In recent decades there has been a dramatic transformation around the Pacific Rim. No longer 'the Far East' - that exotic, mysterious land at the distant fringe of Western consciousness - East Asia today commands the attention of the entire world.

In East Asia, Arthur Cotterell condenses into a compact, highly readable book an immense amount of historical knowledge, placing this amazing economic development in its proper perspective - an Asian one. Cotterell ranges from the dawn of Chinese civilization to Japan's emergence as the first East Asian nation to develop an industrial economy. And he brings his history up to the present, examining America's setbacks in the Korean and Vietnam Wars, Japan's rise as an economic superpower, and the recent histories of countries such as reunited Vietnam, Indonesia and Singapore.

Cotterell goes on to suggest that Japan will eventually be overtaken by its neighbours, concluding that relations between the Chinese and the Japanese will ultimately determine the future of East Asia, although over the coming decades the key Pacific partners remain China and the United States.

With spectacular historical perspective, Arthur Cotterell performs an invaluable service to all those who wish to have deeper understanding of our newest, and most competitive, trading partners.