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    Dragon Lady

    The Life and Legend of the Last Empress of China

    Author Sterling Seagrave
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    Paperback
    $21.95 US
    Knopf | Vintage
    On sale Aug 31, 1993 | 624 Pages | 9780679733690
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    In a compelling reassessment of history,  Seagrave shows how Empress Tzu Hsi, also known as the "Dragon Lady," achieved legendary status.  She seduced and murdered her way to power in 1861 and was largely a creation of rumor, vendetta, phobia, and diary fantasy on the part of imperialist biographers of her day. It is a riveting chronicle of China's terminal encounter with the West and an astute look at the conqueror's need to create a monster where they could not find one.

    "Mr. Seagrave has disinterred one of Chinese history's more shadowy figures and proven that truth is far more interesting than the bizarre myths that were attached to her. I have read [this book] with interest and admiration."--Paul Theroux
    Sterling Seagrave grew up in Asia on the Burma–China border. Seagrave spent many years as an investigative reporter in Asia and had his writing published in the Washington Post, Time, Life, and many other publications. He is the author of the bestselling The Soong Dynasty, which was a top choice of the Book of the Month Club. His other books include Yellow Rain: Journey Through the Terror of Chemical Warfare and Red Sky in the Morning, which he cowrote with his wife, Peggy, who is his longtime collaborator. They live in France. View titles by Sterling Seagrave
    "An all-out revisionist assault on the established perception of Tzu Hsi...Seagrave provides as sad and outrageous a record of imperialism as can be found anywhere in the world."
    --The San Francisco Chronicle

    About

    In a compelling reassessment of history,  Seagrave shows how Empress Tzu Hsi, also known as the "Dragon Lady," achieved legendary status.  She seduced and murdered her way to power in 1861 and was largely a creation of rumor, vendetta, phobia, and diary fantasy on the part of imperialist biographers of her day. It is a riveting chronicle of China's terminal encounter with the West and an astute look at the conqueror's need to create a monster where they could not find one.

    "Mr. Seagrave has disinterred one of Chinese history's more shadowy figures and proven that truth is far more interesting than the bizarre myths that were attached to her. I have read [this book] with interest and admiration."--Paul Theroux

    Author

    Sterling Seagrave grew up in Asia on the Burma–China border. Seagrave spent many years as an investigative reporter in Asia and had his writing published in the Washington Post, Time, Life, and many other publications. He is the author of the bestselling The Soong Dynasty, which was a top choice of the Book of the Month Club. His other books include Yellow Rain: Journey Through the Terror of Chemical Warfare and Red Sky in the Morning, which he cowrote with his wife, Peggy, who is his longtime collaborator. They live in France. View titles by Sterling Seagrave

    Praise

    "An all-out revisionist assault on the established perception of Tzu Hsi...Seagrave provides as sad and outrageous a record of imperialism as can be found anywhere in the world."
    --The San Francisco Chronicle

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