Rome, China, and the Barbarians
Ethnographic Traditions and the Transformation of Empires

'… a sweeping and highly informative survey that reaches back to the Homeric and Western Zhou traditions … painstaking and nuanced analysis … [Ford's] rich study is doubly rewarding, by showing what sustained comparative approach can accomplish but also how much more remains to be done … For now, we are very much in [Ford's] debt for unveiling new vistas. Following his lead is bound to be a challenge: collaboration among area specialists will be essential for making this line of research take off.' Walter Scheidel, The Classical Review

'With the comparison of a Greco-Roman and a Chinese historical work from the period of transition between late antiquity and the early middle ages, Ford's work is groundbreaking in comparative studies. This is accomplished on the basis of an impressive double competence in the study of classical antiquity and Sinology and a comprehensive consideration of multilingual secondary scholarship … the book as a whole represents a remarkable achievement which calls for further research.' Fritz-Heiner Mutschler, Historische Zeitschrift

'… This is a valuable and innovative contribution to the relatively new subfield of Rome-China comparative studies … Ford writes with admirable clarity … anyone venturing to [revisit the polemical and political agendas of the Jin shu chronicles and colophons] should now use Ford's fascinating and groundbreaking book as a starting point.' Shao-yun Yang, Journal of Asian Studies

'The volume published by Randolph Ford is an excellent study, very well documented, and useful as much for its analyses and reflections about the Jinshu as for the perspective provided by the comparison with Procopius. Its strong point is to highlight, with textual evidence, the rhetorical and political conservatism of Chinese historians from the beginning of the Tang dynasty.' Damien Chaussende, T'oung Pao