Asia Books

While in Nepal last year I found this book to be exactly what I needed to get around as easily as possible. I usually use Lonely Planet Guides when traveling, but in this case - the Rough Guide is superior. Now if I can only get it back from my friend....

great guidebook. Describes in detail the good, the bad and the ugly of Nepal. The language section was extremely useful. A few hours spent learning some useful greetings and phrases will pay off tenfold upon arrival in Nepal. Being able to bargain or ask for directions in the native language is a lot of fun and much appreciated, especially since most travellers do not take the time to learn anything more than "Namaste."

This book has given me comfort and a wealth of information about what I would like to do and see in Nepal. Having a well planned trip in advance is smart and this book will probably tell you everything you need to know about anything, and more. Food, health issues, places to stay, sights, special points, etc. Definitely worth the investment.

I just returned from Nepal using this guide. The book was very well-written with lots of practical advice-- everything from how to book an airline to what kind of diahrrea you may have picked up. Very accurate information re. hotels, modes of transportation, etc. Useful vocabulary list.

The best thing about this book is its vast coverage; especially those places off the beaten track. It has a lot of practical information and despite being 2 years old now, it was still fairly accurate. Other travel books attempt to be encyclopedic about Nepal,... documenting everything without prioritizing the places that people actually do visit. David's book goes into a lot of detail about places of interest, both historical and practical info. For example, the book had an excellent section on Chitwan national park. In fact, on our recent trip it saved us from getting a guide. I thoroughly recommend this book. The author even keeps a website to update the readers. Great.

There are a lot of high quality photographies of very wonderful netsuke, interesting design, good advice how to do the photographies of small netsuke better! This book is very good for beginning carvers, galleries!

Symmes does a wonderful job of composing this text. He gives a nice history of netsuke, covering the span of time from feudal Japan to the present. He includes a small section on netsuke manufacture, and another on photographic techniques for macro photography and design, and then the text opens into a wonderful collection of full-page photographs of several varied and incredible pieces, some dating back to the seventeenth century. He includes brief descriptions of the netsuke, although he could have elaborated on the Japanese (and Chinese) fables that inspired many of these creations for Western audiences. Many of the pieces in this book are available today in reproduction form, and the netsuke are composed of several different materials, not just the "typical" ivory or wood. This text is a must have for any collector, beginning or advanced, as it will inspire readers to research their private collections as well as create the desire to build them! The reproduction of detail from the photographs is amazing!

Between the introductory text and the stories attached to each picture, this book serves to both educate and whet the appetite. I struggled with the desire to own each of the pieces that Symmes so lovingly photographed.

As author Symmes says, netsukes have the "power to influence people and pocketbooks." This statement is true in several aspects. First, the collector of netsukes will find that they are expensive. Second, the purpose of a netsuke is to fasten an "inro," or case holding valuables, to an obi or belt. "Ne" translates as "root" and "tsuke" translates as "to fasten." An inro's cords are held tightly by an "ojime," or bead, to keep it closed and the netsuke keeps the inro from falling off of the wearer.

The highly-detailed photographs of netsukes are in harmony with the scenery and objects surrounding them, so lusciously artistic that you may consider framing them.

HIH Prince Norihito of Takamado, who wrote this book's foreward, says he looks for "warmth, wit, and a certain twist" in his own netsuke collection. To fully appreciate a netsuke, "hold it, feel it, and examine it closely in one's hand."

Netsuke figures have stories associated with them. Many figures are puns in which the same word may have several meanings. For example, monkey is "saru" which is pronounced the same as "to leave," so it would be unlucky to marry in a monkey year.

If you are not familiar with Asian astrology, this book will teach you much about the associated legends. One tale that fascinated me was about Daruma, the 28th patriarch of Zen Buddhism. Daruma meditated for 9 years, sitting so long that his legs lost their strength. My sister, who lived in Japan for many years, sent me a wooden Daruma doll with two blank eyes. When you knock over the Daruma doll, it pops back upright, reflecting an undaunted spirit. Here's what you are supposed to do with a Daruma doll: you color one eye to make a prayer, then you color the other one when the prayer is answered.

