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Myths and Legends of China Paperback – November 22, 2007

by Edward T. C. Werner (Author)
3.8 3.8 out of 5 stars 46 ratings
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This is a pre-1923 historical reproduction that was curated for quality. Quality assurance was conducted on each of these books in an attempt to remove books with imperfections introduced by the digitization process. Though we have made best efforts - the books may have occasional errors that do not impede the reading experience. We believe this work is culturally important and have elected to bring the book back into print as part of our continuing commitment to the preservation of printed works worldwide. This text refers to the Bibliobazaar edition.
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  1. Print length
    360 pages
  2. Language
    English
  3. Publication date
    November 22, 2007
  4. Dimensions
    5 x 0.82 x 8 inches
  5. ISBN-10
    1434680983
  6. ISBN-13
    978-1434680983
  7. See all details
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Product details

  • Publisher ‏ : ‎ BiblioBazaar (November 22, 2007)
  • Language ‏ : ‎ English
  • Paperback ‏ : ‎ 360 pages
  • ISBN-10 ‏ : ‎ 1434680983
  • ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 978-1434680983
  • Item Weight ‏ : ‎ 13.9 ounces
  • Dimensions ‏ : ‎ 5 x 0.82 x 8 inches
  • Customer Reviews:
    3.8 3.8 out of 5 stars 46 ratings

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E.T.C. Werner

E.T.C. Werner

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Customer reviews

3.8 out of 5 stars
3.8 out of 5
46 global ratings

Top reviews from the United States

Kindle Customer
5.0 out of 5 stars Great
Reviewed in the United States on March 30, 2013
Verified Purchase
This makes an excellent companion read for the Myths and Legends of Japan, and these two books actually reside right next to each other in the folklore section of my bookshelf.

The book plunges into several myths and legends, some of which I had not known about until obtaining this book during research. I found it to be thorough.
3 people found this helpful
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Hans O
5.0 out of 5 stars Classic Chinese tales translated by brilliant British diplomat and Sinologist
Reviewed in the United States on August 31, 2014
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I have the original hardbound copy of this book by E. T. C. Werner, with its delightful full page color illustrations--but I also love having this Kindle version, which I can read on my PC, tablet and phone using free Kindle Software. It's so much easier being able to search an eBook, take notes, cut and paste (with the latest software update), and make bookmarks, and synchronize them all.

Granted, nothing beats holding the original, with its rich, musty leather, but on the other hand, it's so hold I hesitate to hold it too much. So three cheers for eBooks. I think you'll like the stories. And read about E.T.C. on Wikipedia. He wrote some other books as well that I've found every enjoyable. A British diplomat from the 1860s to about 1914, he was also a brilliant Sinologist. He lived almost 90 years (1864-1954--just 2 years before I was born, amazingly).
2 people found this helpful
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beany
1.0 out of 5 stars White European Racism at its best
Reviewed in the United States on December 1, 2015
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Book written in 1922 and keeps taking about the Chinese have limited cranial capacity and no imagination to create myths compared with Europeans. Author has no understanding of Asian religions and rejects many of their tenants as part of the political system since several Emperors have had scholars create new volumes of existing writings and legends, so of course the Emperors were creating a religion just like the Romans. Author insists that China never had any technological inventions, and that all their technology came from the far superior European mind.

