A Short History of Asia

This work presents a comprehensive account of civilizations that had credit banking, mass production industries and whole libraries of printed books, while Europe was still in the Dark Ages. Colin Mason covers the history of the whole of Asia, from India to Japan, with particular emphasis on the pre-colonial period. He also takes a critical look at imperialism and identifies Asian traditions which continue to profoundly influence the modern states. The chapters on recent history are enlivened by the personal experience of the author, who has lived and worked in almost all of them. This should be of interest to is the student, businessman and traveller who seek to understand the Asian nations that now make up more than half of the human race.