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The Shorter Science and Civilisation in China: Volume 5 (Cambridge University Press, £22.95, ISBN 0 521 46773 X) is the latest abridgment by Colin Ronan of Joseph Needham’s enormous work. It covers civil engineering, at which the early Chinese could match the Romans and even teach them a thing or two. It’s a fascinating story. The book’s amateurish appearance does not do it justice. The line illustrations are fine, the photographs mostly dreadful.