Recent decades have witnessed increased scholarly attention focused on women writers and their roles in the dynastic changes of Chinese history, but most of the focus has been on the Han Chinese women. After calling attention to peasant women's ballads written in “women's script” (nüshu) in Jiangyong County of Hunan Province, Wilt L. Idema completed another project to show the variety and richness of women's works. His book Two Centuries of Manchu Women Poets: An Anthology introduces poems written by a specific group of women poets—the Manchus—in the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries, offering fascinating insights into the everyday world of highly literate Manchu women and their mindset, thereby substantially enriching our understanding of both their contribution to Qing literature and the processes of their self-positioning in society.

Idema introduces the work of twenty talented Manchu women poets whose lives and poems have been largely neglected in the English-language secondary scholarship. Excluding Gu Taiqing (1799–1877), some of whose poems have been translated into English, Idema includes the Mongol poet Naxun Lanbao as well as Guizhen Daoren, whose father was a Han Chinese bannerman, in addition to other Manchu women poets. To follow Naxun Lanbao's design of her Anthology of Poetry by Manchu Women, Idema's “selection of poems was guided not only by their literary quality and their translatability, but also by their value as documentary evidence of the experiences and thought of these women” (p. 7). Idema's book, which is mainly based on the primary sources of the collections of the included women poets preserved at the National Library in Beijing and the Harvard-Yenching Library, presents meticulous translations of shi poetry and—equally importantly—selections of their prose writings. For example, both Sibo's “On the Instruction of Daughters” and Lady Tongjia's “The Instruction of Daughters” from Family Instructions from the Hall for Treasuring Goodness (Baoshantang Jiaxun; 1800) have been translated. Sibo's essay emphasizes the necessity of practicing frugality while also implying the Manchu custom of “assigned marriages” (p. 19) by the Eight Banners administration or the emperor. Lady Tongjia's essay forms an integral part of chapter 4, “Mourning Royalty: Lady Zhoujia, Lady Tongjia, and Lady Fucha.” Responding to Ban Zhao's (ca. 48–ca. 118) Precepts for My Daughters (Nüjie), this writing partakes in the debate over the meanings of “virtue” and “talent” among women in the late eighteenth century. Idema's translations of both texts allow the reader to gain invaluable insights into Manchu women's voices on the education of girls.

Divided into fourteen chapters, the book is organized by individual woman poets or groups, and these chapters are arranged chronologically, from Miss Nalan, who was the younger sister of the famous poet Nalan Xing-de (1655–85), to Lady Husihali, whose poems are dated up to 1895. Moreover, the introduction provides basic information such as a section on catalogs and collections and insightful discussions of issues associated with gender and ethnicity, as well as Manchu women and women's literature. All the poems and essays were translated from Chinese to English, although Idema found that two of the women were competent in written Manchu (p. 4). Each chapter has a theme based on the important life experience of the focal woman poet or group of poets or her personality or family background. Prior to presenting the poems in each chapter, Idema carefully provides the woman poet's biographical information based on various sources (e.g., gazetteer, prefaces to the poet's collection) while also introducing her circle of friends. To better understand their works, he incorporates the views of the Qing editors who paid close attention to women poets—in particular, Yun Zhu and Tie Bao—into his introduction to the poets. In other words, both the original poems and the related sources including reception are meticulously handled. As for the translation, it is accurate and fluent, with additional information provided in notes, when necessary.

Compared with the poetry composed by women of the Jiangnan area, Idema's anthology of Manchu women poets shows similarities in many aspects. Nevertheless, he demonstrates that “the poetry of the Manchu women also had its own characteristics” (p. 29). According to him, these are due to “shared experiences” of the poets, rather than the “expression of a Manchu ethnic identity” (pp. 29–30). Mostly living in Beijing, the Manchu women poets, as stated by Idema, “unavoidably from time to time also reflected on aspects of their life that were typical for their status as Manchu” in poetry (p. 25). This suggests that their “shared experiences” are, to a certain extent, shaped by their ethnic background. Common topics include their visits to scenic spots in or near Beijing, their lament for the loss of their family member(s), and their celebration of friendship, among others.

In general, Two Centuries of Manchu Women Poets: An Anthology shows the richness of Manchu women's poetry and how the individual poet's life was influenced by her marriage and court politics and even intertwined with political and social crises. Collectively, their literary works showcase their talent while confirming the virtues and behavior norms in which they believed. Thanks to Idema, these Manchu women writers and their works have been introduced to the West. With the help of his detailed notes, glossary, and bibliography, researchers can delve deeper into any of the Manchu women poets—a field that deserves more scholarly attention. This book is likely to appeal to both general readers and researchers interested in late imperial Chinese literature, women's literature, and Manchu literature and culture. It is also an excellent example of translation that makes the lives and works of Manchu women poets unforgettable.