Asian Books

This is a superb book that includes a lot of information not previously known. Was so interesting to read of how he interacted with his family as well as observation after WW 1 that the middle east countries would be taken by the English and Americans because of the oil.

And how Tolstoy played a role in molding his views on all things spiritual as well as observations on how Gandhi's view effected issues like the environment, feminism, business and human rights in general.

As a journalist who has reported on religion for a quarter of a century, my bookshelves are lined with most of the earlier volumes on this defining spiritual figure of the 20th Century -- a man whose brilliance even shaped the American Civil Rights movement half way around the world and whose teachings continue to inspire and provoke.

Why buy this new book? (And I do urge you to buy it if you are intrigued by this figure who strides across the history of religion like a tireless titan to this day.)

Well, first of all, here's what this book is not. This isn't a breezy read and it isn't a fresh interpretation of one particular aspect or one particular era of Gandhi's life. Even though the biographer is Gandhi's grandson, who was a child when Gandhi was murdered, this is not a memoir of a close associate.

Millions have read Louis Fischer's breezy introduction, first published in 1954. There's probably a paperback edition of Fischer somewhere in your public, school or parish library. You may even have a well-worn copy on your shelf. If you know that version -- Fischer's book (which still stands as a fine introduction) is like a magazine story compared to this full biography.

A number of more ambitious biographies also have been published down through the years, including Eknath Easwaran's 1972 effort to describe Gandhi's "transformation" -- and Yogesh Chadha's thick biography more recently.

What I like about Gandhi's new biography of Gandhi is the substantial, almost formal, way in which the grandson has cast this book as The Definitive Biography. And I agree. To put it simply, I think this is the version of Gandhi's life that we will find on library shelves 25 years from now as the recommended book to read to delve into his life.

"Delve" is a key word here, because you're in for a good long adventure here. At 754 pages, this is a brick of a book. It is "definitive" in the sense that it is a solid, detailed, chronological biography. It's the kind of presentation that will leave readers really feeling that they have trekked with Gandhi across continents -- and through his spiritual and political journeys.

More detailed reviews of this book, published in India, point to very specific aspects within the book -- and the way the author took a balanced approach to them, rather than pulling the most dramatic or provocative bits of Gandhi's life out of context. Generally, Indian media has praised this book.

I share all of this background with you so that you understand exactly what will arrive on your doorstep with a thud if you order this book. It's an adventure in reading that you're going to want to pursue, perhaps, for some weeks.

Now, here's what I really love about this book: In the midst of the chronological tapestry that the biographer weaves from Gandhi's life -- we find these vivid images that open up from time to time. Having just finished my own journey through the book -- I don't think I'll forget the passages of Gandhi's own writing, late in life, that the biographer chooses to leave us with. Yes, we're moving through the detailed account of the final months of his life with dates, places, events and context all described. But, this provides a framework in which the biographer places these windows into Gandhi's own insights. And, in that final section of the book as an example, he has deftly chosen the most vividly revealing passages -- from a satirical note about snakes that Gandhi scribbled to a critic to an achingly beautiful passage about forgiving one's own assassin that Gandhi wrote not long before he was shot down.

It's a big book and a big investment in time -- but well worth the journey.

The Mahatma, the Great Soul of India went to practiced law in South Africa to carry the banner of justice against the usurpers of human dignity.

He defied the unjust authority with wisdom and pacifism.
How ironic that the British Empire, supposedly the torch of liberty and equality stood like a brick wall in the face of Gandhi.

Gandhi was India's first free spirited intellectual to raise a red flag against the notorious Indian cast system.
This book retraces memorable moments in his life.

The book is up-lifting and inspirational.
It is nourishment for the soul.

Thanks for the great service! The delivery was timely and the merchandise was in mint condition.

Man I love the mid to late 1980's version of Garfield cause the pictures have gotten better and they came up with more funny stuff like Garfield waking Jon up in the middle of the night.
It is also my understanding that Garfield books will someday become collector's items and unfortunately, I lost one of my Garfield books and hopefully I'll be able to find it or replace it.

Everybody out there keep buying Garfield books! They can be worth a lot of money someday and can become collector's items! I'm always going to keep all of mine so when I have kids they can read them!

