Book Reviews and Notices : Comments, 1944,1948. BY HAROLD NICOLSON. (London: Constable & Co. 1948. Pp. x, 305. 8s 6d.)

• Date: 01 September 1949
• DOI: 10.1177/106591294900200337
• Published date: 01 September 1949
• Author: Leslie C. Green
• Subject Matter: Articles

454
China, The Far East and the Future
.
BY GEORGE W. KEETON. (London:
Stevens and Sons. 1949. 2nd edition. Pp. xi, 511. 21s.)
Professor Keeton is well known to students of far eastern affairs by
reason of his earlier and basic work, The Development of Extraterritoriality
in China, which appeared in 1928. The more recent study, here under
review, is a broad survey of modern far eastern history and politics. China
occupies the center of the stage, but there are also chapters on the coun-
tries of Southeast Asia, on Korea, and on the contemporary policies of
the great powers in the Pacific area. The present edition presents a re-
vision and an expansion of the book first published in 1943.
Perhaps it should be said at once that the rather alarming title appears
to be the work of the publisher rather than the author, for in reality
Professor Keeton has refrained in general from writing us a history of the
future. The first two sections of the book, dealing with the rise of Chinese
nationalism and with the growth of Russo-Japanese rivalries in Asia are
essentially historical and provide a readable and sound introduction to
these subjects. Part III, Japan’s bid for mastery of the Pacific, is hardly
as commendable, giving as it does some evidence of the emotions of
war-time writing. While the later chapters dealing with contemporaneous
events are useful for reference, the general reader will see so many trees
that his perspective on the forest as a whole is likely to be blurred.
A rather well-selected bibliography which includes no annotation,
but which does include some errors in proper names, titles, etc., completes
the work.
PAUL H. CLYDE.
Duke University.
Comments, 1944,1948. BY HAROLD NICOLSON. (London: Constable & Co.
1948. Pp. x, 305. 8s 6d.)
The present volume is a collection of sixty-one articles contributed
by Mr. Harold Nicolson to his weekly column in the Spectator between
1944 and 1948. It is pleasant to be reminded in this way of the weekly
incidents...