Book of History (Shu King)

I want to start warning you that this book is not the entire Shu King, only a collection of ten selections from it. The full Shu King is meant to have 59 sections, and is divided into five dynasties. With that out of the way I was pleased by the content of the book. The English was modern. The stories themselves seem interesting, as the author intended the selection to be. What I was not so happy about was that the pages are scans from an old book, rather than having the text edited and presented well. The cover is glossy, which is fine but I would prefer a matte finish. Also, why had they cut out so much of the original work though? The introduction hints at the selection given maybe being more palatable to Western tastes in an attempt to give dignity to the Chinese history. It is meant as an introduction for the layperson into Chinese culture. It would have been nice to know what I was buying.