A History of Chinese Literature

by Herbert Allen Giles

"A History of Chinese Literature" by Herbert Allen Giles is a literary history published in 1901. This groundbreaking work was the first comprehensive survey of Chinese literature to appear in English. Giles devoted much of the book to translations, allowing Chinese authors to "speak for themselves" to Western readers. While later scholars criticized its scope and occasional misinterpretations, the work became influential, notably serving as source material for Ezra Pound's translations and opening Chinese literary traditions to English-speaking audiences.