Suzuki Books

I purchased two of these books, one as a birthday gift to a friend and one for my Mom. Both were very impressed with the photos. I plan to read the book when I next visit my folks.

This book is really special. Ok I am a mate of Graham's which some might see as a bias - but this book is oustanding none the less. Osborne is a biologist (infact a botanist) by trade I believe. It simply doens't matter though, because clearly what he does best is take photos. *Very* good photos. I don't mean as in 'Oh, thats a nice photo' as my mum would say to me when from four packets of snaps I produced one relatively balanced composition. I mean as in drop-that-frying pan, walk-into-that lampost, draw droppingly good photographs. This guy has had three or four calanders of his work produced for goodness sake. The book, which, ok I admit, he gave me, is always on my coffee table, and I must confess, I have chopped up the calendars and made them into nice framed pictures.

Reasons to buy it:

i) it will enhance your life ii) it will take your breath away iii) it is pretty reasonably priced

reasons not to buy it..

i) you hate temporate rainforests...

This is, quite simply, the best set of pictures of North America's west-coast maritime forests that I have come across. These forests are interesting, beautiful, and abundantly alive; they are also very hard to photograph. Through the lens they can seem messy and disordered. The unaided human eye screens out extraneous clutter, but the camera eye does not. There is order there, of course, but it is a chaotic sort of order, with many levels of order-within-disorder. Some photographers strive for excessively neat, tidy compositions, which give an entirely misleading impression of these forests; Graham, on the other hand, conveys the rhythms within the disorder. Many of the pictures are texture-rich without a sharp focus of interest. It is a style well suited to the subject. The text by Wade Davis, what there is of it, is good, but this is most definitely a picture book first.

This book is GREAT. A masterpiece by Gary. having owned GSXR's I am biased. But I am a Kawasaki devotee and still found the book good. It is techinical, refreshing and complete. Well worth the price. It could do with a few more road test reports, but other than that.. Comon Gary, how about a book on the ZXR?

This is the bible of GSXRs, if you have a gGixxerh have just lusted after one, or are looking to get one, you got to get this book. It brought back fond memories of the mid-eighties sportbikes. The info and the pictures are top notch, and you can find out so much about such famous riders like Kevin Schwantz, Doug Polen, Mick Grant, Gary Goodfellow, Anders Andersson, and James Whitham, who all took their turns on the Gixxer.
Great book, it shows all, the good, bad and the ugly, about this bike. Years covered are from the first GSXR, the 1985 750 (not until 86 was the bike imported to the US) up until the 97 year.
Cheers!

Having owned several GSXRs from the first model available in '86 and the last one in '97. I found this book to be extremely informative. Explanations by top racers and the Suzuki factory provide great insight into the creation and on-going development of the GSXR. Enough technical detail is provided to understand changes to the motorcycle without having to be a Mechanical Engineer. The book also helped me not get taken by a person claiming to sell an '86 LTD version with a standard clutch. Based on the information in the book there was no such thing as a LTD with a standard clutch (they ALL came with a dry-clutch)

This book has all the info you need on working on your bike with pics

I added this to the factory service manual as it provides a great source of information on "how to" get a job done and some side notes on specialty tools. I do a lot of my own work including engine rebuilds and found this to be a good reference.

This manual was in excellent condition. It was shipped promptly.
Though I would not recommend buying this manual if your not familiar with the metric system. Look for an actual Suzuki made manual, you know one made from the manufacturer. It will serve you much better.

This book truly hits the warrior path, zen and death on the head. The book is easy reading yet very well put together. It has a great deal of historical matter in it, not just on Buddhism, Zen and the Samurai but life itself. I would highly recommend this book to anyone interested in Zen, The Warrior's Path and the final stage of our human existence before DEATH!!!

If you read books on Zen, and would like an unusual take on things, this book may offer it. Suzuki Shosan was a samurai who resigned to study the "Way". For him, mindfulness of death and general preparedness was the main point. I liked the way, in particular, that he cast aside his "enlightenment experiences" as useless. Sometimes, just when he seems not as deep as some other Zen heros, he surprises you. So: a good, somewhat unorthodox and refreshing read.

I have to hand it to Arthur Braverman. He manages to find the wonderful characters of Zen who are not in the mainstream, the one's perhaps most of us have never heard of. And when he is done presenting them, one wonders why we never heard of them and sees how much we had missed before they were brought to light.
Suzuki Shosan was one of Japan's most startlingly original - even iconoclastic - Zen masters. Arthur Braverman has translated the colorful teachings of this samurai-turned-Zen-Master and thus has given all Zen students a wonderful gift. Suzuki Shosan covers a wide range of human problems for people of all walks of life, and he does so intimately, from his own experience. One of Shosan's cornerstones is the continual awareness of death, an awareness that breaks through or knocks down all that is false. Thank you, Mr. Braverman, for continuing to discover and translate for us some of the best teachers and poets from the past.

