Reddit mentions of The Great Wall of China (Canto original series)

If you are interested in military history, I strongly recommend Arthur Waldron's The Great Wall of China: From History to Myth. http://www.amazon.com/The-Great-Wall-China-original/dp/052142707X

The Ming were the dynasty that built the Great Wall. Waldron explains at great length what drove them to do so - why they decided to build walls to face the nomad threat instead of follow other common strategies (trade networks, Heqin-type alliance, all out war).

Edward Dryer has a neat book about Zheng He, the Ming minister whose fleet sailed across the Indian ocean and to Africa http://www.amazon.com/Zheng-He-Dynasty-1405-1433-Biography/dp/0321084438/ref=sr_1_2?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1381479732&sr=1-2&keywords=zheng+he

And if you like social history, then Confusions of Pleasure: Commerce and Culture in the Ming is the go-to book. http://www.amazon.com/Confusions-Pleasure-Commerce-Culture-China/dp/0520221540/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1381479790&sr=1-1&keywords=confusions+of+pleasure

I have not read this last one, but others in th eknow tell me it is the best place to start.

Yes, especially since there is no such thing as their "wall" (singular).

The "wall" is a loose connection of many walls that took thousands of years to build, the most recognizable (stone sections) built during the Ming-era.

'The Great Wall' is a myth, and a natural nationalistic focal point.