Bomb, Book and Compass: Joseph Needham and the Great Secrets of China
Bomb, Book and Compass: Joseph Needham and the Great Secrets of China by Simon Winchester
English | September 25, 2008 | ISBN-10: 0141889896 | ISBN-13: 9780141889894 | 367 Pages | EPUB | 2.7 MB
English | September 25, 2008 | ISBN-10: 0141889896 | ISBN-13: 9780141889894 | 367 Pages | EPUB | 2.7 MB
Before fate intervened, Joseph Needham was a distinguished biochemist at Cambridge University, married to a fellow scientist. In 1937 he was asked to supervise a young Chinese student named Lu Gwei-Djen, and in that moment began the two greatest love affairs of his life - Miss Lu, and China.
Miss Lu inspired Needham to travel to China where he initially spent three dangerous years as a wartime diplomat. He established himself as the pre-eminent China scholar of all time, firm in his belief that China would one day achieve world prominence. By the end of his life, Needham had become a truly global figure, travelling endlessly and honoured by all - though banned from America because of his politics. And in 1989, after a fifty-two year affair, he finally married the woman who had first inspired his passion.
The Magnificent Barbarian is Simon Winchester at his best - at once a magnificent portrait of one man's remarkable life and a riveting exploration of the country that so engaged him.
Hours to read: 8 - 9
Total words: 106k