concise overview of the key figures in this crucial episode of intercultural encounter: the first intellectual and cultural meeting of Europeans and Chinese. . . . In addition to providing a broad vision of the European and Asian contexts for Ricci’s work in the introductory essay, Hsia gives a valuable selection of documents from both Chinese and Western sources in translation . . . [including] items that genuinely demonstrate the two sides of this cultural exchange."
         —Liam Matthew Brockey, Professor of History, Michigan State University

     

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  31. Mengzi

    Mengzi
    Translated, with Introduction, by Bryan W. Van Norden

    "The Mengzi is one of the richest philosophical texts in classical Chinese philosophy, and Van Norden's translation is among the few that do it justice. His translation is further distinguished by its accessibility and is unique in including substantial selections from later commentaries. As such it is both an essential scholarly resource and a great introduction to Confucian thought." —Justin Tiwald, San Francisco State University

    Audiobook: An audiobook of Mengzi: With Selections from Traditional Commentaries, published by Ukemi Audiobooks, is available exclusively from Audible. Learn more about the Audible audiobook on Amazon.com.

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  32. Monks, Bandits, Lovers, and Immortals

    Edited and Translated, with Introduction, by Stephen H. West & Wilt L. Idema

     "This magnificent collection of eleven early [1250–1450] Chinese plays will give readers a vivid sense of life and a clear understanding of dramatic literature during an extraordinarily eventful period in Chinese history. Not only are the eleven plays in this volume expertly translated into lively, idiomatic English; they are each provided with illuminating, scholarly introductions that are yet fully intelligible to the educated lay reader. A marvelous volume."
         —Victor Mair, University of Pennsylvania

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  33. Mulan

    Translated and Introduced by Shiamin Kwa & Wilt L. Idema

    This volume offers lively translations of the earliest recorded version of the legend and several later iterations of the tale (including the screenplay of the hugely successful 1939 Chinese film Mulan Joins the Army), illustrating the many ways that reinterpretations of this basic story reflect centuries of changes in Chinese cultural, political, and sexual attitudes.

    "The plots and the elaborations of the Mulan narratives reproduced (and summarized) here demonstrate the many ways in which the Mulan figure has spoken to succeeding generations with differing heroic characteristics and in the idiom that each audience understood; they offer excellent texts for a deep background for any consideration of Mulan in contemporary culture. For scholars of European fairy tales, the narratives offer striking points of comparison with European crossdressing heroines of the sixteenth, seventeenth, and eighteenth centuries." —Ruth B. Bottigheimer, Stony Brook University

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  34. Readings from the Lu-Wang School of Neo-Confucianism

    Translated, with Introduction, by Philip J. Ivanhoe

    This volume provides selected translations from the writings of Lu Xiangshan; Wang Yangming; and the Platform Sutra, a work which had profound influence on neo-Confucian thought. Each of these three sections is preceded by an introduction that sketches important features of the history, biography, and philosophy of the author and explores some of the main features and characteristics of his work. The range of genres represented—letters, recorded sayings, essays, meditations and poetry—provide the reader with insights into the philosophical and stylistic themes of this fascinating and influential branch of neo-Confucian thought.

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  35. Readings in Classical Chinese Philosophy (Third Edition)

    Edited by Philip J. Ivanhoe and Bryan W. Van Norden

    The third edition of Ivanhoe and Van Norden's acclaimed anthology builds on the strengths of previous editions with the addition of new selections for each chapter; selections from Shen Dao; a new translation of the writings of Han Feizi; selections from two texts, highly influential in later Chinese philosophy, the Great Learning and Mean; and a complete translation of the recently discovered text Nature Comes from the Mandate.

    Each section of this volume begins with a brief Introduction and concludes with a lightly annotated Selective Bibliography. Also included are four appendices: Important Figures, Important Periods, Important Texts, and Important Terms.

    ONLINE RESOURCES:

    Title Support Page: Click here for additional online resources, including study questions, maps, readings, and more.

    Sample Syllabus: Click here to download a sample syllabus from author Bryan Van Norden

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  36. Readings in Han Chinese Thought

    Edited and Translated by Mark Csikszentmihalyi

    "A judicious selection from primary sources to illustrate the growth of ideas in early imperial times. Teachers and students will welcome these readable translations of passages drawn from Han writings that are not widely known and which add depth to existing views of Chinese ways of thought, religious practices, and means of government."
         —Michael Loewe, University of Cambridge

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  37. Readings in Later Chinese Philosophy

    Edited by Justin Tiwald and Bryan W. Van Norden

    An exceptional contribution to the teaching and study of Chinese thought, this anthology provides fifty-eight selections arranged chronologically in five main sections: Han Thought, Chinese Buddhism, Neo-Confucianism, Late Imperial Confucianism, and the early Twentieth Century. The editors have selected writings that have been influential, that are philosophically engaging, and that can be understood as elements of an ongoing dialogue, particularly on issues regarding ethical cultivation, human nature, virtue, government, and the underlying structure of the universe. Within those topics, issues of contemporary interest, such as Chinese ideas about gender and the experiences of women, are brought to light.

