Recommend Nonfiction Please!

I work at a library, and recently was put in charge of ordering for the 900's, which is the history section. Sadly, while there are a ton of things there about western history, especially American, the Asian history collection has been neglected.

I'm trying to recitify that, and I'm looking for suggestions of good asian history books. It can be from any time period or country, I'm just trying to expand the section. Please let me know if you have ideas!

some books i've enjoyed on southeast asia

The Quality of Mercy by William Shawcross

Brother Enemy by Nayan Chanda

In the Time of Madness by Richard Llyod Parry

Thank you. I'll definately look into getting those.

The Search for Modern China by Jonathan D. Spence He's written a lot of history books about China, but this is the only one that I've read.

The Rape of Nanking by Iris Chang

Hungry Ghosts: Mao's Secret Famine by Jasper Becker

China: A New History by John King Fairbank He's another prolific writer of Chinese history.

Stillwell and the American Experience in China by Barbara W. Tuchman Not sure if this one counts since it is about Americans in China during the war

I may have some more that would work too. I'll keep looking.

You have not said what your Asian borders were: do you draw the line at the Ural, the Dardanelles and the Suez Canal, or further east.

Americans seem to be most interested in China and Japan, so let me give you some suggestions for these countries.

All books by Jonathan Spence are worth reading. For a great overview you may enjoy Mote's doorstopper Imperial China. About the days of Mao there are the highly readable The Long March and Alive in the Bitter Sea. Jonathan Clements writes nice books for a popular audience about China too, among others about Coxinga. I could also recommend Frances Wood. You cannot do without Sexual Life in Ancient China.

Marius Jansen's The Making of Modern Japan is great about that country. Always good are books by Edward Seidensticker, particularly his books about the history of Tokyo. Also good is The Book of Tea. If you prefer more recent history, add The Enigma of Japanese Power.

You could find various others in my LibraryThing library. Quite a few reviews.

Thank you all very much for the help. I'll definately be able to expand the section a bit with these suggestions.

For a very honest look at the less talked about aspect of Japanese society I'd recommend Sandakan Brothel #8 by Tomoko Yamazaki

"Yamazaki records the life story of Osaki, a karayuki-san, the term for rural Japanese women sold into overseas prostitution between the 1860s and 1930s. Sent to Sandakan, North Borneo at age ten, she shared a fate with thousands of other young women in the name of Japanese colonial expansion. "

Not a part of Japanese history many people talk about let alone write of, but handled very well.