Background
Samuel Adshead was born on April 10, 1932 in the United States.
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1970
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1973
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1992
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1993
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1995
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1997
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1999
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2004
Samuel Adshead was born on April 10, 1932 in the United States.
Unfortunately, nothing is known about Samuel Adshead's education.
In 1984 Adshead published "Province and Politics in Late Imperial China: Viceregal Government in Szechwan, 1898-1911", in which he argues that provincial leaders undermined the stability of Szechwan’s viceregal government by imposing traditional methods in their efforts at modernization. Jonathan Ocko, writing in the American Historical Review, proclaimed "Province and Politics in Late Imperial China" a work “replete with suggestive, cogent ideas.”
Adshead’s "China in World History", which appeared in 1988, traces events in China during the twenty-two centuries stretching from the unification of the Chinese empire to the death of Mao Zedong in 1976. Journal of Asian Studies reviewer Edward L. Farmer described the book as “a fresh, opinionated, and ambitious overview that will stimulate rethinking and jog new perceptions of both Chinese history and world history.” Farmer concluded that China in World History “is full of provocative perspectives and deserves the widest possible reading and discussion.”
In 1992 Adshead completed "Salt and Civilization", wherein he traces the history of salt as a commodity. American Historical Review critic William H. McNeill, who called "Salt and Civilization" “a quirky masterpiece", observed that Adshead’s “effort to pursue the manufacture, distribution, and consumption of salt is impressively learned” and that “his command of technology, geography, and economics is extraordinary; and his insights and suggestions are immensely provocative.” Ursula Ewald, meanwhile, acknowledged Adshead, in a Journal of Historical Geography review, as “a leading authority on the salt trade, particularly in China,” and she deemed "Salt and Civilization" “a wide-ranging and highly-impressive survey which is probably the most insightful and detailed summary yet produced.” Clifford M. Foust, writing in Nature, called Adshead’s book “an important contribution to commodity history and a laudable step towards truly comparative history.”
"Central Asia in World History" is a 1993 volume by Adshead that, as Times Literary Supplement reviewer David Morgan noted, “surveys Central Asian history right down through the centuries.” Morgan called Adshead’s book a “provocative survey.” Jo-Ann Gross, who reviewed "Central Asia in World History" for American Historical Review, found Adshead's book to be “a useful one for those nonspecialists interested in assessing how the history of Central Asia fits into the world community.” She also acknowledged Adshead as “a specialist on the history of late imperial China.”
Adshead is also the author of "Material Culture in Europe and China, 1400-1800: The Rise of Consumerism." In this book, Adshead presents his interpretation of the rise of consumerism, focusing on trade and economy in and between China and Europe. Adshead not only discusses the intellectual basis of consumerism in such daily aspects of life as clothing, housing, and food, but also argues that consumerism is a positive force in the development of the modern world.
Samuel Adshead was greatly famous for his fundamental books "Modernization of the Chinese Salt Administration, 1900-1920", "Province and Politics in Late Imperial China: Viceregal Government in Szechwan, 1898-1911", "Salt and Civilization", and "Material Culture in Europe and China, 1400-1800: The Rise of Consumerism."
Quotes from others about the person
Adshead’s study touches significantly on several key topics during a period of transition.