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  38. Record of the Listener

    Hong Mai
    Edited and Translated, with an Introduction, by Cong Ellen Zhang

    "Scholars who know classical Chinese have been reading and citing Hong Mai’s wonderful collection for many years. Now students can access these informative materials through Zhang’s lively English translations. They are both fun to read and deeply informative about daily life, religion, markets, and multiple social groups in the twelfth century. The comprehensive thematic guide allows readers to locate tales by subject matter, making this collection of 100 narratives ideal for classroom use." —Valerie Hansen, Yale University

    "Along with her introduction, Zhang's translations provide extremely useful source material for either surveys or upper-level Chinese history and religion courses. The introduction offers just enough background on the time period, the author, and the text, while the selections are the perfect length to serve as a weekly reading for an undergraduate course. The translations are fluent and accessible with footnotes that inform without overwhelming. The selection includes many stories that will be of particular interest to scholars of Chinese religion and the thematic guide in the appendix makes them easily discoverable for both students and scholars. . . . I highly recommend this book to all who are interested in the society and religious culture of twelfth-century China." —Hsiao-wen Cheng, University of Pennsylvania, in Journal of Chinese Religions

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  39. Records of the Three Kingdoms in Plain Language

    Translated, with Introduction and Annotations, by Wilt L. Idema and Stephen H. West

    "Idema and West have been collaborating on the production of scholarly works on, and translations of, Chinese vernacular literature for decades and their work has set a very high standard for scholarly value, accuracy, and readability. This is their second volume on popular treatments of the famous Three Kingdoms period, a fascinating age that has dominated as a topic both traditional Chinese fiction and drama. . . . Records of the Three Kingdoms in Plain Language . . . presents a comprehensive introduction to all of the main characters (Liu Bei, Guan Yu, Zhang Fei, Cao Cao, Zhou Yu, etc.) and events (the Oath in the Peach Garden, The Battle at the Red Cliff, The Single Sword Meeting, etc.) that are so well known in China and deserve to be even better known in the West."  —David Rolston, University of Michigan

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  40. Six Records of a Life Adrift

    Shen Fu
    Translated, with Introduction and Notes, by Graham Sanders

    "Shen Fu’s Six Records of a Life Adrift is the most intimate document at our disposal of private life in late imperial China. Graham Sanders now provides us with a new translation for the 21st century, which is not only well researched but also highly readable." —Wilt Idema, Harvard University

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  41. Tales from Tang Dynasty China

    Edited, with an Introduction, by Alexei Kamran Ditter, Jessey Choo, and Sarah M. Allen

    "This new collection of Tang dynasty tales translated from the Taiping Guangji is an outstanding new resource for students of China. The stories are well-chosen to represent the fascinating breadth of medieval Chinese culture—tales of romance, politics, revenge, and interactions with the supernatural bring to life the richness of medieval religion and society. The translations themselves are accurate and compelling. The authors and translators provide concise, clear introductions to each story and to the volume as a whole, and the collection is carefully organized and indexed so that teachers and students can explore stories on different topics. Lively and accessible to the non-specialist reader, this volume will make a terrific addition to any course on China." —Anna M. Shields, Princeton University

     "All in all, with excellent translations, knowledgeable and insightful introductions, as well as a user-friendly index and appendices, this anthology is beyond doubt a valuable addition to the study of Tang tales. I believe it will be enthusiastically welcomed by all students and scholars of Chinese fiction and religions and enjoyed by general readers as well." —Zhenjun Zhang, St. Lawrence University, in Chinese Literature

    "The reader of Tales from Tang Dynasty China is struck above all by the impressive quality of the translations, which throughout maintain great attention to detail, style, and precision. The first-rate and user-friendly supplementary materials, including the introduction, appendices, bibliography, and index, further enhance the substantial pedagogical and scholarly importance of the volume. [This book] represents an invaluable contribution to the field of Chinese literary studies and a critical resource for students, instructors, and researchers of Tang literature and culture." —Rebecca Doran, University of Miami, in Journal of Chinese Religions

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  42. Tao Te Ching

    Lao-Tzu
    Translated, with Translators' Preface, Glossary, and Pronunciation Guide, by Stephen Addiss and Stanley Lombardo; Introduction by Burton Watson, with Ink Drawings by Stephen Addiss

    This translation captures the terse and enigmatic beauty of the ancient original and resists the tendency toward interpretive paraphrase found in many other editions. Along with the complete translation, Lombardo and Addiss provide one or more key lines from the original Chinese for each of the eighty-one sections, together with a transliteration of the Chinese characters and a glossary commenting on the pronunciation and meaning of each Chinese character displayed. This greatly enhances the reader's appreciation of how the Chinese text works and feels and the different ways it can be translated into English.

