Barfield, Thomas. Perilous Frontier: Nomadic Empires and China, 221 B.C.–A.D. 1757. 1989. A bold interpretation of the relationship between the rise and fall of dynasties in China and the rise and fall of nomadic confederations that derived resources from them.

Elvin, Mark. The Pattern of the Chinese Past. 1973. Analyzes the military dimensions of China’s unification.

Farris, Wayne. Population, Disease, and Land in Early Japan, 645–900. 1985. Shows the impact of the eighth-century introduction of smallpox to Japan on the government and rural power structure.

Hardy, Grant. Worlds of Bronze and Bamboo: Sima Qian’s Conquest of History. 1999. An excellent introduction to the methods of China’s earliest historian. Although Sima Qian seems to present just the facts, Hardy shows how he brings out different perspectives and interpretations in different chapters.

Holcomb, Charles. The Genesis of East Asia, 221 B.C.–A.D. 907. 2001. A thought-provoking analysis of the connections between China and Korea, Japan, and Vietnam that emphasizes the use of the Chinese script.

Lee, Peter H. Sourcebook of Korean Civilization. 1993. Excellent collection of primary sources.

Lewis, Mark Edward. China’s Cosmopolitan Empire: The Tang Dynasty. 2009. This accessible and lively survey complements the author’s works on the Han Dynasty (The Early Chinese Empires) and the period of division (China Between Empires).

Schafer, Edward. The Golden Peaches of Samarkand. 1963. Draws on Tang literature to show the place of the western regions in Tang life and imagination.

Scheidel, Walter, ed. Rome and China: Comparative Perspectives on Ancient World Empires. 2009. Contributors compare legal and military institutions, trade, money, and charity.

Seth, Michael J. A Concise History of Korea: From the Neolithic Period Through the Nineteenth Century. 2006. An up-to-date and well-balanced introduction to Korean history.

Totman, Conrad. A History of Japan. 1999. A broad and up-to-date history of Japan.

Varley, H. Paul. Japanese Culture. 2000. An accessible introduction to Japanese history and culture.

Waley, Arthur. The Life and Times of Po Chu-i, 772–846 A.D. 1949. A lively biography of a Tang official, which draws heavily on his poetry.

Watt, James C. Y. China: Dawn of a Golden Age 200–750 A.D. 2004. A well-illustrated catalogue of a major art and archaeological exhibition.

Wright, Arthur. Buddhism in Chinese History. 1959. This short book remains a good introduction to China’s encounter with Buddhism and the ways Buddhism was adapted to China.