1
of
1
Mao's Great Famine
The History of China's Most Devastating Catastrophe, 1958-62
Ratings/reviews counts are updated frequently.
Check link for latest rating. ( 5,021 ratings, 566 reviews)
Book Hero Magic crafted this summary to help describe this book. While it's new and still
learning, it may not be perfect - your
feedback is welcome!
Summary
Read More
Format: Paperback / softback
$2599
Unit price
/
Unavailable
OVERNIGHT NZ-WIDE DELIVERY
Found a better price? Request a price match
Mao's Great Famine
$2599
Unit price
/
Unavailable
Book Hero Magic created this recommendation. While it's new and still learning, it may not be perfect - your feedback is welcome! IS THIS YOUR NEXT READ?
An unprecedented, groundbreaking history of China's Great Famine
Winner of the BBC Samuel Johnson Prize 2011
An unprecedented, groundbreaking history of China's Great Famine Winner of the BBC Samuel Johnson Prize 2011
Book Hero Magic formatted this description to make it easier to read. While it's new and
still learning, it may not be perfect - your
feedback is welcome!
Description
Mao's Great Famine by Frank Dikötter is a harrowing chronicle of one of the most tragic periods in human history. During the years from 1958 to 1962, China's pursuit of rapid industrialisation and agricultural collectivisation under Mao Zedong's Great Leap Forward resulted in an unimaginable humanitarian disaster. This ambitious policy aimed to transform China into a global superpower within a mere span of fifteen years but instead culminated in widespread suffering, with an estimated 45 million people worked, starved, or beaten to death.
Through meticulous research and extraordinary access to newly released Chinese archives, Dikötter unravels the complex layers of this catastrophe. He deftly interweaves how decisions made in the corridors of power directly impacted the lives of ordinary people, from forced collectivisation and ill-conceived agricultural reforms to the abandonment of traditional farming techniques and brutal enforcement measures. The book paints a vivid picture of both the sheer scale of the tragedy and the individual stories that underscore the human cost of political oppression.
Dikötter's groundbreaking account sheds light on this dark chapter in the history of the People's Republic of China, bringing to life the voices of the dead and disenfranchised. With his detailed narrative, he provides a comprehensive understanding of how Mao's policies led to one of the greatest man-made disasters the world has ever seen. This definitive work not only recasts the historical understanding of the Great Leap Forward but also serves as a poignant reminder of the profound impact of political ideology on human lives.
Winner of the BBC Samuel Johnson Prize for Non-Fiction 2011, Mao's Great Famine is an essential read for anyone seeking to comprehend the complexities of modern Chinese history and the devastating consequences of totalitarian governance. Dikötter's scholarly yet accessible prose makes this an indispensable resource for historians, students, and general readers alike.
Book Hero Magic summarised reviews for this book. While it's new and still learning, it may not be perfect - your feedback is welcome! HOW HAS THIS BEEN REVIEWED?
Mao's Great Famine by Frank Dikötter is widely acclaimed for its thorough investigative approach to one of modern history's biggest tragedies. Critics highlight its detailed archival analysis, demonstrating Mao's responsibility for the devastating famine. The book is praised for its authoritative and comprehensive account, described as essential reading for understanding this catastrophic event.
Book Details
INFORMATION
ISBN: 9781408886366
Publisher: Bloomsbury Publishing PLC
Format: Paperback / softback
Date Published: 09 February 2017
Country: United Kingdom
Imprint: Bloomsbury Publishing PLC
Audience: General / adult
DIMENSIONS
Width: 129.0mm
Height: 198.0mm
Weight: 330g
Pages: 448
About the Author
Frank Dikötter is Chair Professor of Humanities at the University of Hong Kong and Professor of the Modern History of China at the School of Oriental and African Studies, University of London. He is a key proponent of studying the history of China in global perspective, and has published a series of innovative books, from his classic The Discourse of Race in Modern China (Univ. Stanford Press 1992) to the controversial Narcotic Culture: A History of Drugs in China (Univ. Chicago Press 2004). He lives in Hong Kong.
