After Tamerlane, The Global History of Empire Since 1405  •  John Darwin HISTORY •  2008 •  HARD COVER  • 592 PAGES (WLD134, $34.95)
The Arts of China  •  Michael Sullivan ART & ARCHITECTURE •  2008 •  PAPER  • 352 PAGES • COMING IN DECEMBER A comprehensive survey of Chinese visual arts -- and culture -- through the ages. It's a lively overview, thoroughly illustrated and accessible, covering bronzes, lacquer, ceramics, painting and architecture, from the Neolithic to the modern. With 380 illustrations, half in color. This is the fourth edition of Sullivan's popular textbook, equally appropriate for the serious traveler or general reader. (CHN16, $39.95)
Balzac and the Little Chinese Seamstress  •  Xun Zhou 2005 •  DVD In this film by by Xun Zhou (based on the novel), two teenage boys are sent off to the countryside in Mao's Cultural Revolution in 1971. Run time of 111 minutes. (CHN327, $26.98)
Bamboo Shoots After the Rain, Contemporary Stories by Women Writers of Taiwan  •  Ann C. Carver  •  Sung-Sheng Y. Chang ANTHOLOGY •  1990 •  PAPER  • 264 PAGES An anthology of 14 stories by three generations of Taiwanese women from the 1940s to the 1980s, dealing with issues of sexuality, tradition and politics. (TWN02, $16.95)
Big Dragon, The Future of China  •  Daniel Burstein  •  Arne de Keijzer HISTORY •  1999 •  PAPER  • 416 PAGES An overview of China's culture, economy, and emergence as a superpower. The authors focus on future prospects and the increasingly important foreign relations with the U.S. Burstein, an investment banker, focuses on opportunities for engagement and trade. (CHN208, $26.95)
Bradt Guide The Great Wall of China  •  Thammy Evans GUIDEBOOK •  2006 •  PAPER  • 278 PAGES Practical, reliable and up-to-date, this Bradt guide covers Beijing and northern China in companionable detail. With 35 local and town maps, chapters on Dandong, Hebei and Tainjin, Bejing Shanxi, Shaanxi, Ningxia and Gansu, and a general overview of people, culture and history. (CHN351, $22.95)
A Case of Two Cities  •  Qiu Xiaolong MYSTERY •  2007 •  PAPER  • 320 PAGES In the fourth installment of the Inspector Chen series, Chen investigates the murder of the head Fujian special case squad. The trail leads him to the U.S., were he pursues a wealthy capitalist immigrant. (CHN396, $13.95)
The Chan's Great Continent: China in Western Winds  •  Jonathan Spence HISTORY •  1999 •  PAPER  • 279 PAGES Beginning with the narrative of Marco Polo, Spence uses the accounts of historical European figures to survey the West's views of China and the transformations of these perceptions over time. (CHN276, $16.95)
China Map  •  Geocart MAP This folded country map at a scale of 1:4,000,000. shows all of China on one side of a 39 X 52 sheet. (CHN360, $15.95)
The China Reader, The Reform Era  •  Orville Schell  •  David Shambaugh HISTORY •  1999 •  PAPER  • 553 PAGES This sourcebook on contemporary China includes first-hand material by Mao Zedong, Deng Xiaoping, along with insightful essays by several scholars on the culture and politics of China over the last 25 years. Dean of the graduate school of journalism at Berkeley and a China scholar, Schell is also the author of Mandate of Heaven and Virtual Tibet. Co-editor and contributor David Shambaugh, professor at George Washington University, is a senior fellow at the Brookings Institution. (CHN224, $17.95)
China Survival Guide, How to Avoid Travel Troubles and Mortifying Mishaps  •  Larry Herzberg GUIDEBOOK •  2007 •  PAPER  • 160 PAGES A humorous and helpful guide that addresses all the travails of being a foreign tourist in China. (CHN428, $9.95)
China Wall Map  •  National Geographic 1997 •  MAP A wall map of China from the cartographers at National Geographic, at a scale of 1:7,800,000. Price includes priority shipping in a sturdy cardboard tube. (CHN197, $14.99)