Boyle's excellent, readable, and well-annotated translation of Juvayni is an important resource for scholars of Mongol history. Juvayni is one of the few primary sources, and his work provides both a view of Mongol history and an interesting look at the cross-cultural interactions between the Mongols and conquered peoples. I highly recommend this book to all with an interest in Mongol history.

This book really grabbed my attention. The book is on a topic that I could read forever. Ghengis Khan is the only subject that doesn't make fall asleep in school.

A book with extremely useful quotes and sayings. I would suggest everyone to read it so as to improve the vision for leadership and you don't need to have specific preoccupation with any subject like history or Philosophy etc but you will love this book when you read how Juvaini tries to justify the deeds of the Mongols and the embellished and beautified diction of JA Boyle will enable you to comprehend the subject matter of the book in it's true sense.

A tremendously thorough yet concise and easily digestible look at China in the present day, covering the monumental and multi-faceted changes that have taken place in the preceding 15 to 20 years leading up to what we see now. Eye-opening and mind-expanding, in parts funny and in parts sad. I had previously very limited knowledge about China, this is a wonderful grounding. It has further intrigued me as to what the future will bring, of this vast nation in transformation of a scale and speed that mankind has never witnessed before, that which already affects all of us, and will only more so in years to come.

Getting Rich First is simply outstanding--miles away from the hyperventilated pontifications of books like The Coming Collapse of China, and a refreshing change from the clucking of the Chicken Little crowd in the U.S. political and media sphere. Hewitt's work exudes his deep knowledge of the subject, and with his journalistic skill he brings us close to it. Getting Rich First should be required reading for anyone who wants to understand the real situation in China today, and for anyone voicing opinions about it.

I've spent the last month studying abroad in Hong Kong. During my course of study I've taken numerous trips into China, visiting Beijing, ShenZhen, and other more rural parts of China. Never have I been able to put into words the awe that I have experienced during each trip I've taken into China. The unprecedented changes that are happening, to me, just couldn't be explained through words. But, I was wrong. This book does an amazing job at bringing home the massive changes that have rocked China, and the world, over the past 20 years. Particularly amazing about this book is the author's use life stories of native Chinese as the building blocks explaining the experience that is China today. I have never felt so committed to sharing a book until I found this one. In summary, this book is amazing.

I served in another battalion of the 101st Airborne at the same time and area as John Nesser, and I can testify to the realistic picture he describes of the daily life of a grunt. The A Shau Valley and DMZ were particularly rough and dangerous areas, and John captures the feeling of these places. His description of the day-to-day details of a grunt's life is one of the best I've read.

I have known John for over 30 years, as a good friend and neighbor. After reading this excellent book i realized that i didn't really know John and what he went through in Vietnam. Once i started reading The Ghosts of Thua Thien i found it hard to put down. It is one of the best written books about a soldier's experience from growing up in Central Wisconsin,college,a new family man and being drafted in the Army. His experiences in basic training,to combat in Vietnam and his returning home to live a normal life. John is a very quiet person I know it must have been difficult to relive these good and bad experiences. He brings them to life in this book for you to relive with him. Thanks John for writing this book! Terry

John Nessser takes the reader on a journey through hell as he tells of his personal experience as a soldier in the infamous 101st Airborne Division which suffered the 3rd highest mortality rates during the Vietnam War. Nesser brings his mid-Western upbringing to Vietnam... duty, Country and values that were instilled in him as a young boy growing up in Wisconisn. He loses part of himself in Vietnam as he faces the harsh realities of this War. This is a remarkable journey to hell and back told with honesty and great courage. Nesser is a hero but probably would not look at himself this way. This is a struggle for the soul of the Author and is a must read if you want to experience daily life in Vietnam during that terrible war. I could not put this book down.

I thought Grandfather Counts was a really good book. When I read it I liked how the child and grandfather taught each other. I espeacially liked it because of my intertest in different languages. I would recomend this book for any one who has an interest in different cultures and languages.

My grandfather had recently passed away and my younger cousin was very close to him. I never thought I would find such an excellent children's book on the important and loving relationships between Asian American grandparents and their grandchildren. Additionally, the storyline is simply and beautifully written, and the animation is of high quality.

I consider this a rare and priceless treasure that I hope will get passed on in generations to come.

