On China is a sweeping and insightful history by Henry Kissinger who turns, for the first time, to a book length examination of  a country he has known intimately for decades and whose modern relations with the West he helped shape.   On China illuminates the inner workings of Chinese diplomacy during such pivotal events as the initial encounters between China and tight line modern European powers, the formation and breakdown of the Sino-Soviet alliance, the Korean War, and Richard Nixon’s historic trip to Beijing. Read more…

In South Korea: The Price of Efficiency and Success we learn that its extraordinary economic and technological transformation after the Korean War (1950-1953) is often referred to by observers and historians as the “Miracle on the Han River.” The nation underwent an extraordinary makeover from being one of the poorest countries to become the 12th largest economy in the world and 4th in Asia. South Korea also became one of the most technologically advanced countries in a short span. Read more…

Shinto – The Way of Gods: Introduction to the Traditional Religion of Japan is intended to give a basic, yet detailed view of the Shinto world for a beginner. This book traces the path of Shinto starting from its ancient origins to its present day. Shinto is Japanese for ‘The way of the Gods.’ Shinto represents Japanese religion and cult that has its origins in prehistoric times. Referred to as the ‘indigenous faith of the Japan’ – the belief occupies a significant position even in the technologically advanced modern Japanese society. Read more…

As we learn in Midnight’s Furies: The Deadly Legacy of India’s Partition, nobody expected the liberation of India and birth of Pakistan to be so bloody — it was supposed to be an answer to the dreams of Muslims and Hindus who had been ruled by the British for centuries. Jawaharlal Nehru, Gandhi’s protégé and the political leader of India, believed Indians were an inherently nonviolent, peaceful people. Pakistan’s founder, Mohammad Ali Jinnah, was a secular lawyer, not a firebrand. But in August 1946, exactly a year before Independence, Calcutta erupted in street-gang fighting. Read more…

Two Captivating Ancient Asian History Manuscripts In One Book Ancient China: A Captivating Guide to the Ancient History of China and the Chinese Civilization Starting from the Shang Dynasty to the Fall of the Han Dynasty Ancient Japan: A Captivating Guide to the Ancient History of Japan, Their Ancient Civilization, and Japanese Culture, Including Stories of the Samurai, Shōguns, and Zen Masters   To understand present-day China, its politics, society, and culture in general, we have to go back to the beginnings of the Chinese civilization. Read more…

In his A History of East Asia Charles Holcombe begins by asking the question ‘what is East Asia?’ In the modern age, many of the features that made the region – now defined as including China, Japan, Korea and Vietnam – distinct have been submerged by the effects of revolution, politics or globalization. Yet, as an ancient civilization, the region had both an historical and cultural coherence. This shared past is at the heart of this ambitious book, which traces the story of East Asia from the dawn of history to the twenty-first century. Read more…