Part 1. Space -- The spatial organization of subcounty administration -- The gazetteer cartography of Ye Chunji -- Part 2. Fields -- Taxing polders on the Yangzi Delta -- Growing rice in North Zhili -- Part 3. Books -- Building school libraries in the mid-Ming -- State censorship and the book trade -- Part 4. Monasteries -- At the margin of public authority: the Ming state and Buddhism -- Buddhism in the Chinese constitution: recording monasteries in North Zhili.

"The Ming dynasty (1368-1644), a period of commercial expansion and cultural innovation, fashioned the relationship between the present-day state and society in China. In this unique collection of reworked and illustrated essays, one of the leading scholars of Chinese history re-examines this relationship and argues that, contrary to previous scholarship, which emphasized the heavy hand of the state, it was radical responses within society to changes in commercial relations and social networks that led to a stable but dynamic "constitution" during the Ming dynasty."--OCLC record.

See Table of Contents.
Local access only [Brook-Ming Chinese State.pdf]

The confusions of pleasure : commerce and culture in Ming China / Timothy Brook.
Includes bibliographical references (p. 295-311) and index.
"First paperback printing 1999"
See Contributor biographical information.

The Ming dynasty was the last great Chinese dynasty before the Manchu conquest in 1644. During that time, China, not Europe, was the center of the world: the European voyages of exploration were searching not just for new lands but also for new trade routes to the Far East. In this book, Timothy Brook eloquently narrates the changing landscape of life over the three centuries of the Ming (1368-1644), when China was transformed from a closely administered agrarian realm into a place of commercial profits and intense competition for status.

The Confusions of Pleasure marks a significant departure from the conventional ways in which Chinese history has been written. Rather than recounting the Ming dynasty in a series of political events and philosophical achievements, it narrates this longue duree in terms of the habits and strains of everyday life. Peppered with stories of real people and their negotiations of a rapidly changing world, this book provides a new way of seeing the Ming dynasty that not only contributes to the scholarly understanding of the period but also provides an entertaining and accessible introduction to Chinese history for anyone. --Publisher description.

Local access dig.pdf. [Brooks-Confusions of pleasure.pdf]

Physical books: copy 1 Stacks, copy 2 ASCC

Mr. Selden's map of China : decoding the secrets of a vanished cartographer / Timothy Brook.
Includes bibliographical references and index.

What's wrong with this map? -- Closing the sea -- Reading Chinese in Oxford -- John Saris and the China Captain -- The compass rose -- Sailing from China --Heaven is round, earth is square -- Secrets in the Selden map -- Resting places.

"Timothy Brook's award-winning Vermeer's Hat unfolded the early history of globalization, using Vermeer's paintings to show how objects like beaver hats and porcelain bowls began to circulate around the world. Now he plumbs the mystery of a single artifact that offers new insights into global connections centuries old.In 2009, an extraordinary map of China was discovered in Oxford's Bodleian Library--where it had first been deposited 350 years before, then stowed and forgotten for nearly a century. Neither historians of China nor cartography experts had ever seen anything like it. It was so odd that experts would have declared it a fake--yet records confirmed it had been delivered to Oxford in 1659. The "Selden Map," as it is known, was a puzzle that needing solving. Brook, a historian of China, set out to explore the riddle. His investigation will lead readers around this elegant, enigmatic work of art, and from the heart of China, via the Southern Ocean, to the court of King James II. In the story of Selden's map, he reveals for us the surprising links between an English scholar and merchants half a world away, and offers novel insights into the power and meaning that a single map can hold. Brook delivers the same anecdote-rich narrative, intriguing characters, and unexpected historical connections that made Vermeer's Hat an instant classic"-- Publisher note.