Hawai‘i Reader in Traditional Chinese Culture edited by Victor H. Mair, Nancy S. Steinhardt, and Paul R. Goldin Honolulu: University of Hawai‘i Press, Feb. 2005 7" x 10", est. 744 pp., 130 illus., 117 color, 11 maps 0-8248-2785-6, cloth, $49.00 $39.20

The Hawai‘i Reader in Traditional Chinese Culture is a collection of more than ninety primary sources of cultural significance from the Bronze Age to the turn of the twentieth century. Each selection, all but a few of which were translated specifically for this volume, is preceded by a brief introduction that (where pertinent) identifies its author, establishes the context, and raises important issues and questions. Together they take into account virtually every aspect of traditional culture, including sources from the non-Sinitic ethnic minorities. Moreover, they incorporate recently excavated materials that have revolutionized the study of Chinese thought, society, and literature, not only making the Reader as up-to-date as possible, but also presenting Chinese civilization more accurately than permitted by reliance on canonical texts alone.

Edited by three highly respected senior scholars, the chosen texts capture the complexity of the Chinese cultural mosaic, among them selections on such topics as agriculture, art and architecture, biography, Buddhism, Confucianism, courtly and daily life, culinary arts, Daoism, death and funerary rites, economics and commerce, education, folklore and popular religion, government, language, law, literature, medicine, military affairs and martial arts, music, politics, regional cultures, science, textiles and clothing, travel, and women. An attractive and unusual feature of the Reader is the inclusion of several maps and 117 color plates that complement the text and, with their extensive and informative captions, are themselves a valuable source of primary data.

Unique in the breadth of its coverage and in the variety of the texts it presents, the Hawai‘i Reader in Traditional Chinese Culture is ideal for undergraduate course on the history, culture, and society of premodern China.

Victor H. Mair is professor of Asian and Middle Eastern studies at the University of Pennsylvania. Nancy Shatzman Steinhardt is professor of East Asian art at the University of Pennsylvania and curator of Chinese art at the University Museum of Archaeology and Anthropology. Paul R. Goldin is associate professor of Chinese thought at the University of Pennsylvania.

"This will be an immensely important work in part because of the quality of the contributors and in part because of the design of the book. It should truly appeal to all those interested in the basics of Chinese civilization." --William H. Nienhauser, Jr., Halls-Bascom Professor of Classical Chinese Literature, University of Wisconsin, Madison

"The Hawai‘i Reader in Traditional Chinese Culture is a truly excellent work; it will be widely used not simply because it is much needed but also because it will generate tremendous excitement in the classroom." --Michael Puett, professor of Chinese, Harvard University

back to top

© 2004 University of Hawai‘i Press · Modified: 10 February 2004