If I didn't see the date of publication, I would have assumed the Author was a pseudonym for Ted Cruz or Donald Trump.
6 people found this helpful
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H. Rhodes
3.0 out of 5 stars Sociological Study of Chinese Myths and Legends
Reviewed in the United States on April 23, 2010
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If you are looking for a book of Chinese short stories, keep looking. The author is a Sociologist and looks at Chinese myths and legends from this stand point. The beginning of the book is about the origins and traditions of China. He then goes on to write about the myths/legends and adds his interpretations and social influences through out the story. Good for Sociologists but not the best for leisure reading.
53 people found this helpful
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Little_Phoenix31277
5.0 out of 5 stars Great stories!!!
Reviewed in the United States on March 29, 2020
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The Chinese have tons of interesting mythology this book was good very entertaining. If you like good stories this book is for you!!!
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R. Adams
2.0 out of 5 stars Great Stories Buried in Orientalist Commentary
Reviewed in the United States on August 6, 2009
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The good thing about this text is the sheer number of mythological stories and folktales which have been translated. Many of the stories are rarely translated and they include a great deal of traditional Chinese folk religion, Taoist, and Confuscinist stories. The immortals, and many rare Taoist tales, are represented here--which is remarkable and useful for well-versed scholars of Chinese mythology and Taoism.

The (very) bad thing about this text is that most of the volume is taken up by the author's unbridled, negative personal commentary on Chinese religion, beliefs, and culture. I know, it sounds strange, especially since he chose to translate and publish a text on Chinese culture, but nevertheless, I am not the only student of Chinese culture and history who has noticed this about "Myths and Legends of China."

I found myself reacting with surprise to many of E.T.C. Werner's snide, offhanded, completely ungrounded observations--many of which are rooted in nothing more than his attempt to discredit Chinese customs and religious beliefs. Even understanding the era in which the book was written, I had to keep swallowing salt to press through the introduction.

I teach courses on Chinese Taoism and Chinese Mythology and I always warn my students to take the entire book gently and to let some of the commentary bounce off. Just ignore the commentary and try to press on.

It does lead me to wonder how many of the stories have been altered to fit Werner's views... not unlike Bulfinch's "abridgment" of some of the Greek and Roman myths which contained concepts like homosexuality, that he disliked.

I should add that the first review posted on this product is correct--Werner is a classical orientalist, and the book is a product of a very specific time frame and state of mind. It absolutely contains rare stories which are underrepresented in other texts, including many tales of Immortals, Chinese folk religions, etc.

My two-star rating still sticks, as I only think this book is useful for scholars who can recognize the "orientalism" for what it is, and cut right through to the valuable stories, or for scholars trying to illustrate what "orientalism" was all about.

It's not good for the casual reader of Chinese folk tales.
26 people found this helpful
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Phuong Nguyen
5.0 out of 5 stars Interesting book
Reviewed in the United States on March 13, 2020
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I got this book because of two reasons: firstly, I’m in Chinese major, looking for some old books by the time the legend still remain without much restriction or forgotten by modern industry or new political problem. Secondly, I read the whole book about Pamela death and his father in my research then.
Some personal comments by author would not be friendly enough in racism but his work was honestly professional to look for.
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Jersey Girl
5.0 out of 5 stars historical and informative
Reviewed in the United States on August 3, 2011
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An exploratory look at china through the examination of its myths and legends. Western myths and legends are juxtaposed with the eastern myths and legends which I found entertaining. This is an educational book which kept my interest the whole read.
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Top reviews from other countries

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xiao
5.0 out of 5 stars bonne surprise
Reviewed in France on January 25, 2012
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Il y a tant de livres sur la mythologie chinoise et celui-ci est très intéressant par les légendes mais aussi la cosmogonie, divers aspects de la Chine expliquée à travers ses légendes séculaires, références culturelles moins vivaces aujourd'hui mais importantes pour mieux apprécier l'imaginaire collectif chinois. Cet ouvrage permet de s'y retrouver au travers du travail d'un auteur enthousiaste et méticuleux. Et petit plus, de fort belles illustrations de peintures chinoises en couleur et avec des coloris intacts dans l'édition achetée. Un plaisir. Les illustrations sont reprises dans les articles de Wikipedia.
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Myriam
4.0 out of 5 stars Très bon livre!
Reviewed in France on August 11, 2019
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Very good book! All in english. It's a must have if you're interested in China. It's really easy to read and well organized. The only thing I don't like about it is the not standard romanization system used instead of pinyin or the Chinese characters.
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