You'll learn much about Japanese life and legend from studying these tiny netsukes -- and Symmes provides us with a fun way to learn.

This book is a lot like the netsuke themselves. At first, it looks like it might be something interesting, so you pick it up, look a little closer, and...you are inside a whole different world. Something deceptively simple shows itself to have hidden depths.

I had been interested in netsuke for awhile, ever since buying a little ivory sumo in an antique shop in Japan one day. There was something about the miniature wrestler that fascinated me, and I found myself going back to the shop over and over again, just to look at it. I finally knew that, even though it was expensive, it had to be mine.

This is much like the feeling that author Edwin Symmes describes, leading me to believe that it must be a universal experience amongst netsuke appreciators. He is someone who loves the stories behind the tiny figures, who tries to find their personality rather than figure out their rarity or value. In "Netsuke: Japanese Life and Legend in Miniature", he combines his fascination with his skills in photography, creating small vignettes incorporating the figures with appropriate settings, such as an ivory tiger emerging from real bamboo, or a wooden Daruma nestled inside a rock cave. Next to each image is a story, detailing the legends behind the figure, or maybe a little something about the carver, something that you wouldn't know just by looking but which deepens the understanding and appreciate of the figure.

What this book is not is a collector's guide to netsuke. Anyone new to the art form, and looking for a "How to.." guide to give them tips as what to look for, isn't going to find that here. Not that it is entirely lacking in practical information. There are sections describing the history of netsuke, their original use and their evolution, but that is not the focus. To those who's interest lies in photography, Symmes includes a fascinating section on photographing netsuke. But the real joy lies in looking at the pictures, reading the stories, and sharing the love of netsuke that radiates from this book.

It's a fascinating book and I thoroughly recommend it to anyone seeking to get a hold on the North Korean regime's mindset. It also amply shows the current situation to be far more complex and historically rooted than our politicians and media suggest in their 'they're just evil' mantra.

I found the Bradt travel guide indispensable. I traveled to the DPRK in August 2005. I am a U.S. citizen. The trip was arranged through the National Lawyers Guild. I and another lawyer from the US represented the NLG at the 60th Anniversary Liberation Day events in Pyongyang. The trip was routed through China. I believe the NLG picked me because I have good contacts in China and I speak Chinese.

As a result of the 1945 Teheran Conference, the Soviet Union agreed to enter the war against Japan. VE day was May 8, 1945. It took several months to move sufficient Red Army forces from Berlin to the Manchurian border. Chiang Kai Shek's nationalist army never really fought the Japanese, so the whole Northeast (except for the rural base areas of the Chinese Communist guerillas) was under Japanese occupation. The US was counting on Soviet help to rout the Japanese in Manchuria and Korea, and then help with the planned invasion of the Japanese home islands. The U.S. got its wish. Two days after the August 6, 1945 Hiroshima bombing, Soviet forces smashed across the Manchurian border and liberated all of Korea and north China in less than a week. Japan surrendered on August 15, 1945. In both Koreas, August 15 (VJ Day) is Liberation Day. In the face of U.S. demands, the Soviets agreed to withdraw north to the 38th parallel. U.S forces then entered the south. That's how the division of Korea into two hostile states began.

The trip I was on was for a conference in Pyongyang celebrating the victory over Japan and pledging international support for Korean unification and support for North Korea against the threats made by the U.S. Government.

There were about 100 delegates from around the world. We all stayed in Pyongyang at the Yanggakdo Hotel on Yanggak Island in the Taedong river. The hotel was full. In addition to the conference people, there were hundreds of rowdy Chinese tourists from Beijing tour groups. Room prices are posted on an electronic sign in the lobby. All prices are in Euros. Third class rooms were 70, 80 and 95 Euros/day. 2nd class were 140, 150, 160 and 170/day. First class was 170 and 180. Deluxe rooms were 370 and 420. I picked the 80 Euro room, guessing that it would be higher and have a better view. I guessed correctly. I was assigned room 34-2. My large, new, air-conditioned room had a refrigerator/freezer, big bathroom and a great view, facing upriver toward the Juche Tower. Room prices included all meals, which were scheduled around our itinerary. I was not told that meals were free. When I paid my bill (for seven days), I was charged only 420 Euros for my room, food, conference registration and transportation. The guide/minder sought a "donation" for the minders. I donated 80 Euros. So, the cost for everything, including the tip, was 500 Euros for the week. If you have a choice, avoid this isolated hotel and try to get into the Koryo, which is downtown and near the postage stamp store and a department store. You will have little contact with ordinary Koreans if you stay at the Yanggakdo Hotel.

