Despite superb maps on some subjects you never imagined, like the various shifts in the mouth of the Yellow River, and gorgeous illustrations of the art of the period, this book has a few flaws. The line drawing reconstruction illos are so dramatic and modern as to convey relatively little information and some inaccuracies (would someone tell me how those horses are drawing that chariot, other than with the reins?), and the cultural coverage of the text is irregular in what it covers if you are looking for depth. It takes a couple of readings before the text falls together, and then suddenly you know a lot about China. Perservere. It's not bad as an only home reference on China, or as an introduction for the educated adult.