The Zuo Tradition / Zuozhuan Reader

"[An] immensely rich work. . . . The present translation addresses itself not only to specialists in Chinese history but to a general readership interested in the history of historiography. . . . A very major contribution towards the feasibility of a comparative study of historiography in East Asia and in the world."—Journal of Chinese Studies

"This is one of the greatest translations of the Chinese classical works into English."—Asian and African Studies

"Almost 150 years after James Legge's groundbreaking work (1872), we now possess a new, state-of-the-art English translation of the largest and perhaps "most important text" (xvii) from pre-imperial China...there can be no doubth that their work will henceforth set the standard...it provides a clear and accessible distillation of an ocean of scholarly literature."—Journal of Chinese Literature and Culture

"Obviously, there are many other brilliant stories that had to be left out for producing a book, the purpose of which it was to make the world of the Zuozhuan more accessible to readers who would probably give up when being confronted with the complete version. It is to be hoped that the Zuozhuan Reader will whet the appetite of future students to explore the full world of the Zuozhuan when having read the starters presented here."—Monumenta Serica

"For centuries, Zuozhuan was the first text to which Chinese literati turned for an account of their own classical history. Readers of English now have the highlights in one convenient and authoritative volume."—Paul R. Goldin, author of The Art of Chinese Philosophy: Eight Classical Texts and How to Read Them

"Based on what is arguably the best translation of a Chinese classical text into English The Zuo Tradition / Zouzhuan Reader introduces readers to one of the foundational works of China's historiographic tradition. Lucidly written, conveniently arranged, and accompanied with excellent introductions, the Reader will become the first step to students, comparatists, and the lay public interested in early China's history, philosophy, and literature."—Yuri Pines, editor of Keywords in Chinese Culture

"The Zouzhuan Reader—based on the authors' magisterial new translation of the entire text—judiciously guides us into the historical world of Zuozhuan, its central themes and concerns, and its narrative procedures. A most helpful introduction to the ancient text, the Reader also stands on its own for its sophisticated analysis."—Martin Kern, professor of Asian Studies, Princeton University