A judicious selection from primary sources to illustrate the growth of ideas in early imperial times. Teachers and students will welcome these readable translations of passages drawn from Han writings that are not widely known and which add depth to existing views of Chinese ways of thought, religious practices, and means of government.
Michael Loewe, University of Cambridge "This reader is an incredibly rich resource. It fills a crucial pedagogical gap, and will no doubt become a standard textbook in the teaching of early Chinese thought to non-specialists. The depth of annotation and notes for further reading also make it rich hunting ground for advanced students and specialists in the field, who have much to learn from Csikszentmihalyi's breadth of scholarship and lucid analysis of the world of thought and practice in the Han."
Edward Slingerland, University of British Columbia "The selections are judiciously chosen, insightfully introduced, and fluidly and accurately translated. At Hackett's budget-conscious list price, the book is an obvious choice for the classroom, and ranks as one of the most important sourcebooks in Chinese civilization to have appeared in recent decades. . . . Virtually every aspect of Han philosophy and religion is represented between these covers."      —Paul R. Goldin, Department of East Asian Languages and Civilizations, University of Pennsylvania