The delicate relationship between the child and her grandfather is beautifully developed by the author, and the message that our differences -- age, language, etc. -- matter less than what we share is conveyed with subtlety. The glossary of Chinese words gives added insight into a different culture. The illustrations are good, though not as outstanding as the text. A real charmer!

This book covers the entire history of the Greek cultural impact in the Indian civilization. I found it very helpful in understanding the connection between the ancient Greek and Indian philosophies and cultures.

This book links the European and Indian Histories from the earliest days up to the present and helped me to understand the connection between Greek and Indian cultures especially during the Indo-Greek kingdoms. The article on Galanos brings new light in the previous researches on the pioneer Greek indologist and the chapter on the contemporary Greeks in India is very balanced and objective. I strongly recommend this book to all those who are interested to learn more about the cultural history of the Greeks in India

This is a scholarly book on a historical topic that is rather difficult to research. Who were the ancient Indogreeks and what role did they play in history? What were the philosophical analogies between Greece and India? The sources are relatively few and obscure, and there is much speculation on the subject. The author has researched the subject meticulously from ancient Greek and Sanskrit sources.

Several years ago, other historians, such as Tarn, have published on the topic. This is a fresh view with a philosophical twist that deserves study and understanding.

You might appreciate knowing the contents:

Foreward.......... 7

JAPANESE HAIKU
Buddha Nature.......... 11
Happiness.......... 23
Phases of the Moon.......... 29
Birds.......... 41
Creatures.......... 63
Spring.......... 77
Summer.......... 113
Autumn.......... 159
Winter.......... 181
New Year.......... 207

WESTERN HAIKU
Traditional.......... 217
Modern.......... 231

Acknowledgments.......... 253

***
For most of my life I did not know that the haiku art form existed. When I discovered it I was instantly smitten and developed an intense desire to know everything about it including how to compose it.

This book does not teach you how to compose haiku, and yet indirectly it does because the poems within serve as the best examples of successful haiku. I mean after all, these originally came from the likes of Basho, Buson, Issa, Shiki and Chiyo-ni (as well as some lesser known but no less skilled classical-era haiku poets). If one would want to learn from the best, then study the haiku from this book. Read them very slowly both out loud and to yourself many times; concentrate on one and discover what it has to offer in terms of meaning as well as imagery; search out the subtleties in tone, mood, etc.

***
There's a section containing some very good modern english haiku toward the back of the book.

Admittedly, (for right now anyway) I favor reading and studying the classical Japanese haiku from the masters preceding the twentieth century. That isn't to say that I ignore or don't appreciate modern haiku (or modern Western haiku). Indeed, I certainly 'can' and 'do' appreciate great haiku created by anyone in the world today.

I think it's only that I instinctively understand in my spirit that the "fundamentals" for learning and developing haiku-composition skills are to be found in the classical-era haiku of the recognized masters... and one should always start with the fundamentals.

***
The english translations by R. H. Blyth are excellent; they are very satisfying.

The book itself is a relatively small, sturdy hardcover; it is well-made; it has a permanent bookmark ribbon to keep your place with.

***
I often found myself reading each poem as slowly as possible, not wanting to reach the end of the book.
I was enjoying these haiku too much -- savoring each one. That's when it is best; that's when you are more likely to be rewarded with an insight -- when you spend significant time on just one before moving on.

***
I recommend this haiku collection to you if you are at all interested in reading (as well as studying) some of the haiku from the great masters.

This is simply a wonderful anthology. It is designed to be read whenever and fits in one's pocket or purse. The first section of the book comprises of R.H. Blyth's translations of the Japanese masters. This section is devided into themes such as; Buddha nature, phases of the moon, birds, creatures, and the five seasons--New Year's--is considered a short season in Japan. The second half of the book moves to the other side of the Pacific and is title "Western Haiku". This half of the book is then broken down into two remaining chapters "Traditional" & "Modern". The one issue that some practicing haiku poets have concerns about is the "Traditional" chapter where haiku-like poems by Wordsworth, Scott, Keats, Shelley, Thoreau, Whitman and many more apprear. However, these critics somehow did not read carefully Peter Washington's introduction. He writes:"In an appendix to his magisterial work, Blyth makes the controversial suggestion that the spirit of haiku is present in all great poetry, claiming that there are many haiku 'buried' in familiar English poems. In part two, bearing a universality in mind. I take up this idea, offering some of his examples and more of my own." Therefore the examples in the section are NOT haiku, but have present some components of the haiku spirit. So this is important to note. The last section titled "Modern" finds haiku on the shore of an English language literary world. We see how haiku develops through time and understanding starting with Pound and ending with several contemporary poets. There is a slight feeling that the last chapter of the book could continue, and that is true. However, this simple could reflect the editor's feeling that haiku continues to thrive that the ending should be left open.

