The Great Wall 长城

图书标准信息

• 作者 John Man（约翰·曼） 著
• 出版社 Bantam Press
• 出版时间 2009-04
• 版次 1
• ISBN 9780553817683
• 定价 118.90元
• 装帧 平装
• 开本 32开
• 纸张 胶版纸
• 页数 464页
• 正文语种 英语

【内容简介】

China'sGreatWallnorthofBeijingisoneoftheworld'smostfamoussights.Millionseveryyearclimbthelineofstonesnakingovermountains.WeallfeelweknowtheWall.Butwearewrong.Itistoobig,toovaried,toocomplextobecapturedbyafewimagesoraday-trip.

Mythssurroundit.ManybelievethatthestonebarriermarchesacrossallChina,thatithasbeeninexistenceforover2,000years,andthatitistheonlyman-madestructurevisiblefromtheMoon.Infact,mostofitismadeofearth,andmuchofitisnotthereatall.Itcannotevenbeseenfromearthorbit,letalonetheMoon.Estimatesofitslengthvaryfrom1,500to5,000miles.Evenitsnameisdeceptive:itisnotanit,asingleentity,butmanywalls(hencetheuncertainlength),builtatdifferenttimes.

Yetbehindtheconfusionaregreatsimplicities.Themanywallsareunitedbytwoideas--self-protectionandunity--whichgobacktotheFirstEmperor,whofoundedthenationin221BC.For2,000years,theWallmarkedtheborderbetweenChinaandnomadicpeoplestothenorthandwest.Mutualhostilityinspiredcenturiesofattacks,counter-attacksandWall-building,untilthenorthwardspreadofChinainthe20thcenturymadetheWallredundant.

Forthisrivetingaccount,JohnMantravelledtheWallfromthefarwesterndesertstothePacific,exploringthegrandestsectionsandmany"wild"ones.HeisthefirstwritertodescribetwounknownwallsinMongolia.Hecoverstwomillenniaofhistory,fromthecountry'sfirstunificationtothepresentday,whentheGreatWall,builtandrebuiltovercenturiesofwar,hasbecomeasymboloftranquility.

【作者简介】

JohnManisahistorianandtravelwriterwithaspecialinterestinMongolia.AfterreadingGermanandFrenchatOxfordhedidtwopostgraduatecourses,oneinthehistoryofscienceatOxford,theotherinMongolianattheSchoolofOrientalandAfricanStudies.HisGobi:TrackingtheDesert(Weidenfeld,1997)wasthefirstbookonthesubjectinEnglishsincethe1920s.HeisalsotheauthorofTheAtlasoftheYear1000,(Penguin1999),AlphaBeta(Headline,2000)ontherootsoftheRomanalphabet,TheGutenbergRevolution(Headline2002)ontheoriginsandimpactofprinting,GenghisKhan,AttilatheHunandKublaiKhan.