The Geography Of China A Selected And Annotated Bibliography

Confining itself to the ancient and traditional state which ended constitutionally in 1912, this book aims to provide an introduction to the history of China. In dealing with Chinese history since the abdication in that year of the last Ch'ing emperor, a completely separate approach seems necessary, in view of that history's complexity, terms of reference, and what is perhaps a quite different structure -though admittedly the origins of the modem state may be sought in the traditional era and past traditions can be regarded as surviving for a time.

This guide to the literature of Asian history represents a first attempt to present in an integrated fashion all the major source materials, without distinction as to place or language of publication. Of the approximately 950 books and periodicals referred to, about two-thirds are in English, and about 140 are in Japanese. In addition to books and articles on historical and political subjects, the Bibliographyalso lists appropriate encyclopedias, yearbooks, biographical dictionaries, atlases, gazetteers, and sources of census and statistical information. The selection of references was made after an examination of contents or on the advice of specialists. The criteria for selection included the comprehensiveness of the work, the avoidance of overlap with other works cited, and the quality of the work itself. There is an obviously modern bias to this guide with its concentration on problems of concern to modern Asia rather than traditional Asia, but materials have not been limited to those of a strictly contemporary interest, and books with an early modern emphasis have also been included. The work encompasses materials published up to the end of 1968; extended editions of this guide will appear at regular intervals in the future, and to facilitate this, the text has been transcribed on computer tape. The countries and regions covered are: Asia generally; Southern Asia generally. Ceylon; India; Nepal; Pakistan. Southeast Asia generally; Burma; Thailand; Malaysia; the Philippines; Indochina generally; Vietnam; Laos; Cambodia. East Asia generally; China; Mongolia; Korea; Japan.