China's New Cultural Scene, A Handbook of Changes  •  Marie Claire Huot HISTORY •  2000 •  PAPER  • 258 PAGES A discussion of China's culture in relation to traditional society and the traumatic events of the last fifty years. Huot discusses music from rock to rap, television, theater, and literature. She pays special attention to cinema. Includes an index of artists and works, and a glossary of Chinese words. (CHN330, $22.95)
China, Portrait of a Country by 76 Chinese Photographers  •  Heung Shing Liu HISTORY •  2008 •  HARD COVER  • 360 PAGES This stunning photographic history of the People's Republic shows the nation's triumphs and hardships from 1949-2008. Liu, a pulitzer-prize-winning photojournalist who grew up in China, has brought together a range of photographers not well-known in the West. (CHN525, $59.99)
Chinese (Mandarin), Start Speaking Today!  •  Educational Services Corporation LANGUAGE & PHRASEBOOKS •  1993 •  AUDIO CD A 90-minute crash course in Mandarin featured in two compact discs and a phrasebook packaged in a vinyl sleeve. Geared for travelers, the course follows the foreign service method -- which focuses on dialogues and useful sentences instead of individual words. In each case, an English phrase is spoken once, and repeated in Mandarin twice. Topics include introductions, transportation, business and health. (CHN92, $21.95)
Chinese Families in the Post-Mao Era  •  Deborah Davis  •  Stevan Harrell HISTORY •  1993 •  PAPER  • 400 PAGES A collection of scholarly essays on contemporary Chinese family structures, both rural and urban, intellectual and working class, contributed by eleven experts. (CHN203, $37.95)
Chinese, A Language Map  •  Kristinek Kershul LANGUAGE & PHRASEBOOKS •  2001 •  PLASTIC CARD This durable, foldout card, featuring 1,000 words and phrases, works as a quick reference for travelers. (CHN284, $7.95)
The Columbia Anthology of Modern Chinese Literature  •  Jo Lau  •  Howard Goldblatt ANTHOLOGY •  2007 •  PAPER  • 737 PAGES The first comprehensive anthology of modern Chinese literature, this tome, with many newly commissioned translations, introduces important authors and literary trends of modern China. (CHN524, $35.50)
Culture Shock! China  •  Iris Wong Po-Yee  •  Kevin Sinclair GUIDEBOOK •  2007 •  PAPER  • 240 PAGES Written for the businessman, resident or traveler, this guide is a lively introduction to modern Chinese culture and manners. Its focus is on customs and business etiquette. (CHN204, $15.95)
East Asia, Tradition and Transformation  •  John Fairbank  •  Edwin O. Reischauer  •  Albert M. Craig HISTORY •  1990 •  HARD COVER  • 1027 PAGES A sprawling history of China and Japan, covering ancient through modern times. (ASA18, $171.96)
Feather in the Storm, A Childhood Lost in Chaos  •  Emily Wu BIOGRAPHY/MEMOIR •  2006 •  HARD COVER  • 352 PAGES Wu's unsentimental account of coming of age during the devastation, chaos and horror of Mao's Cultural Revolution, told through the voice of a child. Now living in California, Wu survived and flourished against overwhelming odds. (CHN381, $26.00)
Fodor's Beijing  •  Emmanuelle Morgen  •  Deborah Kaufman GUIDEBOOK •  2005 •  PAPER  • 251 PAGES A practical, frequently revised guide to Beijing and Shanghai featuring hundreds of annotated listings of where to eat, stay and shop. (CHN253, $17.95)
Fodor's China  •  David Allan GUIDEBOOK •  2005 •  PAPER A practical, frequently revised guide to China featuring hundreds of annotated listings of where to eat, stay and shop. (CHN314, $24.95)
Frommer's Beijing  •  Frommer's GUIDEBOOK •  2006 •  PAPER A practical guide in the popular series, strong on where to eat, sleep and shop. (CHN346, $16.99)
Frommer's Shanghai  •  J.D. Brown GUIDEBOOK •  2006 •  PAPER  • 256 PAGES A practical guide in the popular series, strong on where to eat, sleep and shop. (CHN220, $17.99)
The Genius of China: 3,000 Years of Science, Discovery, and Invention  •  Robert Temple  •  Joseph Needham HISTORY •  2007 •  PAPER  • 288 PAGES An abridged popular edition of Needham's original, monumental Science & Civilization in China, organized by invention and illustrated throughout with color photographs, diagrams and drawings. (CHN82, $29.95)
