"Without realizing it, they were laying the foundation of the most ambitious desert civilization the world has seen." Captivating. Will entice you to open dozens of wikipedia pages, enthralled by minor figures and projects in water reclamation. Not entirely satisfying, leaves some unanswered questions, and rather disappointing 2017 postscript. Regardless, certainly recommended if you have even a passing interest in dams.

Discovered from lit.salon review :-) Sociological work of much wider interest than the subtitle might suggest. Well-written and insightful, leaves one contemplating the vast professional changes (eg. growth of administrative structures) that have occurred since 1979.

”Under the influence of tea, he claimed, the “pleasing smiles” of English peasant girls gave way to a “haggard, yellow, meagre visage.” Addictive, read in a few days. The western traders in canton occupy a confined and strange world. Always a trite take-away from a history book, but extraordinary how much can change in a few generations - and not simply material conditions but the ways of thinking, the exotic allure of the orient, the astounding ignorance so-often displayed by all parties.

Have not seen this book mentioned much online, but a very interesting read -- and often simply comic entertainment when it describes (quoting heavily from primarily sources) the many faux-pas and misunderstandings between the American's and Japanese.