Books in the Cambridge Library Collection - East and South-East Asian History series

In 1857 Laurence Oliphant (1829-88), lawyer, journalist, diplomat and sometime spy, became private secretary to Lord Elgin, accompanying him on a diplomatic mission to Japan and China, aimed at extended British trading interests. His 1859 account provides a highly informative analysis of the negotiations from a privileged vantage point.

Taking advantage of his diplomatic privilege in Japan to travel further and inquire deeper than other foreigners, Swiss envoy Aime Humbert (1819-1900) brought back stories of life under the Tokugawa shogunate in its final years. First published in the journal Le Tour du monde in 1866, his account of Japanese history and daily life was republished as Le Japon illustre in 1870. This 1874 English translation brought readers up to date by including additional chapters on the 1868 revolution and its aftermath. Humbert focused his narrative on the history and culture of four locations: Benten, the foreign settlement at Yokohama; Kyoto, where emperors had resided for centuries; Kamakura, the old centre of political power; and Yeddo, now Tokyo, the new capital of Japan. Featuring almost 200 illustrations taken from Humbert's collection of prints and photographs, this book captures descriptively and pictorially a country on the verge of dramatic political and social change.

When he published this work in 1847, Thomas Taylor Meadows (1815-68) was the British consular interpreter at the key treaty port of Canton (Guangzhou). Including discussion of difficulties in learning Chinese, the work sheds valuable light on the bureaucracy, corruption and tension in southern China prior to the Taiping Rebellion.

The first edition of this work, which outlines China's treaty engagements with various foreign powers, was published by Sir Edward Hertslet (1824-1902) in 1896. The two-volume third edition reissued here was published by his son Godfrey in 1908, and took account of new treaties in the intervening twelve years.

The first edition of this work, which outlines China's treaty engagements with various foreign powers, was published by Sir Edward Hertslet (1824-1902) in 1896. The two-volume third edition reissued here was published by his son Godfrey in 1908, and took account of new treaties in the intervening twelve years.

A brilliant linguist, Sir Ernest Satow (1843-1929) was recruited as a student interpreter into the consular service in 1861. He was sent to Japan, where he witnessed the Tokugawa Shogunate's overthrow and the Meiji Restoration. This 1921 account is based on the diaries Satow kept whilst in Japan.

In 1860, naval officer Sherard Osborn (1822-75), a veteran of both Opium Wars, published this collection of remarks and predictions on Chinese affairs in relation to British imperial interests. Osborn seeks to explain the Chinese frame of mind to his readership, perceived as lacking sound information on the topic.

Naval officer Granville Gower Loch (1813-53) adapted his journal for this 1843 publication. Containing observations on the landscape, people, customs and commerce of eastern China, as well as military and diplomatic events, it is an engaging account of the close of the First Opium War and remains valuable to scholars of Chinese history.

A valuable insight into British attitudes to Chinese trade in the years between the end of the East India Company's monopoly and the First Opium War, this 1836 pamphlet describes Chinese society and government, and the reasons behind Britain's inability to tap into this vast and potentially lucrative market.

This 1866 two-volume history of the Taiping Rebellion in China (1850-64) is both a defence of the rebels and a savage indictment of Britain's imperial policy and apathetic attitude to its consequences. It is an important and passionate account by a British soldier and participant.

George Thomas Staunton (1781-1859) was a sinologist who worked for the East India Company and made the first-ever translation of the Qing Dynasty's legal code into English, published in 1810. The legal code or 'Fundamental Laws' are organised into seven divisions: general, civil, fiscal, ritual, military, criminal and public works.

Invited to advise on Japan's naval expansion, Sir Edward Reed (1830-1906) spent three months in the country. Published in 1880, this book gives an insight into Japan during a key period in her history and is an informal yet informed assessment of her people, customs, history and geography.

George Leonard Staunton (1737-1801) was part of Lord Macartney's delegation to China in 1792, intended to improve relations with Britain. The talks failed, but Staunton kept a detailed account of his time there, which was published in two volumes in 1797. Volume 1 describes the nine-month voyage to China.

This guide to China and Japan, edited by Nicholas Belfield Dennys (?1813-99) was one of the first directories of its type to be publicly available. Typeset and engraved in China, it was published in Hong Kong and London in 1867, and provides comprehensive information on the key treaty ports.

First published in French in 1797 and in this English translation in 1798, van Braam Houckgeest's 'faithful description' of a recent Dutch embassy to Beijing was received with enthusiasm by British readers. Volume 2 includes one of the last Western descriptions of the spectacular Summer Palace, destroyed in 1860.

Traveller and journalist Andrew Wilson used General Charles Gordon's journals to write this account of the suppression of the Taiping uprising in Qing-dynasty China in 1863-1864. First published in 1868, the book sheds light on the early career of one of Britain's greatest Victorian military heroes.

The Prussian-born Protestant missionary Karl Friedrich August Gutzlaff (1803-51) sought to spread Christianity in the Far East. A gifted linguist, he learned several Chinese dialects and distributed translated literature. This 1834 two-volume work sought to diminish Anglophone ignorance of China's history from mythological times to the ruling Qing dynasty.

Thomas Stamford Raffles (1781-1826) was a British statesman appointed Lieutenant Governor of Java between 1811 and 1815. These volumes, first published in 1817, contain his monumental history of the island, in which he provides a comprehensive ethnographic description with a detailed history. Volume 1 contains Raffles's ethnographic study.

The Prussian-born Protestant missionary Karl Friedrich August Gutzlaff (1803-51) sought to spread Christianity in the Far East. A gifted linguist, he learned several Chinese dialects and distributed translated literature. This 1838 two-volume work brought a wealth of information on Chinese geography, history, culture and government to a Western readership.

French naturalist Henri Mouhot (1826-61) spent three years travelling in remote areas of South-East Asia, where he eventually died. His papers and sketches were published in two volumes by his brother in 1864. Mouhout's illustrated account of his experiences reveals his fascination with the region and its natural history.

From 1868 to 1879 former French naval officer Jean Moura was administrator of the recently established French protectorate of Cambodia. He thoroughly researched Cambodia's history, geography and society, and on his return to France compiled this two-volume illustrated reference work, published 1883, the first of its kind in the West.

This 1866 two-volume history of the Taiping Rebellion in China (1850-64) is both a defence of the rebels and a savage indictment of Britain's imperial policy and apathetic attitude to its consequences. It is an important and passionate account by a British soldier and participant.