This beguiling book asks a set of unusual and fascinating questions - why is early Chinese printing so little acknowledged, despite anticipating Gutenberg by centuries? Why are the religious elements of early printing overlooked? And why did printing in China not have the immediate obvious impact it did in Europe? T. H. Barrett, a leading scholar of medieval China, brings us the answers through the intriguing story of Empress Wu (625-705 AD) and the revolution in printing that occurred during her rule. Linking Asian and European history with substantial new research into Chinese sources,...