This book does not pretend at be all inclusive, quite the opposite. I feel the intention is to offer the reader a beautifully bound book of classic haiku and small poems that can be taken anywhere to be enjoyed. It does that. I highly recommend this book.

Well I was shocked when I heard Tony & Justin had written a book. When I found out it was a book on Haiku I was even more shocked. I haven't read or wrote many haiku but I do care for them. I remind me of early Atari games. At first you don't quite get what is going on. Then after a few times it gets easier and fun. The style is simple yet the games can be challenging. In a day when the world has HDTV, PS2, X-Box and other forms of electronic gaming it is nice to never forget Atari. The roots of video gaming, the forefather of video gaming. I think the Handsome Brothers new book is the best think to come along since the joystick.

This is an excellent book of haiku poetry to read from the master of the craft. The book is arranged into four major sections and addresses nature in the following fashions: walkers, flyers, crawlers, and swimmers. The haiku poems are written about animals, fowl, insects, creatures and the like in four major classifications. The connection between nature, mankind and the elements is blended together in this masterpiece. The next section of the book gives a biographical sketch of the artists who contributed their wonderful illustrations. Their artistic abilities cover animals and creatures, fowl, and insects from the four major areas of walkers, flyers, crawlers and swimmers. The final section is about the poets who are the featured writers in the book. Haikus from the masters, such as Basho, Issa and Buson will touch your soul. The book also gives a biographical sketch of some of the major female haiku poets who are discussed. The illustrators are listed by page as well. This is an excellent haiku book to read and enjoy. It is easy relaxing reading, not complicated, and is soothing to the mind, body and soul.

Also recommended: I recommend reading, the Trilogy Poetic Literature series of A Trilogy of Poetry, Prose and Thoughts for the Mind, Body and Soul and Trilogy Moments for the Mind, Body and Soul, which entails a series of haiku, senryu, and epulaeryu poems.

A wonderful juxtaposition of woodblock prints paired with haiku poems.The book divides the creatures into categories based on their actions so we have "walkers" and "fliers" and "crawlers" and "swimmers".

Issa, of course, is well-represented since he dealt with creatures in so many of his haiku. However, the inclusion of lesser-known haijin is certainly welcome. Has anyone not related to the following:

There's nothing
he doesn't know --
the cat on the stove

Fusei

Lovingly crafted and published, this book makes a thoughtful and classy gift.
I have recommended this volume to many friends and I recommend
it to you.

A wonderful juxtaposition of woodblock prints paired with haiku poems.The book divides the creatures into categories based on their actions so we have "walkers" and "fliers" and "crawlers" and "swimmers".

Issa, of course, is well-represented since he dealt with creatures in so many of his haiku. However, the inclusion of lesser-known haijin is certainly welcome. Has anyone not related to the following:

There's nothing
he doesn't know --
the cat on the stove

Fusei

Lovingly crafted and published, this book makes a thoughtful and classy gift.
I have recommended this volume to many friends and I recommend
it to you.

Hemingway and Martha Gellhorn met in Spain as they were covering the Spanish Civil War. They were married in 1940. In 1941 they accepted a mission at the request of the US Government to make a trip to China. They also agreed to write articles for various magazines on their trip.

The Government official largely responsible for getting them to make this trip was Harry Dexter White, later identified as a Soviet agent. It is interesting in that Hemingway was visiting an area where the Chinese Communists were trying to take over the country.

It was a rough trip. This was the time of the Japanese invasion of China, it was the time of Mao Tse-Tung and Chiang Kai-Shek. It was not the time or place to take a pleasure trip. This was also well past Hemingway's prime writing period as he was declining into depression and alcoholism.

It was a hard trip on their marriage, and by the end of the trip the marriage was basically over althouch Martha Gellhorn held on for another few years before divorcing him (the only one of his wives to leave him).

