I visited to pick up the paperback of this book, and saw this perplexing comment below. This book and The Last Emperor are apples and oranges. This is a popular book (I got my original copy from History Book Club) and intended for reader's with a general interest, or maybe beginning historians. The book by Evelyn S. Rawski is an academic title, very thorough and erudite. But also the books are not on the same subject. Rawski is about the Manchu emperors, their courts and palaces. The Manchus is much more general. Please do not get confused into thinking that these two books are on the same subject.

I have read a more recent book Evelyn Rawski's "The Last Emperors: A Social History of Qing Imperial Institutions " in which she discusses the context between her book and "The Manchus". The two books are probably quite similar but I think that Rawski's book would contain much more undisclosed material.
I have decided not to change the rating on this book in the interest of fair play.

It's funny to note that at many times the Qing dynasty faced many of the same problems that we see today: overpopulation, government corruption, war against drugs. So much of what we think of as Chinese is also Manchu and was introduced rather recently. Well writen and clear all the way through.

I am serious reader about Chinese history, so take my comments with that in mind. This book is not recommended for those who want a quick read or a review of the usual clichés about China. But if you think you know a lot about China in the past four hundred years, this book will blow your mind. Get ready for a major renovation of your attitudes. If you care about China --or just about History-- this book will stay on your mind for a very long time. In fact I got sort of obsessed about it --don't let that happen to you!

If you love hiking and live in the Columbia Gorge area (or plan to pass through) this is a nice guide to have. I learned of hiking trails I didn't know existed and the Gorge seems to have plenty of them. Each hike is listed with a general description, the distance of the trail, how much traffic of people to expect there, the best season to go, the elevation gain and maximum elevation. A map is shown and directions to the hike are given along with detailed description of the hike. Many black and white photographs show views from the various hikes. My one disappointment with this book is that the Deschutes River trail that is branched off directly from the Columbia River Gorge is not mentioned in this book, because it is east of The Dalles; this book only mentions the trails from Portland to The Dalles.

I am a sophomore in highschool taking an AP class with this book. It has a lot of information, which I guess is a good thing if you are reading this for your own personal gain rather than being tested on it. However, it is so dense that it is difficult to pick up key ideas. Every piece of information is important on some level, and the tests I take, which my teacher got along with this book, also treat every fact as important. I wouldn't mind reading this book if I wasn't expected to have a photographic memory but it just doesn't do a good job of helping me understand key ideas in history. Well, if you have to read this in your history class I hope you have a good teacher to guide you along in the reading. Otherwise.... I hope your memory is better than mine!!

Excellent book for senior high school-college-undergraduate studies, covering the broad field of world history. The text is structured in such a manner as to suit both brief studies of various areas and times, as well as more in depth, long term programs. A fascinating assortment of primary source excerpts have been included, from earliest human societies to issues facing humanity in the contemporary period. Though the text has a slight Western emphasis, it covers non-Western civilisations quite well.

Be prepared though for extensive reading. The complete set is very large, but shouldn't be an obstacle for those with a passion for both general and obscure history!

I bought this book because of my high opinion of two of the authors, Headrick and Crossley. The approach is extremely good, but there are great weaknesses in coverage of the histories of the United States, Russia, and China. This is a very useful reference work on modern history, and there are many absorbing chapters. But it can't be used without additional reading --add Geoffrey Freeze on Russia, Immanuel Hsu on modern China, and Edmund Morgan on the U.S.