Although I am very much an casual student of Japanese, I was attracted by the contents of this publication as I flicked through it at the bookshop. It is a translation of an old (1973) work by Takao Suzuki, a Japanese linguistics academic. Surprisingly the book is written in a quite light style, with some humor even if a little dated. On the surface I found the book quite exciting because it helps explain how words which appear to have similar meanings from a 'dictionary' viewpoint, can have very different social meanings and cultural usage. Examples are the verbs "cut" and "wear", which appear relatively simple to English speakers, yet have a range of different verbs and very different contexts in their Japanese usage. The section on the cultural context of the words "lips", "nose" and "chin", for example, start to bring a feeling for the complexity of meaning, and perhaps the inadequacy of many dictionary definitions which up to now I had taken at face value.

Moving through to the last chapter "Words for Self and Others" I found myself totally captivated by Suzuki's clear exposition of the misclassification of these parts of Japanese speech according to a misunderstanding of their relationship to English personal pronouns. It sounds heavy, but it is not, on the contrary it is a clear insight into the social context of words and language. I will never see those words in the same light again, and my Japanese will be certainly better for it.

At a much more profound level Suzuki expounds his core belief that words create things, in contrast to our "natural" acceptance of the idea that objects exist independently of language. If this is too deep then fortunately it does not impose on the value of the book at the more pedestrian level at which I thoroughly enjoyed it.

If you are a curious student of Japanese, then you will enjoy this book. I intend to read it again, and expect to enjoy it at least as much as the first time.

This is a wonderful book. Suzuki teaches us how to see our own language and culture "from the outside" (from the perspective of a non-Indo-European mentality); because of this I have assigned Suzuki's book as a required text in several college courses on language and culture. I particularly recommend the sections on "translatability" (especially chapters 1 and 2) and the chapter on "Words for Self and Others" (chapter 6). The latter reports a splendid bit of linguistic research and analysis that any reader can understand and appreciate: in it Suzuki undertakes to explain how and why "I" and "You" relate to one another differently in Japanese- and English-speaking cultures.

Wors In Context will give you an angle by which you may evaluate your deeply held cultural concepts, especially those that you may not consciously consider as cultural (and therefore, fluid) concepts.

For example, the author considers the concept of mercy killing of animals. The average American mind would consider it a cruelty not to "alleviate misery" and through this lens, any alternate behavior becomes a violation of Natural Law. The Japanese concept as put forth in this book considers "mercy killing" a human-centered concept that, as such, is the antithesis of holding the animal's corporeality in high regard. Nature should decide the fate of an animal, instead.

So, we have here two differing ideas of right-to-life concepts that people hold with the highest integrity. what to do??

Another example extends the differing concepts on animals by examining our relationships with pets. Whereas the American must have complete obedience of the animal to his every whim, the Japanese concept of a pet recognizes this treatment as a larger distortion of nature and gives more leeway for a dog to be a dog.

(New York city in this light is an eye-opening case indeed as the New Yorker's near pet-worship is held in its highest dysfunctional relief when a man kneels to pick up after his dog, while the dog stares on and seemingly recongnizes and enjoys this debasing servitude. "Kind master, you missed a bit.")

Despite that last poke, don't take the book as a polemic. It's not. It's just a solid exposition with ample reflection that, at a minimum, gets you far away from any of the common and misguided blanket statements on Japanese culture. However, in a wider view, the book gives many opportunities for you to evaluate your own culture.

It is difficult to understand your own culture by holding it up to its own standards.

Use this book to take a look inside yourself and learn something about Japan along the way.

ZEN IS RIGHT HERE IS FUNNY AND PROFOUND AND JUST THE RIGHT LENGTH. IT BEARS READING OVER AND OVER AND THE QUOTES AND ENCOUNTERS GIVE THE REAL TEACHING OF ZEN BUDDHISM. THEY STICK EASILY IN THE MIND AND ARE AVAILABLE FOR USE WHENEVER YOU NEED THEM.

Dokusan usually refers to a private meeting between a student and the Zen master. "Zen Is Right Here" gave me the feeling that I was in dokusan with Shunryu Suzuki Roshi. This is a wonderful collection of teaching stories and anecdotes that need no embellishment. They are short and sweet and to the point. Much like good haiku. A brief example:

A student asked in dokusan, "If a tree falls
in the forest and no one hears it, does it
make a sound?"
Suzuki Roshi answered, "It doesn't matter."

