Jon Halliday

Jon Halliday (born 28 June 1939) is an Irish historian specialising in modern Asia.

[1] Halliday has written or edited eight books, including a long interview with the U.S. film-maker Douglas Sirk.

[2][3] The Sydney Morning Herald reported that while few commentators disputed it, "some of the world's most eminent scholars of modern Chinese history" had referred to the book as "a gross distortion of the records.

"[4] Some scholars offered measured praise of the range of scholarship,[5][6][7] but more prevalent criticism on factual accuracy, methodology, and use of sources.

[8][9][10] Historian Rebecca Karl summarized its negative reception, writing, "According to many reviewers of Mao: the Unknown Story, the story told therein is unknown because Chang and Halliday substantially fabricated it or exaggerated it into existence.