A Short History of Asia : Stone Age to 2000 Ad

Designed to be readable above all else to those without prior knowledge of the subject, Colin Mason presents a gripping and comprehensive account of civilizations which had credit banking, mass production industries, and whole libraries of printed books while Europe was still primitive. It stresses in particular the pre-colonial period, taking a critical look at imperialism. Its chapters on the modern states are enlivened by the personal experience of the author, who has lived and worked in almost all of them.