I got my visa in China, in Shenyang, Liaoning Province. Shenyang is the site of the DPRK Consulate nearest the DPRK border. No one was allowed into the DPRK Consulate. It looked like an impressive two story colonial building. A burley Korean was standing at a small opening in the gate and collecting stacks of Chinese passports for visas to Pyongyang. I told him, in Chinese, that we were there to pickup our visas. But he did not speak Chinese! He waived us away when he saw my American passport. A tour operator who spoke Korean interceded for us. The official eventually took our two passports and told us to return in an hour. When we came back, the burley official smiled and returned our passports. They had DPRK visas stapled inside. We next went to the DPRK airline company (Koryo) in a hotel in Shenyang. The clerk spoke Chinese. I told him we had visas and showed him our U.S. passports. As soon as he saw the passports he said, "No ticket, no way!" But I told him we already had a reservation. He checked his reservations computer and found our names. He then agreed to give us round trip tickets. The fare was $150.00, round trip, Shenyang to Pyongyang. We left the next day, August 10. It was a forty minute flight to Pyongyang. For me, the high point of the trip was the drive from the airport to the city. It's a 30 minute ride through rolling green countryside. There were cars, trucks and bicycles on the wide road. There were hundreds of busy peasants walking along the roadside carrying tools and leading water buffalo. They looked poor, but no worse than the peasants I saw in rural China, in Sichuan, on this same trip. Some of the peasants were smoking, so they must have had some disposable income. Rolling through the gradual hills I suddenly saw the monumental Arc de Triumph on the road ahead. Through the arch I could see the monument to Cholinga, the flying horse, and then huge revolutionary tablets capped with red flags. These were like the monuments around Tiananmen Square in Beijing, but they were on a much larger scale and very impressive. No city in the world has monuments on the scale of Pyongyang. Wow!

No, I haven't been to North Korea, but who has? This was a quirky and fun book for an armchair traveller. The Bradt travel series prides itself on going where Lonely Planet fears to tread - places like Iraq and Kabul - as well as the world's most bizarre country, North Korea. The author briefly mentions how difficult it was to write a travel book where museum employees refuse to give opening hours or phone numbers of their establishments, and where special permits are required to travel from one city to another. I suspect the author could write a second book about what he went through to write this book.

Part I consists of 91 pages of background (history, politics, entry documents, etc.), and Part II is about 120 pages of typical travel information regarding hotels (not that you have any choice), restaurants, shopping (hahaha), attractions, and so on. There are 22 color photos, 27 maps, and some black and white drawings. A brief language guide gives translations of such useful phrases as "Yankees are wolves in human shape" - the author does have a sense of humor - as well as more commonplace words and phrases. There is almost nothing here about atrocities or the dire poverty that others have noted. However, the author does coyly mention that it would be pointless to write his book in such a manner that it was banned from being brought into North Korea.

I actually did travel to North Korea, through the Korean Friendship Association. This is about the only way non NGO Americans can make their way into the Hermit Kingdom. I am wondering if this book gives Americans any advice as to how to get into the country. I would love to see past the major showcase cities we were allowed to tour. Nowadays you have to be prepared to 'Praise the Leader" everyday if you want to take the KFA trip. Not a good idea for those Americans who would ever like to visit South Korea or fly on an airplane. I bet the CIA has your picture before you even land in Pyongyang...
Alas, I heard you could use those passports the were issuing in Key West as a novelty item. Apparently they look so good, all you have to do is hide your accent and pay up at the DPRK embassy in Beijing and your on your way to Pyongyang.... I don't know if I would feel for you if you get caught though. haha
Sucks to be a cracker sometimes

