1988年修訂版《國家系列叢書：中國》Library of Nations: China by the Editors of Time-Life Books (1988 Revised Edition, Hardcover)

內容簡介 / Synopsis

 Part of the highly acclaimed Library of Nations series by Time-Life Books, this volume offers a profound and immersive look into China during a pivotal era of modernization and radical change. Structured across seven comprehensive chapters, the book covers topics ranging from everyday agrarian life and cultural shifts to the devastating trauma of the Cultural Revolution and the systemic political structure. It features rich picture essays focusing on the daily routines of student life, the historic civil wars, and the ethnic diversity of the outer provinces. Supplemented with detailed statistical charts, full-color thematic maps, and spectacular photojournalism captured on location, this work remains an exceptional visual and socio-political record of late-20th-century China.

 本書屬於 Time-Life（時代生活出版公司）享譽國際的《國家系列叢書》（Library of Nations）之一，深度聚焦並客觀記錄了中國在邁向現代化與劇烈變革關鍵時期的真實面貌。全書結構嚴謹，共分為七大章節，內容涵蓋城鄉基層生活、社會文化演變、文革時期的歷史動盪以及當時的政治體制。書中穿插了大量極具張力的專題攝影紀實，生動展現了當時的校園學生生活、歷史內戰印記以及邊疆少數民族的分佈。書內更附有詳盡的統計圖表、全彩立體地形圖以及由頂尖攝影師深入各地拍下的珍貴歷史畫面，是研究20th世紀中後期中國社會與地緣政治不可多得的視覺文獻。

## 歷史背景與重要性 / Historical Background & Significance

 Published in the late 1980s, this volume was developed under the expert consultation of Dr. Richard Bush, a prominent scholar who earned his Ph.D. in Chinese History and Politics from Columbia University and served as a staff consultant for the U.S. Congressional Sub-Committee on Asian and Pacific Affairs. This specific period captures China under Deng Xiaoping's reforms, transitioning out of the rigid Maoist era while still carrying the fresh, visible scars of the Cultural Revolution—vividly illustrated by the book’s photographic coverage of 1978 Peking wall posters criticizing the previous regime. By balancing Western academic analysis with on-the-ground human perspectives (such as the daily lives of the Zhao family or the Kirgiz nomads along the old Silk Road), this book stands as a highly valued geopolitical time capsule capturing a society on the cusp of global economic ascendancy.

 本書編纂於 1980 年代中後期，由著名亞洲問題專家卜睿哲博士（Dr. Richard Bush）擔任顧問。卜睿哲畢業於哥倫比亞大學，獲中國歷史與政治博士學位，當時正擔任美國國會眾議院亞洲及太平洋事務小組委員會的幕僚顧問。這一特殊的歷史節點正值中國實行鄧小平改革開放、逐步走出毛澤東時代，但文革的歷史傷痕依舊清晰可見——書中特別收錄了 1978 年北京牆上批鬥與反思過往體制的大字報珍貴影像。本書難能可貴地將西方學術界的宏觀政治地緣觀察與微觀的底層人文視角相結合（如詳細記錄「老趙一家」的收支開銷、以及古絲綢之路上吉爾吉斯游牧民的生活），使這部著作結構成為一個極具歷史價值的地緣政治時間膠囊，完美定格了中國在崛起為全球經濟巨人前夕的社會群像。

## 書本狀態 / Condition Report

 Very Good Collectible Condition. This volume features its original deep-blue illustrated, textured hardboard covers, which remain rigid with sharp corners and solid, intact joints. The spine binding is tight and stable. Internally, the pages are exceptionally clean and bright, with no loose leaves, ink notations, highlighting, or dog-eared corners. The full-color map endpapers and photographic layouts retain excellent ink density and vibrancy. The rear cover exhibits light shelf-rubbing and minor surface scuffing typical of age, but remains completely structurally sound. (Note: A small ex-libris/charity stamp from "The Book Thing of Baltimore, Inc." is present on the front flyleaf map, which does not affect the readability of any text or photographs).

 非常優良的收藏品相。 本書採用原裝深藍色壓紋圖案硬面精裝，外皮保持堅挺，書角銳利，接縫處完好無損。書脊裝訂牢固，內頁極其乾淨、光潔如新，無任何鬆脫、劃線、塗鴉或折角痕跡。前後環襯的全彩立體地圖和書中的紀實照片色彩依舊鮮豔，墨色濃郁。封底有因歲月累積的輕微磨擦與細小刮痕，屬於正常陳設留下的痕跡，不影響整體結構。 （備註：前飛頁立體地圖的右下角帶有不顯眼的巴爾的摩慈善圖書組織「The Book Thing of Baltimore, Inc.」的小型印章，完全不影響任何主體地圖、文本或歷史照片的閱讀與收藏）。