Also by Frank Dikötter
View all-
The Tragedy of Liberation
In The Tragedy of Liberation, Frank Dikötter delves deep into the seismic social and political upheaval that followed Mao Zedong's rise to power in 1949, when he hoisted the red flag over Beijing’s Forbidden City. Rather than liberating the country, the communist revolutionaries dismantled the old order and established a repressive system that infiltrated every aspect of Chinese life. This...Paperback$2199Unit price /UnavailableIn StockShips today -
Dictators
Dictators by Frank Dikötter is a compelling exploration into the lives and regimes of some of the world's most infamous totalitarian leaders. In this meticulously researched work, Dikötter delves into the intricate mechanics of how these dictators maintained their iron grip on power through a blend of fear, propaganda, and the creation of personality cults. The narrative uncovers the techniques...Paperback$2499Unit price /UnavailableIn StockShips today -
The Cultural Revolution
Acclaimed by the Daily Mail as 'definitive and harrowing', this is the final volume of ‘The People’s Trilogy', begun by the Samuel Johnson prize-winning Mao's Great Famine. The Cultural Revolution by Frank Dikötter meticulously examines one of the most turbulent and destructive periods in modern Chinese history. Taking place between 1966 and 1976, the Cultural Revolution was an attempt by...Paperback$2199Unit price /UnavailableIn StockShips today -
China After Mao
A revolutionary book Sunday TimesA pulsating account — Peter Frankopan A SPECTATOR AND NEW STATESMAN BOOK OF THE YEAR How did the People’s Republic of China transform from a backwater economy in the 1970s into the world superpower of today? Drawing on hundreds of previously unseen archival documents, award-winning historian Frank Dikötter recasts our understanding of an era that both...Paperback$2899Unit price /UnavailableAvailableShips in 4-6 weeks -
Red Dawn Over China
From renowned, prize-winning historian Frank Dikötter – ‘the historian of China’ (Spectator) – a commanding new history of China’s path to Communism, brought to the people at the barrel of a gun. The history of modern China has long been portrayed as a tale of Communists fighting in the hills for freedom, gradually gaining popular support by taking land from...Paperback$3200Elsewhere:$3899Unit price /UnavailableAvailableShips in 4-6 weeks -
China After Mao
_______________A SPECTATOR AND NEW STATESMAN BOOK OF THE YEAR‘A revolutionary book’ Sunday Times‘A pulsating account that makes clear how important it is to look beneath the surface when it comes to any period or region in history – but above all to China’ Peter Frankopan, TLS'Essential reading for anyone who wants to know what has shaped today's China and what...Paperback$3699Unit price /UnavailableAvailableShips in 4-6 weeks -
Red Dawn Over China
A FINANCIAL TIMES HIGHLIGHT FOR 2026 'The most important reappraisal of modern China to appear in years' PETER FRANKOPAN, author of The Silk Roads and The Earth Transformed From renowned, prize-winning historian Frank Dikötter – ‘the historian of China’ (Spectator) – comes a commanding new history of China’s path to Communism, brought to the people at the barrel of a...HardbackSold Out
More from History & Military
View all-
Saving Elli
One child. Two years in hiding. Three lives in mortal danger. In Nazi-occupied Amsterdam, near Anne Frank's house, another Jewish girl is hidden. Her name is Elli. Her father has been executed at Mauthausen concentration camp. Her mother is fleeing for her life. Elli is next. To save her, resistance couple Frits and Jo Hakkens must risk everything, concealing her...Paperback$3299Elsewhere:$3799Unit price /UnavailableIn StockShips today -
The Spy and the Traitor
The Spy and the Traitor by Ben Macintyre is a spellbinding Cold War thriller that unravels the true story of Oleg Gordievsky, a KGB double agent who risked everything to aid the British in the battle against Soviet oppression. In meticulously researched detail, Macintyre paints a vivid portrait of espionage, double-crossing, and unparalleled bravery, giving readers a riveting glimpse into...Paperback$2100Elsewhere:$2600Unit price /UnavailableIn StockShips today -
New ReleaseSuicidal Empathy
The bestselling author of The Parasitic Mind shows why empathy in politics leads to civilizational collapse. What happens when a society elevates victimhood to a virtue and decides that punishment is cruel? You get the disease Dr. Gad Saad calls suicidal empathy. And the West may be terminally infected. In his new book, Suicidal Empathy, Saad unleashes a blistering critique...Paperback$3099Elsewhere:$3799Unit price /UnavailableIn StockShips today -
Man's Search For Meaning