Robert Willoughby's travel guide to North Korea is fascinating on two counts. In the first instance, on the travel front itself, the author has covered several far-flung corners of the country, going beyond the more accessible capital city of P'yongyang, the Diamond Mountain resort, and the tourist-oriented luxuries of Mount Myohang. Although it is not always clear how Willoughby--or those others who contributed to his book--won permission to visit these remote locations, the guide book is explicit in pointing out that few if any foreigners are free to roam the country at will. Visits must generally be part of package tours, most of which originate in China, and the severely underdeveloped road and public transportation systems limit the number of cities that can be accessed.

On the second front, that of a descriptive journal, Willoughby's guide contributes to the outside world's knowledge of North Korea, the most secretive and hermetically-sealed of all nations on earth. Nearly all daily news reporting in the United States focuses on a North Korea that is obsessed with acquiring nuclear weapons and has clearly earned its place in the "axis of evil." It is therefore a delight to be offered detailed descriptions of the country's geographic features and flora and fauna and to find out how ordinary people go about their everyday lives. It is also a welcome surprise to learn that in some areas, such as Mount Paektu on the northwest border with China, North Koreans are both gracious and relaxed in dealing with visitors.

Willoughby's book benefits greatly from his wonderful writing skills, his British sense of humor, and the careful background research he used to flesh out first-hand observations. I found many details in this book fascinating and available for the very first time, and I would have loved to have had the guide available while I was still an intelligence officer following North Korea in the 1970s through 1990s.

My kids have really enjoyed using this book to supplement their unit on ancient Eygypt and Old Testament studies. It appeals to my first, third and fifth grade children, and many of the activities are such that they can open up the book and do the projects themselves - start to finish. I also like that it has a page or so of historical information to give some context and/or background to the projects. This is easy and fun for the kids to read on their own, but also great for me to share with them in a group setting. An excellent choice for homeschooling, or for just doing home Bible learning with your kids (like family devotions). Great for Sunday schools too.

We are using this book during our study of Ancient History. It is really wonderful to be able to help our childen understand the Sumerian or Egyptian culture by having our children create a clay tablet with cuneiform writing or by making a wooden "paddle doll" as the Egyptian children may have done. We have eaten meals that the Hebrews may have eaten in the desert, and will be making a bee hive that is based on one they may have used. Our kids love the projects in this book. The projects are easy enough for very young children to do, and most can be done with materials you have around the house, or could be purchased easily and inexpensively. The text is very informative, too, and can be used as a read-aloud with younger children in order to throw a little more light on the culture of the peoples we are studying.

This is a great resource. Although billed as Old Testament Days there are activities in here that would appeal to teachers who are not teaching 'old testament times' but teaching about that period of time. There are crafts for Egypt for example. Very fun and very easy crafts and information.

Nancy I. Sanders has compliled a wonderful book of activities that will greatly enrich any child's Bible education. Sanders briefly explains concepts/stories from the Old Testament (starting with the days of Abraham and ending with the days of Nehemiah)and then gives a simple enrichment activity to help recreate a moment from Biblical times. A few of the fun activities include making a lyre, building a salt-dough map, creating a seal and reinacting a day at a market in Jerusalem. If you want to bring the Old Testament to life for children, this book is a must.

This is a fantastic resource for use with children. This resource helps children learn realities about life during bible times. It also has a wide variety of activities, not just the same activity done different ways. The activities take some time and may be a little messy but they are excellent for involvement and for learning.

This is the story of Lt. Donovan, and a Mobile Advisory Team ( MAT 32 ),
and is exceptionally well told. There is no better book about being an adviser in Viet Nam. The culture and isolation of these small (5 Americas) teams is so well told, the gulf between the advisers and the American units their outlook on the war and the Vietnamese, the good, bad, and funny.
This is how it was, I was there for 2 1/2 years. Six months with an American unit and two years with MAT's, MAT 46, 6, and 64. This is the story of the 400 plus MAT's that operated until the final pull out of American Advisers.

