Asia Books

This book was well written.
It was given as gift and was throughly enjoyed by the reader.
Hope to see more books written by the author in the future.

Lawrence's insightful look at this little understood nation will open your eyes to events that led to America's invasion of Iraq. His first hand knowledge and in-depth research will introduce you to a cast of characters that underlay America's invasion and continue to influence events in the region. This eminently readable book will be referred to by historians for decades to come as America's misadventure is studied.
Lawrence's travels have clearly given him a great fondness for the region. In vivid language, Lawrence gives you a feel for the landscape and people of Iraqi Kurdistan. Several times while reading Invisible Nation I found myself thinking that I wanted to travel there. No other person has made me want to visit Iraq.
Buy this book!

As a producer/director for British and American TV I have made numerous films in and about Iraq over the last five years, but Invisible Nation is a revelation to me. Like most people covering the tragedy, I have been distracted by the carnage in the south and Lawrence's book fills a gaping hole. He has been a regular visitor there since shortly before the US invasion and, as well as providing a potted history of Iraqi Kurdistan, he paints a vivid picture of the country, its people and its leaders. There is a wonderful breezy energy to his prose and by the end we feel not only informed but also emotionally involved in what happens there.

Lawrence was an eye-witness to many of the key events he describes and he talks us through the strange parallel history that has unfolded. As Sunni and Shia Iraq have descended into anarchy, the Kurds, largely un-noticed, have established the prosperous, peaceful, functioning democracy (rough and ready though it may be) that was supposed to be the goal all along. The paradox is that it is only the weakness of their southern neighbours that has enabled them to do so and, should the US succeed in restoring stability in the rest of Iraq, Baghdad will almost certainly try and re-establish its traditional control. The Sunnis can look for support to Saudi Arabia, the Shias to Iran. The Kurds have no-one to shake a stick on their behalf other than us, and we have always betrayed them in the past. The truly unforgivable final act in this tragedy, as we scuttle away from the disaster we have inflicted, would be to do so again as the price of peace.

Richard Sanders

keep it up we must talk as i am a landscape photographer from india but in dubai uae we could work something together pl email me and see my books elements

Being a Rajput whose father is from the Jaipur dynasty, I was very impressed with this book. Like the latest book (please refer to "Maharaj's Jewels"), I found this book very ornate with beautiful pictures and rich historical details. The book is full of facts and intersting tidbits a reader will find facinating. Like all table top books, this one will add integrity to one's collection...

Jaipur: The Last Destination which was among the six books chosen by Christie's first catalog of art books under its Islamic/Oriental/Indian Section and recommended for its "stunning images." Published by St. Martin's Press in North America and I.B.Taurus in Europe, the book also received a national award from the Indian government, and has become a landmark in Indian art book publishing by having four reprints.

While it is quite different from western art, Japanese art is no less distinctive and a visual description of the development of modern Japanese culture. In this book, the artwork is presented with a great deal of historical context. Each section begins with a combination of a historical and an art chronology. A great deal of textual explanation is included along with the figures, which is very helpful as it would be very difficult to understand many of the images without it.
The chronology begins with ancient Japan, from the first people who inhabited the islands roughly 4500 B. C. to approximately the year 500 C. E. with the existence of a discernable Japanese civilization. It concludes with the period immediately before the outbreak of World War I in 1914. The final section deals with the Meiji restoration, industrialization and the wars of conquest against China and Russia.
From these images, you can see the development of the modern Japanese state, which can easily be dated as having started in 1868. It is a nation that moved from a feudal structure to a modern industrial power in little more than one generation. Fortunately for us all, that change was well chronicled by the Japanese artists and some of their best work has been collected into this book.

This is a book of incredible research,and art pictures.It is also a fantastic reference on Japan's History.It is divided into sections, so that the reader can follow in details the dates, the events, and the art that developed with time.
It has been a wonderful book for my references, and in teaching my students about Japan.Strongly,strongly recommended.

A hardcover with over 290 some pages full of artwork. From the bells found in tombs to more modern prints done in the early 20th century, this book is a must for either art lovers or lovers of Japan or both! The book not only shows you how the art changed, but how the lives of the Japanese people changed. Their ways of life ANd their beliefs. See prints and paintings and statues of street scenes and nobles and visions of hell. You can't get a better book and there are used ones for sale! BUY IT!

