A Short History of Asia

Reviews / Votes

'An authoritative, well-organised and well-written book.' - D. R. SarDesai, Emeritus Professor of History, University of California Los Angeles, USA International praise for the current edition: 'A former foreign correspondent, broadcaster and diplomat, Mason has actually lived in Asia rather than observed it from afar. With this wealth of experience...he has the confidence to inject anecdote and a real feeling for recent history.' - Ed Peters, South China Morning Post 'Mason's history reaffirms or reveals many details and also broadly challenges persistent Western approaches to Asian history in an account that roams widely.' - The Sydney Morning Herald 'The book is quite a remarkable achievement. Mason has covered a great deal of territory and shows that he has both a sense of the current dynamics of Asia and a command of the considerable scholarly literature on the earlier period. The work raises a good many interesting themes to which students would respond positively.' - Merle Ricklefs, Australian National University 'What Mason assembles is a very impressive sweep of the history of a colossal portion of the world where he touches upon the main themes, events and personalities, peppered with numerous interesting stories and personal anecdotes. This ambitious undertaking is lucid and interesting, and most useful for the generalist reader seeking to understand the broad events of Asian history.' - Anthony L. Smith, New Zealand Journal of Asian Studies 'This book will benefit all general readers and first-year undergraduates who are embarking on Asian Studies as part of a multi-disciplinary programme.' - Burjor Avari, Contemporary South Asia 'Succinct, wide ranging and very readable. Ideally suited for the first year undergraduate with little previous exposure to Asian history.' - James Chiriyankandath, London Guildhall University 'Mason's account is readable and is influenced by his experiences as a foreign correspondent, broadcaster, diplomat and parliamentarian.' - Peter Lowe, University of Manchester, HER