Summaries and Customer Reviews are supplied by Amazon.com

John King Fairbank was the West's doyen on China, and this book is the full and final expression of his lifelong engagement with this vast ancient civilization. It remains a masterwork without parallel. The distinguished historian Merle Goldman brings the book up to date, covering reforms in the post-Mao period through the early years of the twenty-first century, including the leadership of Hu Jintao. She also provides an epilogue discussing the changes in contemporary China that will shape the nation in the years to come.

Average Customer Rating:

not much different from previous editions	Customer Rating:
I bought this book because I was misled by the information displayed on Amazon's web site. This edition in its paperback form actually runs to 560 pages only, not to 640 pages as the "product details" claims. I was led to believe that this 2006 2nd enlarged edition was a major expansion over its previous edition, which I already possess. But no.

A visit to China	Customer Rating:
Excellent and comprehensive history of China. A must read for anyone going to see this country.

Saved Money	Customer Rating:
I saved a lot of money buying this book new from Amazon over buying it from B&N or the on-campus bookstore. It also arrived very quickly.

Book delivery	Customer Rating:
A little pencil writing in the book, but it is in excellent shape.

Great

Customer Rating:

This book is a great overview of Chinese history. While true that Spence's Volume has more artistic qualities this volume is mor than sufficient for the student of history. Clear and concise, this book describes the major events of Chinese history while integrating a plethora of supplemental and recent scholarship. Anyone interested in diving further into Chinese history can use Fairbank and Goldman as a launching platform.