This translation of 65 pieces from Qian Zhongshu's "Guanzshui bian" (Limited Views) makes available in English a representative selection of essays and reading notes on the classics of early Chinese literature. First published in 1979, it is a comprehensive treatment of themes and motifs in early Chinese writing.

Qian Zhongshu (b. 1910) is arguably contemporary China's foremost man of letters, and Limited Views is recognized as the culmination of his study of literature in both the Chinese and the Western traditions.