This is a delightful book that I will read again and again. I keep it on my night table. Indeed, Zen is right here!

If you already own To Shine One Corner of the World, this is the same book. This wonderful glimpse of the wisdom of Shunryu Suzuki is a collection of short stories and responses to questions, as retold by his students. Reading this book made me think I would have liked Suzuki as a teacher. He had the ability to get right to the point in a humorous way. You can feel his compassion and empathy for his student's questions in his responses.

David Nadien's CD is a great version - it includes the piano accompaniments so that your child can play with the CD.

This is the 3rd CD from the Suzuki series we've purchased. Like
the 1st two CDs, it's good, clear and well played. The piano accompaniment is not overwhelming nor is it too soft. My daughter enjoys listening and playing her violin along with these CDs. It's a good idea to have this to play the new songs so your child can hear the pieces for Book 3 of the Suzuki pieces. She asks for it when we're in the car so that she can listen to it while I drive.

I thoroughly enjoyed this tracing of David Suziki's life from his early encounters with racism through his life-long efforts to inform others of the need to safeguard the Earth's resources and his role to do something about it. This is indeed the story from the one who lived it of a great scientist and environmentalist. Highly recommended.

+++++

"Why would anyone else be interested in my life? I know people like to delve into the hidden parts of the lives of people who have acquired some notoriety, hoping to find juicy bits of gossip, signs of weakness or faults that bring the subjects down off pedestals, or simply to expand on what one knows about a public figure. It's not my intension to satisfy that curiosity. Instead, as an "elder," I hope my reflection on one life may stir the reader to consider those thoughts in relation to his or her own life."

The above is found in the last paragraph of the preface of this book by geneticist and environmentalist, the TV host of the acclaimed long-running program "The Nature of Things with David Suzuki," the founder and chair of the David Suzuki Foundation, and the author of more than forty books, David Suzuki (born 1936).

Suzuki explains the contents of his candid and honest book:

"This...is a story I have created by selectively dredging up bits and pieces from the detritus of seventy years of life. The first five chapters skim over the first fifty years...and the rest of the book describes events since then."

More specifically, the first five chapters begin with his childhood life in "racist British Columbia" in Canada, then goes on to his education in the U.S., his early career as a research geneticist, and his "new career" in radio then television. As the book proceeds, we see his transformation into environmental warrior where he recounts stories of his activism in British Columbia and eventually the Amazon, telling us of the plight of the indigenous peoples in this environmentally sensitive region.

In the second half of his book, he tells of his journeys to Australia. Suzuki fell "head over heels" for this country and says that "We [his second wife and him] have never regretted remaining in Canada, but we do feel privileged to be able to return to Australia again and again." He goes on to explain the establishment of the foundation named after him and describes some of its successes to date. Then he proceeds to tell us of his experiences at the Earth summit of 1992 and the world climate change conference held in Kyoto, Japan in 1997.

The last three chapters are especially interesting where Suzuki gives us his ruminations on science and technology, the cult of celebrity and old age respectively.

Throughout the book, two things are apparent: Suzuki cares deeply for his family and his passion for the environment. With regards to the latter, I thought I knew a lot about what's happening to the environment, but I learned much more from reading this book. I think I learned so much because of Suzuki's first-hand observations that he eloquently details and his explanations of what's going on are easy to understand. (My assertion here is actually incredible when you think about it because this book is actually an autobiography and not an environmental science book.)

This autobiography is chatty, intimate, full of interesting stories, and remarkably honest. Suzuki's decency and sincerity shines through practically every sentence of his book.

Finally, the book is peppered with photographs. Even though he sees the "cult of celebrity" as "frightening," you'll see Suzuki in photographs with Canadian and U.S. celebrities such as Gordon Lightfoot, John Denver, Tom Cruise, and Jane Fonda. My favorite photo is the very last one that has him posing naked with only a fig leaf on. The caption reads:

"The notorious fig leaf shot for the show "Phallacies" for [his TV show] "The Nature of Things with David Suzuki."

In conclusion, this is an elegant account of the life of a man who evolved from an academic geneticist into a T.V. and radio personality, first popular in Canada, then the world!!

