Introduction
No background required. This book assumes you know nothing about these regions. It explains every name, war, and term as it comes up, and it tries hard to be fair to everyone involved.
What this book is
This is a reader's guide to the history, politics, and culture of two of the world's great regions: East Asia (China, Japan, and Taiwan) and Europe. It is a companion to the Middle East volume in this series and follows the same friendly, even-handed approach.
You can read it front to back, jump to one country, or use the search box to find a single event. It starts in the ancient world, long before any of these became the countries they are now, and walks forward to the present.
How it is organised
The two regions are handled a little differently, on purpose:
- East Asia is told country by country: China, Japan, and Taiwan, three societies whose histories are deeply intertwined.
- Europe is told twice. First as one sweeping story, from ancient Greece and Rome, through the Middle Ages, the Renaissance and Reformation, the age of revolutions, the two World Wars, the Cold War, and the European Union. Then country by country for the major nations, so you can follow a single thread like France or Russia from start to finish.
After the regions come shared "threads" (today's geopolitics) and a reference section with a timeline, a glossary, and a guide on how to talk about this.
Our one rule: facts first, fairly told
Some of the history here is fiercely contested. People who lived through the same events often describe them in completely different words. This book follows a few habits to stay honest:
- State what is well established, and flag what is contested. Where serious people disagree, the text says so and gives the main views rather than picking a winner. The status of Taiwan, in particular, is presented from more than one perspective.
- Attribute strong claims. "According to" and "X says" are used on purpose.
- Avoid loaded language, and give both names where two exist for the same event.
- Separate a government from its people. Criticism of a state or a leader is not a judgment on everyone who lives there.
Don't be confused: neutral does not mean "no facts." Being even-handed is not the same as saying "we cannot know." Much here is well documented. Neutrality means representing the documented record and the honest disagreements, not watering everything down.
How the chapters are built
Country chapters open with a TL;DR, a list of key takeaways, and a main events at a glance mini-timeline, then cover, in plain order: the deep past, rulers and how the modern state formed, big events and conflicts (including who allied with whom), how people lived, music and the arts, notable people, religion and minorities, a food section that is each country's own, and a closing note on the present and how to talk about it. Europe's "whole story" chapters are narrative, moving era by era.
Start with how to read this book, or jump to the East Asian world. 👉