'This volume reprints fourteen pieces of meticulous scholarship... Reviewers are duty-bound to try to catch the author in a lapse of bibliographic coverage. I found none.' Itinerario '... testif(ies) to the tremendous productivity of Ptak and confirm(s) his standing as the leading western expert on China's maritime enterprise and overseas relations between 1200 and 1750... this collection of essays is of the highest quality and should be of great interest to all maritime historians of China and many others... a milestone of scholarly endeavour.' International Journal of Maritime History '... wealth of detailed information, Roderich Ptak has performed a service to the profession.' The American Neptune 'We are all indebted to scholars like Roderich Ptak for the care and quality of their work, and this volume will be gratefully used by all serious students of Asian maritime history.' Journal of the Humanities and Social Sciences of Southeast Asia and Oceania '... this is a superb collection of articles...' International Journal of Nautical Archaeology