I think this is a very useful book because of its details. I haven't used it yet because I have not yet gone to Japan. When is the next updated edition gonna appear?

Those not at all to scale, hand-drawn maps in the Japanese Hostel Guide are not of much use to those who do not read Japanese. This guidebook translates those maps into English and make finding that hostel from the nearest train station quite easy. This alone is worth the price of this book. But on top of that, the Guide provides incredibly detailed transportation information, particularly the various rail travel passes that are available. This along with detailed itineraries for most major Japanese cities and sights, all aimed at getting the best value for the Yen. Use this Guide in companion to Lonely Planet or Moon, and enjoy your trip!

I bought this book while living in Japan a few years ago and found it invaluable. Unlike many Japan guides, this one will be useful to travelers who are already very familiar with the country. The "Impoverished" title doesn't mean this is for backpackers only. Almost everyone will feel a bit impovershed in Japan, especially if they can't access the type of insider savvy offered by this book. It contains a wealth of practical information, particularly (and almost obsessively) about trains. Rickman goes into mind-boggling detail about routes, fares, passes, timetables, connections, even the history of various lines. All of which might be dull if the information weren't incredibly useful, and told with style and humor. If you're not planning to travel by rail, you should probably skip this book. But that won't apply to many people, since there's really no other sensible way to get around Japan. You also might not want to carry this book around if you plan to stick to big cities like Tokyo, Osaka and Kyoto. Rickman is better and more comprehensive on rural areas and small towns. The book is ideal for the overseas tourist with a Japan Rail Pass or a foreign resident looking for weekend getaways.

For those who are familiar with his "Max Danger" series of books, this is somewhat of a departure, but still with all the humor and light-heartedness of those books. In a way that is never heavy or overly serious, Bob Collins clearly and correctly highlights the differences in Japanese and American culture and society. The book is a quick read, that will often have your laughing out loud, but at the end, you will have learned a lot, especially if you are unfamiliar with the Japanese.

This book was great. It was one of the funniest books I've ever read and it gave a lot of important information. It really helps you *understand* the Japanese, as opposed to just hearing some information. It gives you examples of contrast between Americans and the Japanese. Anyone interested in Japan should read this book. Absoloutely beautiful.

The depth makes it more of a primer than a heavy duty text, but it is so very good at that job that I would recommend it as a basic read for ANYONE involved in dealing with Japanese corporations or relationships. It tells you frankly and easily just what background gives the Japanese view on life. And understanding where someone "comes from" makes so many things easier to understand.

I have passed this book to countless people I know it's readable quickly and yet you'll use it as a reference for years to come.

Extremely recommended!

Stephen Turnbull's JAPANESE CASTLES IN KOREA 1592-98 is a pick not just for military libraries but for any specializing in early Asian history. The focus on Japanese-built castles and Korean fortifications follows the design and use of key fortresses and joins the publishers' 'Fortress' history series.

I travel for a living and love these books. Easy packing, entertaining airport reads and educational. I have purchased many and will continue to do so.

Stephen Turnbull's Japanese Castles in Korea is definitely one of these weird unknown subject matter that is worthy of Osprey's Fortress Series. In this short book, Turnbull managed to give a pretty good summary account of history of Japanese castles that were built during Hideyoshi's Korean invasion between the years 1592 to 1598. The book explained how these castles were built initially to support the invasion, support the supply lines, to control and policed the area around it and finally to support the withdrawal of Japanese troops from Korea after Hideyoshi's death.

Stephen Turnbull managed to do all this in this short book with clarity and understanding that don't bogged the reader down. Turnbull also stated that Japanese castle designs at that time proves to be quite capable of withstanding the might of the Ming armies from China. From what I understand, lack of artillery consideration appears to be the major weakness of the Japanese military when defending their castles. Still, three major sieges of Japanese castles in Korea all ended with Japanese victories. And according to the author, the Japanese forces also adapted Korean cannons to their defensive lines as well.

