Jonathan D. Spence

Jonathan D. Spence’s Followers (289)

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Jonathan D. Spence


Born
in Surrey, The United Kingdom
August 11, 1936

Died
December 25, 2021

Genre


Jonathan D. Spence is a historian specializing in Chinese history. His self-selected Chinese name is Shǐ Jǐngqiān (simplified Chinese: 史景迁; traditional Chinese: 史景遷), which roughly translates to "A historian who admires Sima Qian."

He has been Sterling Professor of History at Yale University since 1993. His most famous book is The Search for Modern China, which has become one of the standard texts on the last several hundred years of Chinese history.
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Average rating: 3.87 · 10,315 ratings · 964 reviews · 57 distinct worksSimilar authors
The Search For Modern China

4.20 avg rating — 3,014 ratings18 editions
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God's Chinese Son: The Taip...

3.94 avg rating — 1,190 ratings — published 1996 — 20 editions
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Mao Zedong: A Life

3.48 avg rating — 1,126 ratings34 editions
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The Death of Woman Wang

3.46 avg rating — 906 ratings — published 1978 — 18 editions
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The Memory Palace of Matteo...

3.82 avg rating — 776 ratings — published 1984 — 25 editions
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The Gate of Heavenly Peace:...

4.02 avg rating — 530 ratings — published 1981 — 19 editions
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The Question of Hu

3.48 avg rating — 475 ratings — published 2011 — 25 editions
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Treason by the Book

3.74 avg rating — 371 ratings25 editions
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Return to Dragon Mountain: ...

3.68 avg rating — 276 ratings — published 2007 — 15 editions
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The Chan's Great Continent:...

3.58 avg rating — 207 ratings — published 1998 — 21 editions
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More books by Jonathan D. Spence…
追尋現代中國:最後的王朝 追尋現代中國:革命與戰爭 The Search For Modern China
(3 books)
by
4.20 avg rating — 3,025 ratings

Quotes by Jonathan D. Spence  (?)
Quotes are added by the Goodreads community and are not verified by Goodreads. (Learn more)

“If you want to really know something you have to observe or experience it in person; if you claim to know something on the basis of hearsay, or on happening to see it in a book, you'll be a laughingstock to those who really know.”
Jonathan D. Spence, Emperor of China: Self-portrait of K'ang-Hsi: Self-Portrait of K'ang-Hsi

“The written word has its limits and its challenges, for the primal sound in the whole world is that made by the human voice, and the likeness of this human voice must be rendered in dots and strokes...Yet I never forget that the voice, too, is important...Don't mumble or hesitate. Speak...in a loud voice, clearly, and without fear.”
Jonathan D. Spence, Emperor of China: Self-portrait of K'ang-Hsi: Self-Portrait of K'ang-Hsi

“Seek joyfulness when you can, for seeking joy leads to an auspicious atmosphere.”
Jonathan D. Spence, Emperor of China: Self-portrait of K'ang-Hsi: Self-Portrait of K'ang-Hsi
tags: joy, maxim