Sir Robert Hart

Bredon, JulietProject Gutenberg · United StatesDec 2019

3.1

Word count: 222K words
Chapters: 23

Summary

Project Gutenberg was the first provider of free electronic books, or eBooks. Michael Hart, founder of Project Gutenberg, invented eBooks in 1971 and his memory continues to inspire the creation of eBooks and related technologies today.Sir Robert Hart by Juliet BredonAuthor: Bredon, Juliet,Language: English, Class: DS: History: General and Eastern Hemisphere: Asia, Release Date: May 1, 2004

Editor's review

This is Juliet Bredon's biography of Robert Hart, catalogued under Asian history and released by Project Gutenberg as a public-domain e-book. Hart served for many years as Inspector General of the Chinese Maritime Customs and was a key figure in modern Sino-foreign relations and in late Qing finance and diplomacy, so this biography is valuable for understanding the customs system, the treaty system and Sino-foreign interaction in the latter half of the nineteenth century. Written with the closeness of a contemporary observer, its narrative focuses on personal experience and public affairs; it is best read alongside later scholarship to identify its standpoints and period limitations. Suitable as supplementary material for the history of modern Sino-foreign relations rather than as a sole authority; read it with other historical sources and note the biographer's perspective and time of writing.

Who it's for

A good fit for

History readers studying modern Sino-foreign relations and the customs system
General history enthusiasts interested in late Qing biography
Translators and publishers needing public-domain English biographies
Undergraduates and graduate students using it as supplementary course reading in modern history

Not a good fit for

Specialist researchers seeking rigorous academic conclusions with full annotation
Readers entirely unfamiliar with modern Chinese history and lacking basic context
Casual readers wanting light stories and unaccustomed to biographical narrative

Reading tips

Gain basic background on Hart and the modern customs service before entering the biography proper.
Mark the author's evaluative statements while reading and compare them with later scholarship to discern standpoints.
Chart Hart's career chronologically, taking notes alongside a timeline of major events.
Read selectively the chapters on customs and diplomacy; there is no need to read every page.

About the publisher

Project Gutenberg United States · Founded in 1971

Project Gutenberg is a digital publishing project focused on public-domain ebooks. Its publishing direction centers on classic literary works whose copyright has expired, covering genres such as poetry, drama, fiction, and epic. Representative books include Lyrical Ballads by Wordsworth and Coleridge, Proust's Du côté de chez Swann, Shakespeare's Macbeth and The Complete Works of William Shakespeare, Homer's The Iliad, Dante's La Divina Comèdia: Purgatòri, Cervantes's The History of Don Quixote, Volume 2, and Grahame's The Wind in the Willows. Its author resources consist mainly of classic Western writers such as Wordsworth, Proust, Shakespeare, Homer, Dante, Cervantes, Grahame, and Tolstoy. Its publishing feature is the provision of freely accessible ebooks in EPUB and Kindle formats; it is not a traditional publisher, and publicly available information is limited.

FAQ

Is this book suitable as a primary source for studying Hart?

It is better as supplementary material. It is a biography by a contemporary, its narrative carries the author's perspective and period limitations, and it lacks the annotation and critical examination of modern scholarship. Use it alongside archives and later academic monographs, as a window into how people of the time viewed Hart.

What historical background is needed to read this biography?

A basic understanding of nineteenth-century Sino-foreign relations and the late Qing customs is preferable; otherwise names, institutions and the sequence of events can be confusing. If the background is unfamiliar, read an overview of modern Sino-foreign relations first, then the relevant chapters alongside a timeline.

What should be noted when reading the e-book edition?

Public-domain e-books usually preserve the original spelling and layout and may show old-style punctuation or scanning artifacts. Use a reader with full-text search, verify unfamiliar proper names before continuing, and note the edition information so that layout differences are not mistaken for differences in content.

Comments

Find this book

This site is an index: you start “Search all sources” in your browser, and the entries it lists all point to third-party sites; please judge their availability yourself.

About the author

Bredon, Juliet Author · British

Juliet Bredon was a British author who lived in Beijing for many years and is known for writing about Chinese customs and city life. Her works draw on her firsthand experience and observation of life in China, with careful attention to everyday detail and local scenery. One of her works is held in this collection, Sir Robert Hart, a book about the Briton who played an important role in China's modern customs service and foreign affairs, showing her interest in modern Chinese history and in figures of Sino-Western exchange. Her writing thus spans both customs writing and biography, offering English-language readers a direct window on Beijing's urban life and Chinese social customs. Public information on her birth and death dates, education, and full list of works is limited and awaits further verification.