Interestingly, the author also spent few paragraphs describing how these castles were built and the hardships of the impressed Japanese peasants and Korean workers forced to worked on these fortresses. Brief outline of the war in Korea was given but the readers would have to wait for the Turnbull's Campaign series (Samurai Invasion of Korea 1592-1598) book coming out in July 2008 on the subject to get greater details or read a book already published by him on the subject (Samurai Invasion) that came out in 2004.

Like all Osprey books, this book come well illustrated with very useful drawings and illustrations of these Japanese castles and their designs. Turnbull also inserted many black and white photos of the remains of these Japanese castles, mostly only their stone base remains while using castle parts from Japan to illustrated what they could have look like in Korea as well.

Overall, this book covers a subject that is beyond the common knowledge of most people in the English speaking world and despite of the shortness of the book, I found this book to be utterly interesting in terms of information given.

Don't let the suggested age for this book throw you - a person of any age would enjoy coloring these Japanese drawings. This delightful little coloring book has 16 beautiful transparent plates of geishas (reading, dancing, playing instruments, etc.) that can be colored with any medium and then placed over a lamp or window to give the illusion of stained glass. My only wish is that there were more pictures.

This coloring book, as well as other stained-glass coloring books from Dover, is suitable for all ages, including adults. In fact, the books would be wasted on young children. All of them are especially beautiful when colored with the deepest shades of markers, and particularly when viewed from the back.

This Geisha coloring book was a big hit with a highly educated young woman of 16 for Christmas. I called a week after, and she had four or five of the images hung in her window; she had very much enjoyed the gift.

Beasley is really trying to say something to the academic world about imperialism but one would hardly notice it in a book which gives a careful overview of the history of Japanese imperialism in Asia. He covers most of the main issues objectively and interestingly, especially when it comes to setting up the background in which Japanese imperialsim developed.

Beasley does a superb job of explaining the multi-faceted nature of Japanese modernization and empire-buliding from the Meji Restoration to the Pacific War. He discusses the creation of an intellectual justification for expansion as the liberation of asian peoples from european colonialism, while exploring the changes in the Japanese elite's perceptions of its political goals, economic exploitation, and national security requirements. Neither an apology for not a treatise against this phenomenon, the author focuses on some much neglected issues while not being distracted by dwelling on Japanese "culture" as an explanation for everything.

There's more to this book than its title might suggest. In little more than 250 pages, Beasley has managed a remarkably clear overview of the development of Japan's entire external policy from the beginning of the 19th century to the end of the Second World War. In the process, he pays careful attention to the internal political and economic dynamics that propelled policy, and thus lays out a great deal of the story of the development of modern Japan up through 1945. While always making his own views (and the bases for them) quite clear, he gives alternative interpretations their due. Although more recent work has extended the story in certain respects (e.g., Frederick R. Dickinson's fine War and National Reinvention), Beasley's work still stands the test of time. Remarkably, for a so brief a book treating so broad a topic, Beasley manages to organize and present his story in a way that should be easy to follow even for those who do not have much background in Japanese history. An especially good book, strongly recommended.

Oliver Statler's Japanese Pilgrimage is a delight. Retracing the steps of generations of past pilgrims, he brings their stories to life and evokes a gentle reflective mood for the reader. As well, modern Japan is brought into focus through his appreciation of the links between tradition, Buddhism and Shinto and contemporary culture. A really delightful read, and a good "travellers tale" that will be enjoyed by those who have or are planning to visit Japan.

This book tells the story of an American man who makes a famous pilgrimage around the island of Shikoku with his Japanese friend.
Having lived/studied in Zentsuji Shikoku for a year, (the home of Kobo Daishi the monk who created the pilgrims trail) I can vouch for the books authenticity.

It is a tale about the 88 temples along the way, the political intrigues, secret love affairs between villgers and pilgrims and the stories of despair and pain. Oliver weaves a beautiful web between the past history which he quotes and the present conditions of the modern pilgrims and village people he meets along the way. It is not only a book about Japanese culture accurately and sensitively crafted but the spiritual journey of the author also and his struggle with his inner darkness. Its a great read.