'Once a Warrior King' is an
excellent book. Written by Terry Turner using the pen name David Donovan.
I served on MACV Advisory Team 88 in Ben Tre, Kein Hoa Province, IV Corps, Sept. '68 - Aug. '69.
(That was where 'We had to destroy the town in order to save it.'
A dumb statement which was not true. Some buildings were damaged but were quickly repaired.)
I was fortunate to be at Province headquarers where we were able to live in a decent manner. By comparision, the MAT and District team where Terry Turner served, near the Cambodian border, had very little personal and US military support. It is obvious to me, as a former MACV officer, that the book 'Once A Warrior King' could have only been written by somemone who was actually there. The fact that T. Turner used a pen name is OK. Many of the names in the book were changed for reasons of privacy.
A good book.

This is one of the finest books I've read about the tragedy that was Vietnam. You can see why the Americans lost the war. Donovan pointed out the problems, mistakes, the unbelievable waste and corruption; and the plain ignorance that sent too many men home in flag draped boxes. He came to love the ordinary people of Vietnam, and saw them as individuals, not just a bunch of gooks, slopes or other derogatory terms that were in general use. You also come to realise that America could have won if they'd had more Donovans, and employed tactics that won hearts and minds, rather than use body counts as their measure of success.

If you want an insight into the Vietnam war, I'd recommend this book.

Splendid book. Entertaining and minimally technical, it is strongly recommended for non-veterans who want to get a feel for "how it really was."

Donovan, as a mere First Lieutenant, was the senior U.S. military officer in a rural district near the Cambodian border. The Vietnamese District Chief cared little and higher authority was far away. By default, therefore, he became a kind of proconsul, a king. In charge of four Amercans and two platoons of Vietnamese militia, he ran his "own" war.

At first full of idealism and self-importance, he resembled Alden Pyle of the "The Quiet American". He mused that he could have any villager killed on his orders, and that he was treated like a lord. But he believed in the cause, loved the Vietnamese people, hated the Vietcong, disdained the corrupt and incompetent South Vietnamese government, and was appalled at the occasional coarseness of his fellow Americans. Like Horatio Hornblower, he was incredibly brave, but filled with internal fear and doubt.

All of the grand complexities of That War are conveyed in microcosm through anecdote. There is much humor (the pubic-hair contest he was asked to judge while holed up in a bar; the Keystone Cops escape in a Jeep with the Vietcong blazing away), pathos (the burned child he could not save), frustration (the Province Chief on the take; the District Chief who cared more for his own comfort than his people's safety; the air-conditioned REMFs who inhabited a separate world in Saigon), anger (the Vietcong-planted bomb that shredded a schoolhouse full of children), and harrowing action (assaulting a Vietcong bunker complex in a motor-driven sampan).

I served in the PBRs--river gunboats--that he often mentions, in a nearby area and at roughly the same time. This is the book that I would have written, if I had Donovan's diligence, sensitivity, and craft.

This is the best first person Vietnam War book I have ever read. I have read it multiple times and have given away each copy I've had. This book is the real deal.

I HAVE BEEN READING TURNBULL'S BOOKS FOR YEARS EVER SINCE I STUMBLED ACROSS A OLD TITLE OF HIS FROM THE 80'S.IF WANT THE ULTIMATE AUTHORITY IN THE ERA OF THE SAMURAI, READ HIS BOOKS.ANYONE ELSE IS A WASTE OF YOUR TIME.

This proves to be a valued addition to the Osprey Campaign series. The author, Stephen Turnbull wrote a great summary book on one of final major campaigns fought by the Japanese samurai during their heydays.

The campaign in question was Tokugawa Ieyasu's effort to secured his family rule of Japan by destroying the only other family who had the power and prestiage to challenge him. That family was the one of Toyotomi Hideyori, son of the great Taiko, Toyotomi Hideyoshi. While Battle of Sekigahara in 1600 created the Tokugawa Shogunate, Osaka Campaign of 1615 secured it for the next 250 years.