Good Luck Life, The Essential Guide To Chinese American Celebrations And Culture  •  Rosemary Gong GUIDEBOOK •  2005 •  PAPER  • 288 PAGES A collection of notes and guide to Chinese culture, festivals and traditions, covering food, drink, weddings, and funerals. (CHN333, $14.95)
The Good Women of China, Hidden Voices  •  Xinran Xue CULTURAL PORTRAIT •  2003 •  PAPER  • 256 PAGES An oral history of women and their experiences in modern China, drawn from hundreds of anonymous voices heard on a popular radio call-in show. (CHN256, $13.95)
Governing China, From Revolution Through Reform  •  Kenneth Lieberthal HISTORY •  1997 •  PAPER  • 461 PAGES A scholarly political history of China in the 20th century, detailed and informative. (CHN112, $28.50)
Hero  •  Zhang Yimou 2005 •  DVD Jet Li stars in this visually stunning martial arts masterpiece by the director of Raise the Red Lantern. Set in ancient feudal China, this simple tale is rendered in breathtaking color. (CHN328, $19.99)
In the Red: On Contemporary Chinese Culture  •  Geremie R. Barme CULTURAL PORTRAIT •  2000 •  PAPER  • 512 PAGES Focusing on the years since the 1989 Tiananmen protest, Barme examines the dialectic between official culture produced by the Chinese government and the popular "unofficial" culture and counterculture of the urban population. (CHN88, $31.50)
Inside China  •  National Geographic Society CULTURAL PORTRAIT •  2007 •  HARD COVER  • 272 PAGES The diverse landscapes and peoples of China as seen through the lenses of photographers past (Henri Cartier-Bresson, Li Zhensheng, Marc Riboud) and present (Mark Leong, Edward Burtynsky, Sebastio Salgado). Jonathan Spence, Minxin Pei and other modern experts offer essays on the history and future of the country. (CHN444, $50.00)
Insight Guide East Asia: China, Taiwan, Korea, Japan  •  Insight Guides GUIDEBOOK •  2001 •  PAPER  • 412 PAGES An illustrated guide to the history, culture and traditions of China, Taiwan, Korea and Japan featuring 250 color photographs and 16 maps. (ASA27, $24.95)
Insight Guide Shanghai  •  Insight Guides GUIDEBOOK •  2003 •  PAPER  • 328 PAGES This well-illustrated guide in the popular series features essays on culture and history, excellent local maps and good information on attractions. (CHN219, $23.95)
Knopf Mapguide Shanghai  •  Knopf Guides GUIDEBOOK •  2005 •  PAPER  • 48 PAGES Full-color foldout maps make this guidebook a handy and practical way to find information on where to go and what to do in the city. (CHN283, $9.95)
Knopf Mapguide, Hong Kong  •  Knopf Guides GUIDEBOOK •  2005 •  PAPER  • 48 PAGES A practical and handy passport-sized guide to the city, featuring fold-out maps. (HKG30, $9.95)
Lonely Planet Cantonese Phrasebook  •  Kam Y. Lau LANGUAGE & PHRASEBOOKS •  2005 •  PAPER  • 256 PAGES A handy, palm-sized guide to pronunciation, basic grammar and essential vocabulary for the traveler in Hong Kong or Southern China. (HKG19, $8.99)
Lonely Planet Hong Kong & Macau City Guide  •  Nicko Goncharoff  •  Damian Harper GUIDEBOOK •  2008 •  PAPER  • 272 PAGES A practical, comprehensive guide to Hong Kong, with maps, a Chinese language section and plenty of information on excursions, accommodations and sightseeing. Written for independent travelers. (HKG14, $19.99)
Lonely Planet Shanghai  •  Bradley Mayhew GUIDEBOOK •  2006 •  PAPER  • 258 PAGES A practical guide to Shanghai featuring maps and detailed information on excursions, accommodations and sightseeing. With a few color photographs and excellent travel information. (CHN91, $19.99)
The Long March, The True History of Communist China's Founding Myth  •  Sun Shuyun HISTORY •  2008 •  PAPER Shuyan retraces the epic 1934 journey, re-evaluating communist China's founding stories in light of interviews with witnesses and aging survivors. She lets the veterans themselves tell the dramatic tale of endurance. (CHN490, $14.95)
