Herbert Allen Giles bol britský diplomat a autor, ktorého diela skúmali Čínu a Ďaleký východ. Jeho diplomatická kariéra mu poskytla hlboké porozumenie regiónu, ktoré preniesol do podnetných literárnych diel. Giles sa zameral na sprostredkovanie bohatstva a zložitosti čínskej civilizácie, jej histórie a filozofických tradícií západnému publiku. Jeho spisy ponúkajú jedinečný pohľad na kultúru a myslenie Číny, čím sa stal významným hlasom v štúdiu Východu.
Long considered a masterpiece of the eerie and fantastic, Strange Tales from a Chinese Studio is a collection of supernatural-themed tales compiled from ancient Chinese folk stories by Songling Pu in the eighteenth century
Herbert Allen Giles significantly influenced the study of Chinese language and culture through his long tenure as a professor at Cambridge University and his diplomatic service in China. He is best known for modifying the Wade-Giles romanisation system, which became a standard for Chinese transliteration. His scholarly contributions include translations of key texts such as the Analects of Confucius and the Tao Te Ching, as well as the publication of a comprehensive Chinese-English dictionary in 1892, making Chinese literature more accessible to Western audiences.