Capsule review : To Rule All Under Heaven : A History of Classical China, from Confucius to the First Emperor (Andrew Seth Meyer)
How well can we really know the past ? The question confronts every historian, but most sharply those who study the ancient past. Such is the case for Meyer. He does not shy away from the question, duly noting after the more incredible anecdotes the biases and moralizing aims of the imperial scholars who wrote the main sources of the Warring States period generations after the alleged events. Meyer cleverly extracts plausible realities from the collected folk tales, though a sense of incredulity still lingers. Writing for the general public, he adopts a familiar tone, where perhaps a more elevated style would have better pleased this reader.
Rating : ★★★★☆
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