The Terra Cotta Army: China's First Emperor and the Birth of a Nation Hardcover – 21 April 2008

Bought as a gift for my Mum as were off to see the Warriors in September 16, she read it in a day and said it was so informative she just couldn't put it down!

I had always been fascinated by the terracotta army and always wanted a book about it, so I was very pleased to provide this book.

Very informative book

Easy read adds some character to the story of the army. The Terracotta Army now dried out inside the big hanger looks a little dusty and unreal. Still amazing to see when you know the history and story. There must be more to come in the years ahead when more work is under taken to expose further discoveries.

John Man has developed a distinctive style of writing history. This is history at its most readable - Man makes great use of anecdotes, asides and modern observations to get his points across. This means that his history of the terracotta army is not as detailed as others might be - don't expect a dusty, academic tome - but it does cover the background and context of the First Emperor, the production and creation of the terracotta warriors, and the modern discovery and presentation of the site to the public. Man meets with and interviews many associated with the site, from the first archaeologist to recognise its importance to the local businessman who has made a fortune from reproductions. Think of this as a fascinating guidebook for those who cannot travel to Xian - or excellent background reading for those who are lucky enough to see the army in person!

John Man's work is an interesting piece of history, archaeological debate, tourist guide and visual reference to the context and history of the Terracota Army.I have given the work three stars because although it has particular strengths there are also some areas weaknesses that perhaps detract from the works appeal. The strengths of the text derive from the author's personal knowledge of the region having visited the area the book has the feel of something like a latter day Victorian explorer's diary combining strong geographic description and imagery with pointers to those wishing to visit the Terracotta army. The text further has the benefit of including a good discussion of how the tomb was made from assessing the figures in the source material (both sizes/measurements and numbers of labourers) as well as an illuminating discussion of the mass production of the terracotta soldiers themselves.The weakness of the work is perhaps in its attempt to write history. John Man has a fondness for very judgemental anecdotes some of which overshadow the history they describe (several unhelpful references to 20th Century totalitarianism seem to detract from understanding the First Emperor - he seems to dismiss any religious component to rulership despite his own source material seeing the Emperor as a divine figure above the law rather than an ideological dictator) he also seems to offer random anecdotes which seem to confuse the point he is making including a gratuitous attack on the Qin religion and Christianity as being incomplete concepts (it is poorly handled and verges on the offensive in it's general dismissal of all religion). Anecdotes aside he also seems to be very opaque as to where he draws his historical narrative from and seems to lack solid analysis of how the first emperor succeeded in conquering the 6 other kingdoms. This is disappointing as there are few popular texts to cover this period in English and a real opportunity seems to have been lost.The book is worth reading but perhaps as an interesting collection of genre's, I prefer to think of it like a miniature Herodotus, a westerner travelling East reporting his journey for the benefit of a western audience. In this respect the account seems to tell us what was different in Ancient China to our own European heritage, emphasis is placed on Chinese Unity against European dis-unity and there are several other cultural red herrings thrown in to Man's cultural comparison including comparing Legalism against Machiavelli when ther are several ancient Greek works on pragmatic rulership from which a contemposry benchmark could be made.In a nutshell the book is good where it discusses the Terracotta Army, it is less in command of it's subject when it talks around the subject.

Arrived in great shape on time looking forward to read.

Iam very satisfied with the book, Thank you. RC

This book was a fascinating follow up to our trip to Shanghai and points north and south on a ten day trip.

This is a subject I have always been interested in, and after seeing a travelling exhibition of some of the artifacts from the Last Emperor's tomb at the Royal Ontario Museum in Toronto, I was happy to delve into John Man's book. He writes very clearly and with authority, and the theories he presents seem very well reasoned.My only negative about the style of his narrative was the way he jumped between relating the historical account and relating his own experiences visiting the site in modern day China. Sometimes it was a little jarring and disjointed.All in all a very informative book and a good, easy read.

John Man's book is a fun read. I purchased the book for my library to better understand The Terra Cotta Army and China's First Emperor (one of many books on China now in my library). Nonetheless this book was an essential read prior to my recent visit to the High Museum in Atlanta, GA to soak-up The Terra Cotta Army display. The book enhanced my initial impressions and understanding. It was worth every penny for the factual knowledge it imparted.The book provided geographic insight to the site of the First Emporor's tomb in Xian and the surrounding facilities. One of the more interesting aspects of the book was the account of the modern reproduction of the army in such a way as to give the book reader an cleaver idea of how the ancient Chinese may have produced such a wonder thousnads of years ago! The feat of the Terra Cotta Army production in ancient times combined with the vast unknown treasurers still to be explored are certainly mind-boggling! This book makes one think.Bottomline: Good book, fun read, provided insight.

Good