Book Series
Ancient China in Context

The creation of the Chinese Empire in 221 BC was the culmination of centuries of political development, in which the palace states of the 08th century (the "Spring and Autumn") were gradually transformed into the resource bureaucracies of the 05th and following centuries (the "Warring States"), a time of state rebuilding, law creation, and military progress. This period saw the rise of public controversy between the many individuals and schools which had conflicting ideas about where society should be going, how to get there, or in some cases, how to opt out. This was the Golden Age of Chinese thought, a time which to this day remains a treasure of the world cultural heritage.

A full understanding of these centuries has been hampered by uncertainty about the nature and date of the texts. To this problem, the Project brings the fruits of decades of historical-critical research, using classical methods enriched by a new stylistic difference measure, which helps to clarify intertextual relations and adjudicate authorship questions.

The first volume to be released was a survey of the Warring States period, called The Emergence of China. It weaves together the contributions of the major Warring States schools of thought into a consecutive account of the intellectual and social history which preceded the creation of the Empire. Spring and Autumn, based on the neglected contemporary evidence of the preserved court chronicle of the state of Lu, gives a vivid contemporary picture of what life was like in the centuries before Confucius, as well as duriing his own lifetime. Other volumes represent the major schools of classical thought (Confucian, Dauist, and Mician), as well as the military manuals which are still studied by the general staffs of all modern nations.

In rough chronological order by subject. Dates are those of intended or actual publication.

Spring and Autumn: State Transition in Ancient China (2023)
The Original Analects: Sayings of Confucius and His Successors (Columbia 1998); order here
Arts of War: The Classical Chinese Military Tradition (2024)
Quiet Ways: The Mystical Statecraft of the Dau/Dv Jing (2025)
Waging Peace: The Mician Voice in Ancient China (2026)
Mencius: A Divided Heritage
The Emergence of China: From Confucius to the Empire (2015)
Introducing Confucius: The Man and the Movement (available early 2023)

Available volumes in this and our other series may be ordered here.