Man's Search for Meaning by Viktor E. Frankl is a profound, thought-provoking memoir and psychological exploration that delves into the harrowing experiences of life in Nazi concentration camps, intertwined with the author’s groundbreaking theories on existential psychology. The book is a testament to the resilience of the human spirit, offering a beacon of hope and a roadmap for finding purpose...Paperback$1800Elsewhere:$2100Unit price /UnavailableIn StockShips today -
Betrayal
‘Tom Bower is the Inspector Morse of investigative biographers, a fluent, phlegmatic storyteller and a master of intricacies.’ Sunday Times The British Crown is in crisis, with constitutional threats at home and abroad. At a landmark moment in royal history, can King Charles overcome the scandals that blight the Royal family? Can the broken bonds between the Houses of Sussex...Paperback$3499Elsewhere:$3999Unit price /UnavailableIn StockShips today -
The Chief and the Empire
The Chief and the Empire uncovers the extraordinary true tale of Te Tai Tokerau rangatira Te Pahi - the first influential Māori leader to cross the Tasman - whose curiosity about the Pākehā world forged alliances, saved lives, and ultimately cost him his own. On a visit to Sydney in 1805, Te Pahi was feted as a celebrity, building close...Paperback$3200Elsewhere:$3999Unit price /UnavailableIn StockShips today -
Discipline
Silence is complicity, but how do we confront the cost of speaking up? Sydney, May 2021. Ashraf is an academic whose career and personal life are in freefall. Hannah is a young journalist struggling to honour the voices of her community. When a Year 12 Al-Bayinnah College student is arrested for protesting a university's ties to an Israeli weapons manufacturer,...Paperback$4000Unit price /UnavailableIn StockShips today -
Shattered Lands
'A sparkling debut by an outstanding young historian' – PETER FRANKOPAN 'This book is a revelation … both original and important' – MISHAL HUSAIN A history of modern South Asia told through five partitions that reshaped it. As recently as 1928, a vast swathe of Asia – India, Pakistan, Bangladesh, Burma, Nepal, Bhutan, Yemen, Oman, the UAE, Qatar, Bahrain, and...Paperback$3699Elsewhere:$4500Unit price /UnavailableIn StockShips today -
Goliath’s Curse
Goliath’s Curse by Luke Kemp offers a radical retelling of human history through the lens of collapse, delving into what this means for our uncertain future. This narrative spans from the dawn of our species to the urgent existential threats of the twenty-first century and beyond. It's grounded in the latest research and a comprehensive database of more than 440...Paperback$2999Elsewhere:$4000Unit price /UnavailableIn StockShips today -
New ReleaseThe Good Settler
‘Where once I saw a view as I drove around the Taranaki coast along State Highway 45, I now see confiscated land from an invasion road. The creation story I used to subscribe to, the one in which hard-working people came here and settled the land, now jars. Weirdly, even the lawn looks different. The form of things just won’t...Paperback$3199Elsewhere:$3999Unit price /UnavailableIn StockShips today -
Banjara
A powerful literary debut from an astonishing new Kiwi voice, focusing on the Indo-Fijian indenture system and how it affected generations across the Pacific.Rajasthan 1888: Avani Rathod, a nomad of the Banjara community, is summoned to teach a blue-eyed colonial officer the trees of her region, but instead is misled into indenture to the sugarcane plantations of Fiji. While on...Paperback$3099Elsewhere:$3799Unit price /UnavailableIn StockShips today -
This Way Up
The debut book from the YouTube sensation and all-round cartographical nerds, The Map Men! In their long-awaited debut, YouTube’s Map Men bring their highly infectious enthusiasm for everything map-related to the printed page for the very first time, in a brilliantly entertaining and eye-catching tome. Packed with humour and fascinating facts, This Way Up takes a deep dive into the...Paperback$3199Elsewhere:$3999Unit price /UnavailableIn StockShips today
Why buy from us?
Book Hero is not a chain store or big box retailer. We're an independent 100% NZ-owned business on a mission to help more Kiwis rediscover a love of books and reading!
Service & Delivery
Our warehouse in Auckland holds over 100,000 books, toys, board games and puzzles in-stock so you're not waiting for your order to arrive from overseas.
Auckland Bookstore
We're primarily an online store, but for your convenience you can pick up your order for free from our bookstore, which is right next door to our warehouse in Hobsonville.
Our Gifting Service
Books make wonderful thoughtful gifts and we're here to help with gift-wrapping and cards. We can even send your gift directly to your loved one.