A Loyal Character Dancer  •  Qiu Xiaolong MYSTERY •  2003 •  PAPER  • 351 PAGES Another compelling, subversive Detective Chan mystery, steeped in the geography and atmosphere of Shanghai. Assigned to help the wife of an important witness to reach the United States safely, U.S. marshal Catharine Rohn learns that the woman has vanished, while inspector Chen reluctantly assumes the task of saving face. (CHN412, $14.00)
Making China Policy, Lessons from the Bush and Clinton Administrations  •  Ramo Myers HISTORY •  2001 •  PAPER  • 288 PAGES An evaluation of U.S. foreign policy toward China and Taiwan during the twelve years of the Bush and Clinton administrations. Ramon Myers is senior fellow and curator-scholar of the East Asia Collection at the Hoover Institution at Stanford University. (CHN336, $37.95)
Making Out in Chinese  •  Ray Daniels LANGUAGE & PHRASEBOOKS •  1993 •  PAPER A phonetic (and funny) guide to getting along in Chinese. (CHN206, $8.95)
Odyssey Guide Beijing & Shanghai  •  Bill Mooney GUIDEBOOK •  2006 •  PAPER  • 599 PAGES A comprehensive, illustrated guide to the two cities, jammed with photographs, maps and great information on culture and history. (CHN228, $24.95)
Odyssey Guide Guizhou Province  •  Gina Corrigan GUIDEBOOK •  2002 •  PAPER An in-depth guide to the history, culture and peoples of Guizhou province, featuring color photographs, excellent maps and a very good overview of the ethnic minorities of the region. Corrigan, who has published widely on the Miao and the textiles of Southwest China, covers the textile arts and costume, jewelry, music and festivals in detail. (CHN321, $23.95)
Odyssey Guide Three Gorges of the Yangtze River  •  Raynor Shaw GUIDEBOOK •  2006 •  PAPER  • 224 PAGES • NEW Compact, illustrated and up-to-date, this detailed guide focuses on the 120-mile-long Three Gorges section of the Yangtzi, including Chongsing, Yichang and Wuhan. With 12 color maps and diagrams. (CHN368, $21.95)
Odyssey Guide Xi'an, Shaanxi & the Terracotta Army  •  Kevin Bishop GUIDEBOOK •  2005 •  PAPER  • 336 PAGES A convenient, illustrated guide to Xi'an, the ancient capital of China. With color photographs, insightful essays on culture and history, and a series of wonderfully chosen literary excerpts. It includes site plans and places of interest, along with practical travel information and maps. (CHN34, $23.95)
Passions of the Cut Sleeve, The Male Homosexual Tradition in China  •  Bret Hinsch LITERATURE •  1992 •  PAPER  • 256 PAGES A well written, scholarly survey of the traditions of same-sex male love across 3,000 years of Chinese literature -- much livlier than the title would indicate. Hinsch draws from dynastic histories, erotic novels, popular Buddhist tracts, love poetry, legal cases, and joke books in this fascinating overview. (CHN167, $21.95)
Pimsleur Quick & Simple Chinese (Cantonese)  •  Pimsleur Language Method LANGUAGE & PHRASEBOOKS •  2005 •  AUDIO CD Four audio CDs with eight 30-minute lessons in basic Cantonese, covering elementary vocabulary and phrases used in travel and everyday situations. The Pimsleur method emphasizes the use of listening skills without reading materials (so there isn't a book to follow along). It's advertised as "Totally audio: hear it, learn it, speak it." (CHN279, $19.95)
Pimsleur Quick & Simple Chinese (Mandarin)  •  Pimsleur Language Method LANGUAGE & PHRASEBOOKS •  2005 •  AUDIO CD Four audio CDs with eight 30-minute lessons in basic Mandarin, covering elementary vocabulary and phrases used in travel and everyday situations. The Pimsleur method emphasizes the use of listening skills without reading materials (so there isn't a book to follow along). It's advertised as "Totally audio: hear it, learn it, speak it." (CHN280, $19.95)
China Map  •  International Travel Maps 2006 •  MAP A fine, double-sided map of China, at a useful scale of 1:3,800,000, featuring colorful shaded relief, indexed with an inset map of central Beijing. Fifth edition. It also shows parts of Korea, Mongolia, Tibet, Nepal, Bhutan and Burma. (CHN06, $11.95)