(first published 2006; preface; 18 chapters; main narrative 400 pages; index; photo credits)

+++++

This is a book about the Japan that even Japanese urbanities unfortunately do not know. I recommend it for anybody seriously interested in the anthropology of the different native people of Japan and their heritage. It is easy to read and first hand report. I felt touched by the interviews. However, to have a whole picture, I suggest to read it after you know the stereotypes of Japan that are written in most of introductory books in the market, or better, after you live there for some time. I have read other books about indigenous people of other lands, and many times I finish with sadness, for the loss of their treasures and way of life. Preface of this book mentioned something that I felt very valuable. It said that Mr. Suzuki purported to show that such native people may provide a clue to the future, to our survival. I appreciate your message very much, Mr. Suzuki.

Abe-san's review elsewhere on this page focuses on the treatment of the Ainu in Hokkaido -- Japan's indigenous people -- and indeed, this is one of the issues that Suzuki and Oiwa's work takes up; but it IS only one of the issues. Suzuki, for those of you who don't know, is a Japanese Canadian who, like many others, was forcibly relocated with his family as a child during the Second World War. The Canadian government, in a move they since have apologized and made token reparations for, confiscated the property of all persons of Japanese ancestry on the west coast and sent them into the interior of the province to camps, similar to Manzanar in California. Suzuki, driven to excel by these experiences, to prove himself as a Canadian, grew up to become a political activist and passionate environmentalist (and TV celebrity, university professor, etc). Oiwa, the co-author, believed himself ethnically Japanese until discovering that his father was a Korean -- a revelation, since Koreans are not treated as equals by some Japanese, and there are enduring tensions from the days when Japan occupied Korea. Together, the two writers travelled to Japan to probe into many current political problems, with considerable concern for the environment and aboriginal issues, but also dealing with political problems in Okinawa, the tendancy in some circles in Japan to deny guilt for war atrocities, the treatment of the burakumin, Japan's "untouchable class," and issues that spring up from the Japanese concern for treating "outsiders" differently from "insiders" (Japanese who grew up in South America are interviewed, for example, about being treated like outsiders in their own country). Everything they write is supported by excellent interviews. The emphasis of the book is NOT on criticising the Japanese right or such, however, but rather speaking with people in Japan who are fighting to change things -- including Katsuichi Honda, a controversial author who has written a substantial book on the Nanking Massacre (and who actually visited China for purposes of research). Suzuki's main concern in his work has been the environment, so much attention is given to farmers experimenting with alternative, back-to-nature methods of farming - more than interested me, but environmentalists might feel otherwise. I'd recommend this book for anyone concerned about Japan.

Klompmakers presents a collection that's distinctive in many ways. First, it presents a large body of work by two Japanese printmakers that aren't as well known as they deserve to be. Though not as popular in the west as Hokusai, Hiroshige, and others, these printmakers certainly approach them in artistic and technical skills. Second, these prints were created as coherent collections. Divisions within this book present the images in the series for which they were created, and in chronological order. The serious student will enjoy seeing stylistic consistencies and developments, as well as seeing the images as context for each other. Thirdly, and not least, I appreciate the book as a physical object. A substantial feel, paper that's glare-free and opaque, full-page reproductions (in most cases), and high-quality printing - it's everything you'd look for in an art book.

The commentary is enjoyable and helpful. And, when I get wrapped up in the imagery itself, I appreciate its conciseness. It's easy to get lost in those pictures, showing couples in a variety of practices and poses, a threesome, men together, and even a group. A few of the scenes depict coercion, but very few. Most feature the humor, affection, grandly magnified organs, and lush furnishings that pervade the genre. Nudity is minimal by western standards, except for clear displays of the point at which the couples are coupled. That makes sense in context, though. Japanese baths made social nudity of mixed groups common - ordinary undress wouldn't be anything special. Instead, imaginations were fired by the elaborate dress of the geishas and rich environment of the pleasure quarters, so those symbols became common in these fantasy prints.

Whether it's the voyeuristic homunculus in Harunobu's Maneemon series or the gentle settings of Koryusai's seasonal studies, there's a lot to like. This isn't as wide-ranging as other collections, but doesn't intend to be. Instead, it presents more focussed studies with somewhat different rewards for the reader. If you're already a fan of Shunga, I recommend this very highly.

//wiredweird

My boyfriend is a huge fan of japanese prints. I bought him two Shunga titles after weeks and weeks of research and this is by far his favorite of the two. The significance of this particular book is that it features a large quantity of work by japans first two Shunga artists that produced color wood-block prints. The color really does add a depth and quality of beauty to the shunga that I have seen. Also there is plenty of explanation on technique and style and a bit of discussion on how the two artists styles vary. A few paragraphs that explain a particular image that may appear to be implying one meaning to our western eyes but is really quite different when taken in the context of the time and culture that created the image is nice too. Overall a great book.