The Great Wall

Oct 6, 2024 12:19 AM

Author:John Man

The Great Wall

China's Great Wall north of Beijing is one of the world's most famous sights. Millions every year climb the line of stone snaking over mountains. We all feel we know the Wall. But we are wrong. It is too big, too varied, too complex to be captured by a few images or a day-trip.

Myths surround it. Many believe that the stone barrier marches across all China, that it has been in existence for over 2,000 years, and that it is the only man-made structure visible from the Moon. In fact, most of it is made of earth, and much of it is not there at all. It cannot even be seen from earth orbit, let alone the Moon. Estimates of its length vary from 1,500 to 5,000 miles. Even its name is deceptive - it is not an it, a single entity, but many walls (hence the uncertain length), built at different times.

Yet behind the confusion are great simplicities. The many walls are united by two ideas - self-protection and unity - which go back to the First Emperor, who founded the nation in 221 BC. For 2,000 years, the Wall marked the border between China and nomadic peoples to the north and west. Mutual hostility inspired centuries of attacks, counter-attacks and Wall-building, until the northward spread of China in the 20th century made the Wall redundant.

For this riveting account, John Man travelled the Wall from the far western deserts to the Pacific, exploring the grandest sections and many 'wild' ones. He is the first writer to describe two unknown walls in Mongolia. He covers two millennia of history, from the country's first unification to the present day, when the Great Wall, built and rebuilt over centuries of war, has become a symbol of tranquillity.

Reviews

A canny academic's take on the real reason behind America's obsession with beating the Soviets to the Moon, and the absurdity of what they found

—— Esquire

Annoyingly thorough and readable

—— Giles Whittell , The Times

DeGroot gets off to a terrific start: his prose is punchy, his contentions startling, his indignation palpable

—— John Preston , Sunday Telegraph

It can't be denied that beyond the dingy politicking, lunatic number-crunching and slide-rule stuff, there was something grand about the US space programme. DeGroot's achievement is to have preserved that, even as he exposes the dark side

—— Brian Morton , Sunday Herald

An elegant contribution to the history of the space age. For space nuts who think Apollo is all about heroism, it should be compulsory reading

—— Andrew Smith , Sunday Times

DeGroot goes far beyond his precise academic remit in bringing us this caustic, absorbing and suttee exploration of how and why the dream died

—— Euan Ferguson , Observer

DeGroot has a good ear for anecdotes and his narrative is highly amusing.

—— John Michell , Spectator

An enjoyably written argument

—— Sinclair McKay , Daily Telegraph

A gripping account

—— Adam Forrest , The Herald

DeGroot tells the story of the American lunar mission with verve and elegance

—— Richard Aldous , Irish Times

Fascinating, gossipy and occasionally hilarious

—— Jeffrey Taylor , Express

Ackroyd's view of Venice is not that of an infatuated lover... but more the magisterial distillation of much knowledge and reading, conveyed in prose that aspires to the glassy elegance of La Serenissima herself

—— Harry Eyres , Financial Times, Travel books of the year

Opulent, shimmering prose

—— Celia Brayfield , The Times, Christmas books

Ackroyd does Venice, his sonorous, scene painting prose advancing in rhythmic columns until no quarter of the city has escaped assimilation.

—— Ian Pindar , Guardian

Ackroyd's achievement is to bring the city back to life and help you to experience differently. Take it with you next time you visit.

—— Kate Quill , The Times

His dark tapestry ... deserves a place in every visitor's luggage

—— Independent

Ackroyd writes about Venice as an idea, with stylish meditations on such topics as time, light, water, sexuality, politics and psychopathology...he writes so well that at times he'd drive you mad - "Venice represented an idea that was itself eternal" - but if you just climb into his gondola and go where he takes you, the rewards are great indeed

—— Arminta Wallace , The Irish Times

Many books have been written about Venice by authors like Mary McCarthy and Jan Morris. Ackroyd's advantage is his poetic eye

—— Colin Waters , Sunday Herald

Ackroyd writes beguilingly as he weaves his way around the lagoon, supplying interesting details en route...

—— Jane Knight , The Times

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