This is a well written, well researched book that covers a little known incident in World War II history.

This is a surprisingly good book. Peter Moriera apparently has no other books to his credit, nor is a literary scholar, yet nevertheless delivers a smooth brisk text that is fact-filled. It is carefully documented with honest, substantive footnotes that demonstrate original research. It is also just a good straight piece of storytelling about a fascinating adventure at an important juncture of modern history: while Hitler was attacking Britain, Japan was conquering the East, but before America was involved in either front.

This would be a great reading experience whoever was at the center of it, but the writing team of Hemingway and Gellhorn offers the opportunity for drama and shrewd but carefully fair character study. Indeed all the principals including their Chinese interpreters, state department figures, Hemingway's drinking pals, Generalissimo and Mrs. Chiang Kai-Shek, Chou En-lai, are presented in fair, balanced, and fully rounded portaiture. The depiction of Hemingway and Gellhorn is a miracle of balance and fairness. The book does not take sides or have any agenda. It presents the strengths of each from an informed and sympathetic perspective, their respective flaws with realism and wry detatchment. Truth be told, by focusing on a fixed episode of Hemingway's life late 1940 through 41, Moreira is able to deliver one of the best portraits in life of Hemingway to date, superior indeed to many first person accounts. To those who may not have known Gellhorn's work as well, a reading of this book will only leave you wanting to see more.

Finally, the subject matter is not just a lark like an Indiana Jones adventure. Moreira illustrates how the two writers were subtly enlisted on behalf of the Roosevelt administration both to get over and "spy" undercover as reporters, but also to deliver something of its message afterwards. How both Hemingway and Gellhorn managed to do that as each, in their own way, preserved a degree of integrity and truth-telling is the real underside of the iceberg here awainting discovery.

In a short book about a few months in the lives of Ernest Hemingway and Martha Gellhorn, Canadian journalist Peter Moreira has managed to give us a portrait of the two writers as they really were. Hemingway on the China Front shows us the pair at their journalistic peaks and valleys, their relationship at its most romantic and as it starts to disintegrate, and two individuals coping gracefully and not so gracefully under trying circumstances.

Let's get this "spy" business out of the way. It's a good title and it may capture a few readers who'll think "I didn't know Hemingway was a spy!" Hemingway and Gellhorn were going to Asia (China, Burma, Hong Kong, the Dutch East Indies) as journalists. It was no secret that they would be digging for information. They were both well-known war reporters, and would therefore be looking for war-related intelligence. Even if they hadn't already been famous, they would have stuck out in Asia like sore thumbs, Hemingway for his height and Gellhorn for being blond. Any undercover work was out of the question. Hemingway was asked by the U.S. Treasury Department to check of the transportation situation in China, to gauge how the money the U.S. was sending China was being spent. Gellhorn was a friend of the Roosevelts and was a regular White House visitor. While there's no evidence that she too was asked to check up on the Chinese, she could be expected to be debriefed when she returned to the States.

Moreira tells a quick-paced story of two young and glamorous war reporters on a trip to exotic lands while the war is getting underway. They were newlyweds as well, although they'd been together for several years. While they jokingly referred to the trip as their honeymoon, the only parts of the trip that might have qualifed were the initial stop in Hawaii and their stay in Hong Kong. The rest of the trip reads like an endurance test. The conditions in China were filthy and crowded. It was a huge dose of culture shock for the pair, and they handled it in different ways. Hemingway stayed drunk as much as possible. Gellhorn was learning that living with an alcoholic could be exhilarating at its best and unbearable at its worst. Even after they broke up and she refused for the most part to talk or write of him, she admitted that the best times of her life were with Hemingway. And the worst.

Moreira explains clearly the political situation in China and we're able to appreciate the dilemma that the writers faced in trying to support the U.S. allies represented by Chiang Kai-Shek and Chou En-Lai, while not ignoring the repressive regimes they controlled. They weren't entirely successful.

Hemingway on the China Front, for all its attention to journalistic detail and scholarship, also has a large helping of entertaining stories. The two met some fascinating characters in Asia including Emily Hahn, several dashing American pilots, Chou En-Lai and Madame Chiang Kai-Shek. And Moreira re-tells some of the best stories from Gellhorn's Travels With Myself and Another. It's great to find a new take on the lives of two people who've been written about so thoroughly.