Journey to the West
Journey to the West is a Chinese novel published in the 16th century during the Ming dynasty and attributed to Wu Cheng'en. It is one of the Four Great Classical Novels of Chinese literature. In English-speaking countries, "Monkey", Arthur Waley's popular abridged translation is well known.
Will Durant
The first volume of "The Story of Civilization" series, called "Our Oriental Heritage" (1935), is divided into an introduction and three books. The introduction takes the reader through the different aspects of civilization (economical, political, moral and mental). Book One is dedicated to the civilizations of the Near East ("Sumeria", "Egypt", "Babylonia", "Assyria", "Judea" and "Persia"). Book two is ""India" and Her Neighbors." Book three moves deeper into the east, where the "Chinese Civilization" flourishes and "Japan" starts to find its place in the world's political map.