Providing facts about China seems like a worthwhile pursuit. Doing so for the width and breadth of eastern Asia where significant numbers of ethnic Chinese live ought to be even more important. A tall order for The Greater China Factbook, which according to the preface intends to be “a useful tool, a comprehensive database and a rich source of information about the greater China area.” A closer look at the individual components of the title reveals that the “greater” China element is meant to proffer Taiwan a measure of equality when compared to its mighty neighbour on the mainland. Beyond the Taiwan Strait, Singapore is given a fleeting presence, while Hong Kong is listed separately.

“China” is used inclusive of the vast autonomous regions within the People's Republic with non-Han majorities, such as Tibet and Xinjiang. But it is the final element which gives the Factbook its most salient identity: page after page of densely packed sections providing information about everything the statistics bureaux of Greater China have on offer.

Furthermore, Tilman Aretz provides an introduction to language and transcription systems (Introduction), Greater China's geography, demography, climate, political systems and economic situation (part one), its provinces (part two) and history (part three). A final fourth part offers an excursion into the sphere surrounding the PRC and Taiwan, namely Japan, Korea and Vietnam. Geographical names feature as much as cultural elements (calendar, names), time zones, military ranks, weight units and chemical tables. Importantly, over 140 pages towards the end of the Factbook reproduce selections of historical documents, from the Treaty of Shimonoseki (1895) to the 2005 “Anti-Secession Law” produced by the PRC leadership in defiance of Taiwanese aspirations towards independence. Finally, an alphabetical glossary of abbreviations and acronyms provides a “useful tool” for translators and journalists.

The Factbook is well presented and compiled with great attention to detail. Where else would one find the correct Chinese term for the Russian republic of Kabardino-Balkaria, as well as of its capital Nalchik? In such an ocean of information lurk many dangers. Presumably for reasons of the author's Taiwanese base, the romanization of names is inconsistent, much depending on their relevance to a Taiwan-oriented readership. Another, at least potential, problem is that the vast range of topics covered carries the risk of superficiality. Whereas this does not seem to affect sections containing statistical data, the textual passages are more prone to error. The transition to Manchu rule (pp. 278–80), for instance, focuses on military victories rather than on the complex diplomatic processes which made such achievement possible. Tibet, crucially, thus appears to have been incorporated into the Qing empire (and hence, by extension, into the PRC) through violent action rather than by cultural and diplomatic engagement with the representatives of Lamaism. The subsequent account of the first Sino-British war (1840–42) would raise eyebrows in history departments – at least outside China. One final, very obvious question relates to the world of cyber-information we inhabit. Used to internet search engines and online encyclopaedias which provide information on virtually everything under the sun for free and immediately, what is the use of printed information which will be out of date before having reached the printing presses? There is only one compelling answer, namely that an encyclopaedic handbook of some 700 pages can be a very good companion, in a way the fickle internet cannot. The Factbook contains such a perplexing variety of informative features that it can almost be read like a consuming novel. It thus becomes a travel guide without photos, a history book without source analysis and a dictionary without the pretence of being complete. The Greater China Factbook is simply the “useful tool” its author intended it to become – with the added attraction of being a highly enjoyable book to peruse in one's spare time. And at the advertised price of €22.00 or $30.00 it is certainly as affordable as the equivalent time spent on the internet.