Red China Blues, My Long March from Mao to Now  •  Jan Wong BIOGRAPHY/MEMOIR •  1997 •  PAPER  • 368 PAGES A Beijing correspondent from 1988-1994, Jan Wong first traveled to China in 1972 at the height of the cultural revolution, a wide-eyed 19-year-old rebel from Canada in love with the ideas of Mao. The first half of this eye-opening, laugh-out-loud memoir tells of her experiences in the "hermetically sealed bubble of Maoism" as one of two westerners to attend Beijing University. The second half of the book is a first-hand account of the recent era of reform in China. Told with finely honed irony, it gives us what the "New York Times" review called "front row seats at Mao's Theater of the Absurd." (CHN37, $15.95)
Red Mandarin Dress, An Inspector Chen Novel  •  Qiu Xiaolong MYSTERY •  2007 •  HARD COVER  • 310 PAGES Qiu's fifth Inspector Chen mystery pits the unflappable detective against a serial killer who clothes his victims in red mandarin dresses and leaves the bodies in public places. As always, the turbulence and corruption of 1990s Shanghai provides an evocative backdrop. (CHN458, $24.95)
The Rise of Modern China  •  Immanuel C.Y. Hsu HISTORY •  1997 •  PAPER  • 976 PAGES A comprehensive, scholarly history of China from the 17th century through the present. Hsu examines economic and social institutions, internal and international affairs, and political and intellectual movements. (CHN62, $69.95)
River Town, Two Years on the Yangtze  •  Peter Hessler BIOGRAPHY/MEMOIR •  2001 •  PAPER  • 432 PAGES An intelligent personal account of life as a Peace Corps volunteer in Fuling, a Provincial city where foreigners are a curiosity. Fuling is located on the Yangtze in Sichuan, which will be partially drowned with the completion of the Three Gorges dam. (CHN125, $14.95)
Rough Guide Beijing  •  Rough Guide GUIDEBOOK •  2008 •  PAPER  • 216 PAGES A compact, practical guide to the city, jammed with maps, site plans, suggested sightseeing and recommended restaurants and hotels. With a front-of-the-book introductory color overview and not-to-be-missed attractions, glossary and listings. (CHN234, $19.99)
Rough Guide China  •  Simon Lewis  •  David Leffman GUIDEBOOK •  2008 •  PAPER  • 1284 PAGES A no-nonsense, opinionated travel guide in the British series aimed at independent-minded travelers. In addition to detailed travel infomration, the handbook includes maps, a 60-page cultural and historical overview and a great bibliography. (CHN78, $27.99)
Shanghai Map  •  Periplus Maps MAP A map of Shanghai, at a scale of 1:15,000. Main streets shown in both English and Chinese (good for directing taxis!). (CHN90, $8.95)
Shark's Fin and Sichuan Pepper, A Sweet-sour Memoir of Eating in China  •  Fuschia Dunlop FOOD •  2008 •  HARD COVER  • 352 PAGES Dunlop, a well-known British food writer and expert on Sichuanese cuisine, writes with verve and flavor about her eating experiences in China. She boldly tries delicacies such as snake stir-fry and ox's throat and reflects on the differences between Western and Chinese food attitudes. (CHN509, $24.95)
The Silk Road Journey with Xuanzang  •  Sally Wriggins TRAVEL NARRATIVE •  2003 •  PAPER  • 352 PAGES A nicely illustrated account of an extraordinary, 16-year trek from Xi'an to India by way of Central Asia in search of the origins of Buddhism by Xuan-Zang, the famous 7th-century Chinese monk. Modern travelers will find the descriptions of Buddhist sites and shrines of much interest, including the original accounts of Dunhuang, Samarkand the now-obliterated Buddhas of Bamiyan in Afghanistan. With maps and photographs. (ASA31, $25.00)
Sustainable Energy in China, The Closing Window of Opportunity  •  Noureddine Berrah HISTORY •  2007 •  PAPER  • 273 PAGES The 2007 World Bank report on China's energy policy. (CHN454, $45.00)
