"From the author of The Almost Nearly Perfect People, a lively tour through Japan, Korea, and China, exploring the intertwined cultures and often fraught history of these neighboring countries. There is an ancient Chinese proverb that states, "Two tigers cannot share the same mountain." However, in East Asia, there are three tigers on that mountain: China, Japan, and Korea, and they have a long history of turmoil and tension with each other. In his...

"East and Southeast Asia has long been a powerful player in the world trading system. Whether it's spices like pepper, textiles, rubber, or microprocessors, this region has much to offer the world, including its amazing cultures. Home to many ethnic groups and some of the world's biggest and smallest countries, the region has produced a unique array of cultural traditions. This book's accessible narrative helps readers understand how geographic features,...

"In the late 8th to early 7th century BC, Scythian steppe warriors conquered Central Eurasia and peripheral regions in Iran and China, revolutionizing the local cultures. A nomadic herding people who lived with their cats in felt-tent homes on wheels, the Scythians spread their complex, mobile, highly innovative culture into the frontiers of Southeast Europe, the Near East, Central Asia, South Asia, and East Asia. They produced the world's first "global"...

Unearthing the perfectly preserved body of a female warrior in Southeast Asia, archeologist Riley Smith and Eve Duncan seek answers about this extraordinary past life, leading Riley to make a discovery that will change history--if she can survive long enough to share it with the world.

BIOGRAPHY: HISTORICAL, POLITICAL & MILITARY. Mongol leader Genghis Khan was by far the greatest conqueror the world has ever known. His empire stretched from the Pacific Ocean to central Europe, including all of China, the Middle East, and Russia. So how did an illiterate nomad rise to such colossal power and subdue most of the known world, eclipsing Alexander the Great, Julius Caesar, and Napoleon? Credited by some with paving the way for the Renaissance,...

This comprehensive history of how conquerors of the Eurasian steppes such as Attila the Hun and Genghis Khan focuses on the decisive role they played in world history.

"This book is about how rapid economic transformation is, or is not achieved. It argues that there are three critical interventions that governments can use to speed up economic development. Where these interventions have been employed most effectively in east Asia-- in Japan, South Korea, Taiwan, and now China-- they have produced the quickest progressions from poverty to wealth that the world has seen."--Introd.

"Tropical rain forests and windswept steppes. Houses on stilts and the Malay people. The Forbidden City and the Burj Khalifa. What continent is home to all these people and places? Asia, the largest continent in size and population, a fascinating place that's home to plants and animals found nowhere else on Earth. Explore the countries and cultures of Asia, make a Japanese Koi, and cook up some traditional noodles!" -- Back cover.

Hermann Hesse's voyage to the East Indies, recorded in journal entries and other writings translated into English for the first time, describes the experiences that influenced his greatest works.
“I knew but few of the trees and animals that I saw around me by name, I was unable to read the Chinese inscriptions, and could exchange only a few words with the children, but nowhere in foreign lands have I felt so little like a...