    "This crystalline translation of the Tao Te Ching is accurate down to the nuance and as concisely poetic as the original. It preserves the quirks and flavors of the original text. The translators hearkened to the message of the book itself, and kept it clear and gently strong. Of the many translations I have read in English, this is unquestionably the best." —Gary Snyder, University of California at Davis

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  43. The Arthaśāstra

    Edited and Translated, with an Introduction, by Patrick Olivelle and Mark McClish

    "The translations are the collaborative product of the two leading authorities today on the Arthaśāstra. . . . Their work is consistently, meticulously accurate throughout, yet written in the most straightforward and direct manner imaginable. The material prefatory to each translated section is, again, clear and accessible. . . . Complex matters are effectively distilled in plain language, and the key issues brought out. Superb on all counts. I have been awaiting such a volume for a long time." —Timothy Lubin, Washington and Lee University

    "McClish and Olivelle's general Introduction to the Arthaśāstra is destined to become a classic in the field of South Asian studies; they have translated the text itself in an accessible style that students and general readers alike will comprehend and enjoy.” —James Frey, University of Wisconsin, Oshkosh

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  44. The Buddha's Teachings As Philosophy

    Mark Siderits

    A shorter and less technical treatment of its subject than the author’s acclaimed Buddhism As Philosophy (second edition, Hackett, 2021), Mark Siderits's The Buddha’s Teachings As Philosophy explores three different systems of thought that arose from core claims of the Buddha. By detailing and critically examining key arguments made by the Buddha and developed by later Buddhist philosophers, Siderits investigates the Buddha's teachings as philosophy: a set of claims—in this case, claims about the nature of the world and our place in it—supported by rational argumentation and, here, developed with a variety of systematic results. The Buddha’s Teachings As Philosophy will be especially useful to students of philosophy, religious studies, and comparative religion—to anyone, in fact, encountering Buddhist philosophy for the first time.

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  45. The Butterfly Lovers

    Edited and Translated, with Introduction, by Wilt L. Idema

    “A judiciously chosen selection of the highlights of the famous Liang-Zhu story cycle with a particular focus on earlier and little-known redactions in a multiplicity of genres. Expertly translated with glosses on cultural items, this volume will prove a boon to the English reader with an interest in the riches of Chinese oral and vernacular culture. Scholars and students of Chinese literature and culture will value this volume for the insight it gives into the emergence and development of the story at key points in the tradition. Teachers of Chinese literature, history, and gender studies too will find much to draw inspiration from in the introduction, the translated stories and the background material presented in this book.”
         —CHINOPERL Papers

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  46. The Daodejing of Laozi

    Laozi
    Translated, with Commentary, by Philip J. Ivanhoe

    "Why another translation of the Daodejing? Ivanhoe manages, unlike some scholarly translators, to respect the intellectual, social, philosophic, historic, and spiritual integrity of the text and to put the text into a readable, insightful, and elegant English rendering of the most famous of the early Daoist classics." 
         —John Berthrong, Boston University School of Theology 

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  47. The East India Company, 1600–1858

    Ian Barrow

    Series: Passages: Key Moments in History

    "Ian Barrow has written a concise yet engaging, rich, and detailed history of the East India Company—its rise to power, evolution, and eventual demise. This book will be read with great interest by students as well as those general readers seeking a better knowledge of the world's first multi-national corporation and its important influence in the creation of the modern South Asian world."  —Michael Dodson, Indiana University Bloomington

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  48. The Essential Analects

    Confucius
    Translated, with Introduction, by Edward Slingerland

    The Essential Analects offers a representative selection from Edward Slingerland's acclaimed translation of the full work, including passages covering all major themes. An appendix of selected traditional commentaries keyed to each passage provides access to the text and to its reception and interpretation. Also included are a glossary of terms and short biographies of the disciples of Confucius and the traditional commentators cited.

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  49. The Essential Mengzi

    Mengzi
    Translated by Bryan W. Van Norden

    The Essential Mengzi offers a representative selection from Bryan Van Norden's acclaimed translation of the full work, including the most frequently studied passages and covering all of the work's major themes. An appendix of selections from the classic commentary of Zhu Xi—one of the most influential and insightful interpreters of Confucianism—keyed to relevant passages, provides access to the text and to its reception and interpretation. Also included are a general Introduction, timeline, glossary, and selected bibliography.

    "An excellent translation of one of the truly great philosophical texts in world literature. Van Norden also provides an invaluable running philosophical commentary, drawing primarily from Zhu Xi's tremendously influential reading of the text. This is a wonderful contribution." —Michael Puett, Harvard University


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  50. The Four Books: The Basic Teachings of the Later Confucian Tradition

    Daniel K. Gardner

    In this engaging volume, Daniel Gardner explains the way in which the Four Books—Great Learning, Analects, Mencius, and Maintaining Perfect Balance—have been read and understood by the Chinese since the twelfth century.  Selected passages in translation are accompanied by Gardner's comments, which incorporate selections from the commentary and interpretation of the renowned Neo-Confucian thinker, Zhu Xi (1130-1200).

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