The Man Who Loved China: The Fantastic Story of the Eccentric Scientist Who Unlocked the Mysteries of the Middle Kingdom (P.S.),   ISBN:9780060884611

Customer Rating: 

This book was first purchased as an audio book, on nine discs if I remember. It was read by the author. I found it to be so noteworthy that I purchased the paperback edition from Amazon.

The author weaves a facinating story of a brilliant eccentric without being smitten by his subject. The unusual facets of the title character are described in a matter-of-fact way that never fails to hold your attention.

Because of China's rapid accendency to world power status in our current century, it is of profound significance to everyone in the European tradition. Most would benefit from knowledge of her past. No other Enlishman, European, or non-Asian for that matter, has ever devoted the time, talent, and sustained energy to catalog the historical science and technological firsts in China. His opus is still in print! There was never an obscure but significant corner of this ancient land that he did not explore when given the opportunity. To the end of a long life, he continued to pound out the documents on his old manual typewriter in a Cambridge University office now occupied by Stephen Hawking.

Highly interesting and recommended.

Customer Rating: 

Simon Winchester chooses unique and interesting topics to write about.
Joseph Needham was a brilliant man who lived in a supportive environment that allowed him to expand into any situation that interested him. His lack of reflection and self control led him in his earlier life into didactic, dogmatic and verbose publications (among other things!). In later life these qualities damaged him.
Simon Winchester also tends to be wordy and unnecessarily exhaustive in his writing.
While I cannot question Needham's findings, Winchester does not appear to have validated the citations on the superiority of ancient China in scientific discovery and application. If Needham had any thoughts on why China's creativity and innovation ended, Winchester does not mention this vital question.
Read the book with a pinch of sodium chloride, not monosodium glutamate.
It's a great read.

Customer Rating: 

I randomly picked up this book in my local library, without knowing what it is about. But I was immediately fascinated by it. It is a great book about a brilliant scholar. It is beyond me how a man could learn Chinese and become a renowned scholar on China's history at the age of nearly 40. A truly remarkable man!

Customer Rating: 

A fascinating biography of Joseph Needham, who fulfilled the stereotype of the brilliant, original, eccentric, and supremely self-confident English academician. And also, politically naive. Winchester writes in an easy, flowing, chatty, and even gossipy manner that compels the reader--at least this one--to keep turning pages deep into the night. This is first and foremost a lively biography and not a history of China or of Chinese science, although there is an appendix alphabetically listing Chinese scientific firsts, and an extensive reading list for those who might wish to further explore Chinese history and culture. There is a film, lurking within these pages.

Customer Rating: 

This book is alright. Mainly a biography of Needham but like one reviewer mentioned, how he analyzed his studies wasn't in great detail but in my opinion, is enough to get an generalized description of the person. If anyone is interested in the study of Ancient Chinese technology, science or any other knowledge, there are plenty of works available.

I do want to point out that a lot of books regarding this topic are extreme. Some praise the history, others are very dismissive, while others attempt to see this in different perspectives. One book I have is Ideas; a history of thought and invention, from fire to freud by Peter Watson, which mentions that a lot of Needham's work has been both discredited and supported. With the infamous Needham question still discuss quite feverously around the world. I think it is because of Joseph Needham's work that brought a lot of attention to another area of Sinology which would have been greatly ignored.

With all that being said, this book is interesting.