Ancient China books
Ancient China books to start from. Open one to see books like it, or tell BookSense what you loved for four picks made for you.
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New to the genre? These 5 are the books to read first.
Records of the Grand Historian: Qin Dynasty
Sima QianThe foundational Chinese historical work, covering rulers, officials and rebels from legendary times to the Han; the model for later dynastic histories.
Analects of Confucius
Arthur WaleyAn early English translation of the sayings attributed to Confucius, a central source for the Spring and Autumn and Warring States periods.
China's First Unifier
Derk BoddeAn early Western study of the Qin unification and its chief minister, based on the Shiji and other sources.
Ancient China in Transition
Cho-yun HsuExamines how status, office and social mobility changed during the Spring and Autumn and Warring States periods.
The Archaeology of Ancient China
Kwang-chih ChangA standard early synthesis of Chinese archaeology, organizing finds from Neolithic sites through the Shang and Zhou.
Chosen and described with AI from our notes on the genre.
More ancient china books
- Sources of Shang History
Sources of Shang HistoryDavid N. Keightley - Before Confucius
Before ConfuciusEdward L. Shaughnessy - The Shape of the Turtle
The Shape of the TurtleSarah Allan - Writing and Authority in Early China
Writing and Authority in Early ChinaMark Edward Lewis - Chinese Society in the Age of Confucius
Chinese Society in the Age of ConfuciusLothar von Falkenhausen - The First Emperor
The First EmperorJane Portal - The Art of War
The Art of War孙武 (Sun Tzu)1900 - The memory palace of Matteo Ricci
The memory palace of Matteo RicciJonathan D. Spence1984 - The first emperor of China
The first emperor of ChinaFrances Wood2007 - The search for ancient China
The search for ancient ChinaCorinne Debaine-Francfort1999 - The eunuchs in the Ming dynasty
The eunuchs in the Ming dynastyShih-shan Henry Tsai1996 - A cycle of Cathay
A cycle of CathayWilliam Worthen Appleton1951