Outerwear Edit from Shopbop
To share your reaction on this item, open the Amazon app from the App Store or Google Play on your phone.
Kindle app logo image

Download the free Kindle app and start reading Kindle books instantly on your smartphone, tablet, or computer - no Kindle device required.

Read instantly on your browser with Kindle for Web.

Using your mobile phone camera - scan the code below and download the Kindle app.

QR code to download the Kindle App

Follow the author

Something went wrong. Please try your request again later.

Red Star over China: The Classic Account of the Birth of Chinese Communism Paperback – February 16, 1994

4.7 4.7 out of 5 stars 272 ratings

The iconic history of the Chinese Communist leaders who forever changed the course of China

The first Westerner to meet Mao Tse-tung and the Chinese Communist leaders in 1936, Edgar Snow came away with the first authorized account of Mao’s life, as well as a history of the famous Long March and the men and women who were responsible for the Chinese revolution. Out of that experience came Red Star Over China, a classic work that remains one of the most important books ever written about the birth of the Communist movement in China. This edition includes extensive notes on military and political developments in China, further interviews with Mao Tse-tung, a chronology covering 125 years of Chinese revolution, and nearly a hundred detailed biographies of the men and women who were instrumental in making China what it is today.

The%20Amazon%20Book%20Review
The Amazon Book Review
Book recommendations, author interviews, editors' picks, and more. Read it now.

Editorial Reviews

Review

“A journalistic scoop in 1937, this book has since become a historical classic. When Snow made his way through Nationalist lines to the barren reaches of Shensi Province in June 1936, the communists had only recently emerged, exhausted and decimated, from their 6,000-mile Long March. Snow found them developing the distinctive brand of communism that governed the lives of the Chinese people during the Maoist era and that only in recent years has begun to change under the impact of Deng Xiaoping's reforms. Many of the men Snow interviewed in 1936 were the first- generation leaders of communist China. The best-known section of the book is Mao's autobiography as related to Snow, which is still one of the most important documents on that subject. Another important section is the graphic description of the Long March. Snow's sympathetic portrayal of the Chinese communists is somewhat naive, however, and it exposed him to widespread criticism during the McCarthy years.”―Donald Zagoria, Foreign Affairs

About the Author

Edgar Snow, a native of Missouri, went to the Far East when he was twenty-two. He made his home in China for twelve years, studied the country and the language, and lectured at Yenching University in Peking, where his friends included students who are among China's leaders today. As a foreign correspondent in China, Burma, India, and Indochina he worked successively for the Chicago Tribue, New York Sun, New York Herald Tribune and London Daily Herald. Then, as associate editor of the Saturday Evening Post, he reported wartime and postwar events in Asia and Europe and became its widely quoted specialist on China, India, and the U.S.S.R. He is the author of eleven books, including The Battle for Asia, People on Our Side,, Journey to the Beginning, Red China Today: The Other Side of the River, and The Long Revolution. He died in 1972.

Product details

  • Publisher ‏ : ‎ Grove Press; Revised edition (February 16, 1994)
  • Language ‏ : ‎ English
  • Paperback ‏ : ‎ 544 pages
  • ISBN-10 ‏ : ‎ 0802150934
  • ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 978-0802150936
  • Item Weight ‏ : ‎ 1.2 pounds
  • Dimensions ‏ : ‎ 5.5 x 1.5 x 8.25 inches
  • Customer Reviews:
    4.7 4.7 out of 5 stars 272 ratings

About the author

Follow authors to get new release updates, plus improved recommendations.
Edgar Snow
Brief content visible, double tap to read full content.
Full content visible, double tap to read brief content.

Discover more of the author’s books, see similar authors, read book recommendations and more.

Customer reviews

4.7 out of 5 stars
272 global ratings

Review this product

Share your thoughts with other customers

Customers say

Customers find the book interesting and well-written. They describe it as an engaging account of a major historical event. The book provides a contemporary Western perspective on the Chinese Revolution and its leaders.

AI-generated from the text of customer reviews

Select to learn more
5 customers mention "Value for money"5 positive0 negative

Customers find the book interesting and enticing.

"Very interesting book." Read more

"...Nevertheless, the book is still worthwhile. especially for students of Chinese history." Read more

"Great book - I heard it was very enticing and possibly too sympathetic, so I made sure to read a great deal on the real history before starting...." Read more

"A great read, very well-written." Read more

4 customers mention "History"4 positive0 negative

Customers enjoy the history in the book. They find it an unique account of a major event in human history and a great movement. It is the only contemporary Western account of the Chinese Revolution and the men behind it.

"This is an excellent historical account of how China went from being a country controlled by a Monarch to a collectivist, Communist society, though..." Read more

"Love this insight to a great movement in History and the courage and obstacles that the Chinese had to survive on the Long March...." Read more

"This is the only contemporary Western account of the Chinese Revolution and men behind it...." Read more

"Unbelievable History..." Read more

Top reviews from the United States

Top reviews from other countries

  • Gunagping Wu
    5.0 out of 5 stars It explains why the strong and continuous growth in that country in past fourth years
    Reviewed in Canada on April 27, 2023
    Same as title
  • Stella
    5.0 out of 5 stars fab book!
    Reviewed in Germany on March 11, 2024
    fabulous
  • Amazon Customer
    5.0 out of 5 stars Good
    Reviewed in India on February 11, 2019
    Very good account of China. Every Indian should read this book by an American journalist
  • Davidyiptw
    5.0 out of 5 stars Super fast delivery
    Reviewed in Singapore on June 11, 2024
    Received the book in good order and in super fast time... Thanks!!!
  • B. Hough
    5.0 out of 5 stars The Birth of Modern China
    Reviewed in the United Kingdom on March 18, 2011
    China is now the worlds 2nd.largest economy, how could this have happened in just 60 years of Communist rule ? There are of course many explanations and view points,but all must start with the man who would become Chairman Mao. For all students of modern China,"Red Star Over China "is the first book they should read.
    Edgar Snow was the first western writer to produce the real story of the Chinese peoples struggle, he writes as he saw things happen, he is honest with his views. He met Mao in 1936 and was the first westerner to interview and spend time with him. His view are somewhat prophetic with hindsight, and the book has stood the test of time, and will continue to be the only starting point for all who seek the truth.