{"title":"Allen Lane","description":null,"products":[{"product_id":"breakneck-china-quest-engineer-future-dan-wang-hardback","title":"Breakneck: China's Quest to Engineer the Future by Dan Wang - Non Fiction - Hardback","description":"\u003cdiv\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eCondition:\u003c\/strong\u003e BRAND NEW\u003cbr\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eFormat:\u003c\/strong\u003e Hardback\u003cbr\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eISBN:\u003c\/strong\u003e 9780241729175\u003cbr\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003ePublisher:\u003c\/strong\u003e Allen Lane\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eOverview:\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\nBreakneck is a sharp, firsthand account of China's technological rise, written by Dan Wang, a former Beijing-based analyst who spent nearly a decade observing the country's infrastructure boom up close. Wang argues that China has become an \"engineering state,\" building bridges, railways and factories at astonishing speed, while America has drifted into a \"lawyerly society\" mired in litigation and delay. Timely, provocative and rich with reportage, this is essential reading for anyone trying to understand the shifting balance of global power, and why ambition, execution and infrastructure now define the contest between two superpowers.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eAbout the Book:\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\nIn Breakneck, Dan Wang draws on his years living in China to explain how the country's engineers-turned-politicians reshaped its economy through sheer scale and speed of execution. He traces the construction of high-speed rail networks, semiconductor plants and sprawling cities, showing how China's state apparatus prizes building over debating. Wang does not offer uncritical admiration: he is equally candid about the human costs of this approach, from the surveillance of ethnic minorities to the upheavals caused by the one-child policy and zero-Covid lockdowns. The book's central comparison is with the United States, which Wang characterises as a \"lawyerly society\" where regulation and litigation have replaced the ambition that once built its highways and moon landings. Blending economic analysis, political history and personal reportage from his years working in Hong Kong and Beijing, Wang offers a compelling framework for understanding both China's trajectory and America's own stagnation, and what each superpower might learn from the other. Wang's prose is engaging and largely free of jargon, making complex subjects like semiconductor manufacturing and industrial policy accessible to general readers. Since publication, Breakneck has become a bestseller, reflecting its resonance with readers grappling with the new era of US-China rivalry.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eKey Benefits:\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cul\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eFirsthand, on-the-ground perspective on China's infrastructure and technology boom from an analyst who lived there for years.\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eIntroduces the provocative \"engineering state\" versus \"lawyerly society\" framework for comparing China and America.\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eExplores the human costs behind China's rapid development, including surveillance and social disruption.\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eContext for understanding current US-China tensions over semiconductors, trade and technology.\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eA widely acclaimed, bestselling title recognised by the New York Times and the Financial Times.\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003c\/ul\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eAbout the Author:\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\nDan Wang is a research fellow at the Hoover History Lab at Stanford University. He previously worked as a technology analyst at Gavekal Dragonomics and was a fellow at Yale Law School's Paul Tsai China Center, spending nearly a decade in mainland China and Hong Kong. His writing on Chinese technology and politics is widely followed by policymakers and business leaders. Breakneck is his first book and an international bestseller.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eWhy You'll Love This Book:\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\nFor readers fascinated by geopolitics, technology and the future of global power, Breakneck offers a compelling, well-argued account of two very different paths to building the future.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cem\u003ePlease Note: Cover may vary slightly from the image shown; this is the UK edition with the ISBN as listed.\u003c\/em\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003c\/div\u003e","brand":"Dan Wang","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":57228359958910,"sku":"SNG23200","price":24.99,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0642\/4549\/8093\/files\/breakneck-dan-wang-hardback-china-engineer-future-cover.jpg?v=1784438651"},{"product_id":"obama-an-intimate-portrait-by-pete-souza-hardback-biography","title":"Obama: An Intimate Portrait - The Historic Presidency in Photographs by Pete Souza - Non Fiction - Hardback","description":"\u003cdiv\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eCondition:\u003c\/strong\u003e BRAND NEW\u003cbr\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eFormat:\u003c\/strong\u003e Hardback\u003cbr\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eISBN:\u003c\/strong\u003e 9781846149641\u003cbr\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003ePublisher:\u003c\/strong\u003e Allen Lane\u003cbr\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eAge Range:\u003c\/strong\u003e Adult (16+)\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eOverview:\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\nObama: An Intimate Portrait is Pete Souza's acclaimed visual record of Barack Obama's eight years in office, gathered into a single, oversized hardback volume. As Chief Official White House Photographer, Souza had unrivalled access to the President, and this collection presents his most powerful images alongside candid behind-the-scenes stories. With a foreword written by Barack Obama himself, the book offers an unprecedented, deeply human look at a historic presidency, capturing both landmark moments and quiet, private exchanges.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eAbout the Book:\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\nAcross 352 pages, Pete Souza's Obama: An Intimate Portrait traces the arc of Barack Obama's presidency through photographs rather than prose alone. Souza was present for the most consequential hours of the administration - the Situation Room during the bin Laden raid, historic legislative signings, state visits and global summits - as well as the small, unguarded moments that rarely make headlines: a young boy touching the President's hair in the Oval Office, quiet family time, and playful exchanges with staff. The book's oversized format allows the detail and composition of each image to breathe, revealing the texture of history as it happened. Souza's background as a photojournalist, honed at the Chicago Tribune and during his earlier service photographing President Reagan, gives the collection a distinctive storytelling quality: each photograph is captioned with context and anecdote, so the images read as a narrative rather than a simple gallery. The sequencing moves chronologically through both terms, allowing readers to witness the President age in office, watch policy battles unfold, and see the same warmth and humour recur again and again in private moments with family, world leaders, and ordinary Americans. For students of contemporary history, photography enthusiasts, and anyone who lived through the Obama years, this book offers a rare, trusted, first-hand visual record - equal parts historical document and work of art - of one of the most photographed presidencies in American history.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eKey Benefits:\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cul\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eDefinitive visual biography of Barack Obama's presidency\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eHundreds of photographs, many previously unpublished\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eForeword written by President Barack Obama\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eOversized hardback format for immersive, detailed viewing\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eWritten by Obama's own Chief Official White House Photographer\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eA collectible keepsake and thoughtful gift for history and photography fans\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003c\/ul\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eAbout the Author:\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\nPete Souza is an American photojournalist who served as Chief Official White House Photographer for President Barack Obama and previously photographed President Ronald Reagan. He also directed the White House Photography Office, shaping how the presidency is documented for the historical record. Before his White House career, Souza was a staff photographer for the Chicago Tribune, covering national and international news. Renowned for his candid, storytelling approach, Souza has become one of the most trusted chroniclers of modern American political life, and his images continue to define public memory of the Obama presidency.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eWhy You'll Love This Book:\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\nIntimate, beautifully composed, and rich with history, this oversized hardback rewards repeat viewing. Whether you're a history buff, photography lover, or simply admire the Obama era, it's a moving, collectible tribute worth returning to again and again.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cem\u003ePlease Note: Book cover may vary slightly from image shown; this is the UK edition with UK ISBN as listed.\u003c\/em\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003c\/div\u003e","brand":"Pete Souza","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":57625918472574,"sku":"SNG23584","price":18.99,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0642\/4549\/8093\/files\/obama-an-intimate-portrait-pete-souza-hardback-cover.jpg?v=1784449111"}],"url":"https:\/\/www.letsbuybooks.com\/collections\/allen-lane.oembed","provider":"Lets Buy Books","version":"1.0","type":"link"}