This short history (212 pages) of China was written just as the nation was becoming recognized as a major power in the world. The Lattimores lived and worked in China for many years, Owen serving as political advisor to Chiang Kai-shek. Seven maps are included in the text. The book is almost completely free of defects; the jacket has some edge tears, only one significant (by the spine top, which also has slight chipping), and some other slight wear, including a clipped front flap (but the $2.50 price is shown at the bottom). The book was reprinted only as a wartime paperback and as a British hardback, and has been out of print since the mid-'40s.