Thunder from the East, Portrait of a Rising Asia  •  Nicholas Kristoff  •  Sheryl WuDunn CULTURAL PORTRAIT •  2000 •  PAPER  • 377 PAGES From the pens of a husband-and-wife team of Pulitzer Prize-winning correspondents for the "New York Times," comes a study of the changing face of Asia's economy and culture. It's an ambituous book, organized thematically with alternating chapters by Kristoff and WuDunn. The book combines interviews, newspaper-style profiles, statistics and anecdote. (ASA24, $15.95)
Thunder Out of China  •  Theodore H. White  •  Annalee Jacoby  •  Harrison Salisbury HISTORY •  1980 •  PAPER  • 331 PAGES A classic account of the revolutionary developments in China in the years surrounding World War II, highly readbale and illuminating. Originally published in 1946. (CHN113, $16.50)
Time Out Shanghai  •  Time Out GUIDEBOOK •  2008 •  PAPER  • 310 PAGES An up-to-date guide on what to do and where to go by the people who publish Time Out Magazine. (CHN309, $19.95)
A Traveller's History of China  •  Stephen G. Haw HISTORY •  2008 •  PAPER  • 310 PAGES An admirably brief, lively history of China (including a chronology, list of dynasties, historical gazeteer and index), remarkably clear and necessarily condensed. It's an engaging overview covering the full range of China's history through the 1990s. (CHN43, $14.95)
Travels in the East  •  Donald Richie  •  Stephen Mansfield TRAVEL NARRATIVE •  2007 •  PAPER  • 180 PAGES The unmatchable, exuberant Richie (who winningly writes "New countries are like new clothes") muses on Egypt, India, Bhutan, Mongolia, China, Laos, Cambodia, Vietnam, Borneo, Thailand, Yap, Korea, and Japan in this kaleidoscope of travel essays. (ASA63, $14.95)
The Treasures of Beijing  •  Mario Sabattini GUIDEBOOK •  2007 •  PAPER  • 632 PAGES (CHN391, $45.00)
Understanding China, Center Stage of the Fourth Power  •  Yanan Ju CULTURAL PORTRAIT •  1996 •  PAPER  • 181 PAGES A volume in the Suny Series in International Management. (CHN337, $18.95)
Wallpaper City Guide Shanghai  •  Wallpaper Magazine GUIDEBOOK •  2006 •  PAPER A stylish, thin (it fits in your back pocket) city guide compiled by the design magazine Wallpaper's local reporters. Well-organized, with chapter tabs, many photographs and of-the-moment recommendations. (CHN361, $8.95)
When Red is Black  •  Qiu Xiaolong MYSTERY •  2005 •  PAPER  • 320 PAGES The best-known of Qiu's compelling, subversive tales, steeped in the atmosphere and geography of Shanghai. (CHN411, $13.00)
Wild Grass, Three Portraits of Change in Modern China  •  Ian Johnson CULTURAL PORTRAIT •  2005 •  PAPER  • 336 PAGES Through the stories of a self-educated peasant lawyer, a group of Beijing residents fighting to save their soon to be bulldozed homes, and a member of the Fulan Gong protests, Pulitzer Prize winner Ian Johnson tells what ordinary citizens are doing with the little personal freedom returned to them by the party. (CHN215, $14.95)
Will the Boat Sink the Water?, The Life of China's Peasants  •  Chen Guidi  •  Wu Chuntao HISTORY •  2007 •  PAPER  • 229 PAGES Banned in China (where it has sold millions of copies on the black market), Chen and Wu's book shows in riveting detail daily life in the People's Republic. They show that the revolution was a disaster for the oridianry Chinese, underscoring the dark side of China's rocketing economic growth. (CHN489, $15.95)
Yangzi River Map  •  Richard Perry Hayman 2003 •  MAP A full-color, comprehensive map of the Yangzi River from its source in the Himalayas down to Shanghai and the East China Sea. With color photographs and travel notes. Ten maps are featured in all, including orientation maps of all China, several detailed maps of the Three Gorges area plus the cities of Shanghai, Chongqing, and Wuhan. The 4,000-mile-long course of the river is broken into two main maps of the Upper and Lower Yangzi, each at a 1:1,000,000 scale. The double-sided map, which features hypsometric shaded relief derived from USGS data, unfolds to 27 x 39 inches. (CHN177, $14.95)