Each temple along the way has a personality and a shadow and the pilgrim connects the stories of the past with his present journey as he interviews the local people and describes their various characteristics. The journey traverses various provinces from Kagawa to Kochi where the various people display unique attitudes towards the pilgrims varying between open hostility to hospitality.

It is a good book to realize the complexity of Japanese culture and to appreciate the beauty of this amazing island of sea, temples and mountains. Oliver is truly an amazing oriental observer with the spirit of zen in each page. He writes honestly, openly and without pretention.

They just don't make books like this anymore! This is a wonderfully rambling, lyrical, impressionistic portrait of the Shikoku Pilgrimage, anecdotal and episodic and yet gradually unfolding according to an underlying narrative plan. It's accessible and simply written and yet well-researched, informative, and highly evocative of Japanese religiosity as it functions in real life. At times it's intensely personal, based as it is on the author's own pilgrimage experiences (mainly a complete walking circuit of the eighty-eight temples accomplished with a friend in 1971), and yet at other times it's intriguingly biographical concerning monks and pilgrims prominent in the pilgrimage's long history. The author's fervent enthusiasm and deep esteem for this religious phenomenon and its underlying spirituality overflows on every page, and yet he's quite realistic and straightforward about some of the shadier and unsavory aspects of the pilgrimage. Finally, the icing on the cake, the book is profusely illustrated with fine woodcuts and paintings both premodern and modern, once again proving the principle that a picture's worth a thousand words.

The book is divided into three sections, and with each section the reader gets closer and closer to lived religion in Japan. In the first part Statler concentrates on outlining the historical personage of Kukai (later known honorifically as Kobo Daishi), the 8th/9th-century monk and founder of the Shingon school of Buddhism in Japan upon whom the pilgrimage is focused. In the second part Statler attempts to portray how layers and layers of legend and belief enlarged and eventually apotheosized Kobo Daishi and of how faith in him as a divine savior was spread among the populace by wandering, itinerant holy men (many pious if unlearned, some inevitably charlatans). Finally, in the third section the pilgrimage itself comes into sharper focus, including discussions with current pilgrims and priests along with accounts of many past pilgrims such as the Kabuki actor Ichikawa Danzo VIII, the feminist writer Takamure Itsue, the Chicago anthropologist Frederick Starr, and the haiku poet Masaoka Shiki, to name only a few. And of course all three sections are permeated with legends, folk stories, anecdotes, and miracle tales that are fantastic or even bizarre--and that capture the mood and feel of the pilgrimage perfectly in all its ambiguity.

Just a word of warning, though, this is not a guidebook. Statler does not describe every single one of the eighty-eight temples*, and for those temples he does describe he skips around a lot and backtracks now and then with no attempt at going along in their order on the pilgrimage route. And there is absolutely no concrete information on travel and accommodations or the like, so don't count on this book for such purposes. Instead, allow this book to get you into the spirit of the pilgrimage, whether you really intend on actually performing it or not, in fact. Indeed, you don't need to know a thing about Japan to follow and enjoy this fine account, and yet those who've studied Japan for years will doubtlessly find much to learn and enjoy as well. And if you happen to have fond memories of life in rural Japan, then believe me, this book will definitely take you back there in spirit.

*(In the back there is an appendix with each temple listed by name and number along with the principal deity and sect affiliation of each, though this is more in the nature of an FYI than a guide per se).

This is a very well-written book, containing both exhaustive background and practical travel information on Java! It is MUCH better than the Java section of Lonely Planet's general Indonesia guide - lots of "off the beaten track" places included. Despite being a few years old now, it remains highly recommended - you just have to be prepared for the prices being higher!

This is one of the better travel books I've ever used. It provides information about food, lodging, and activites that are helpful whether you're travelling on an unlimited or, like me, a shoestring budget. The maps are helpful; very detailed and usually only showing the parts of cities that are interesting to tourists. There are excellent and insightful cultural essays that really add to the traveller's enjoyment.

Take this book if you're off to Java. It's a wonderful wonderful place, so don't miss it if you've ever considered going East!

This is the book, that you have to take with you. Its not the first time I took Lonley planet books with me. Its saved me a lot of money with very good b&b recommendations. The money you spend for the book you probablly earn the first night you take the advice about the hotels.