Covering all of East Asian history from the Neolithic to the present-including Mongolia and Vietnam, alongside China, Japan, and Korea-Patterns of East Asian History uses recognizable and widely-accepted patterns of historical development as a framework around which to structure the material. This approach serves as both an organizational aid to instructors and as a tool to make complex material more comprehensible to students. The result is enhanced pedagogical flexibility. This subtly recursive format allows abundant opportunities for contrast and comparison among and within the societies under consideration. The overall aim is to simplify the immense complexities of history for beginning students without making them simplistic. Featuring nearly sixty maps and 200 photos, Patterns of East Asian History provides a rich visual history that complements its engaging narrative.