This book proves to be well written, well research and reflects strongly on the author's command of the subject. The author explains clearly the motives, directions and purpose of the campaign. The campaign ironically proves to be some sort of a Sekigahara Part II type of scenario since so many members of the Toyotomi army were made up of survivors who lost the first battle.

The book is organized into Osprey's typical set-up of introduction, background, commanders, troop type and finally the campaign itself. The entire book is exactly 96 pages long including the index. It come well illustrated, the maps are easy to read and followed and there some which proves to be very useful. The author have also provided some very nice order of the battle as well.

Overall, the book come highly recommended for anyone interested in Japanese samurai history. This book will go superbly well with Ospery's earlier book on Sekigahara by Anthony Bryant which proves to be equally well written.

I have been reading and enjoying Stephen Turnbull's books since 1978. His latest book about Osaka in 1615 as the last battle of the samurai is outstanding. I pre-ordered it knowing it would be good, but I was blown away by how comprehensive it was.
Turnbull has a seemingly enless number of stories about the samurai. Interesting anecdotes such as the question of Tokugawa Ieyasu being killed and replaced by a kagemusha (shadow warrior)is fascinating. I am looking forward to his next book due out this fall.

Osaka 1615, Stephen Turnbull's latest Osprey effort, is a welcome addition to the sparse English sources on Japanese warfare. Much of the information in this volume is presented in English for the first time, and Turnbull does a good job of detailing the movements and maneuverings of the two armies. I found his coverage of the many small battles occurring at the beginning of the Winter Osaka Campaign to be particularly well done and helpful. The orders of battle are highly detailed and extensive. As always, Turnbull excels in his ability to breath life into what could otherwise be a straightforward military history with many stories of the `glorious' (and not so glorious, as in the case of a commander who was lying drunk in a brothel as his fort was being captured) deeds performed. The volume is loaded with prints, woodcuts, and modern photos of the battlefields from Turnbull's archives (one of the best and most diverse sources to be found outside Japan). Colorful and detailed maps round out the volume. At 96 pages, it's not quite as extensive as could be hoped for, but hey, that's Osprey.
I'd like here to address some points made by another reviewer that I found rather odd, as Turnbull covers them all in his volume.
1)"Unfortunately, Turnbull is somewhat weaker on examining the actual military aspects of the campaign, such as why the Tokugawa won (yes the artillery was important, but simply not decisive at this point in history due to slow rate of fire and limited battlefield mobility)"
Artillery fire WAS the decisive factor in the Winter campaign (and henceforth the campaign as a whole). After several failed assaults on the Osaka castle defenses, Ieyasu decided to take a different approach. He knew his best bet was to prompt Lady Yodo (Toyotomi Hideyori's mother) to coerce her son into entering peace negotiations. Ieyasu knew Lady Yodo well, and his keen insight into her nature led him to believe that opening up on her living quarters with his artillery would have the desired effect...and he was right. The artillery bombardments of the keep (along with the entreaties of Yodo's family members sent as envoys by Ieyasu) drove the Toyotomi to a disastrous agreement with Ieyasu that ended up leaving the castle stripped of much of its defenses. The superior range of the Tokugawa cannon meant that they could bombard the keep at will without fear of retaliation. Rate of fire and mobility were simply not important factors, and for that matter even the physical damage they caused. Without the artillery, it's likely that the siege would have taken many extra months or perhaps years...if the Tokugawa coalition held that long.
2)"...or how many casualties occurred."
Turnbull doesn't discuss this for the simple reason that there exist no contemporary records of casualties for the battles as a whole. Anything on his part would be no more than wild speculation.
3)"Turnbull's methodology for the most part ignores how units fought or operational decisions in favor of spotlighting individual behavior."
Welcome to the world of samurai warfare, where operational decisions many times tended to be on the `There's the enemy-go get them!' and `We're being attacked-go get them' level. Some armies such as the Shimazu or Uesugi would pull off well planned ambushes and assaults, but these were the exception rather than the rule.
4)"After reading the description of the main actions on 3-4 June 1615 I found it difficult to gauge from this volume why exactly one side prevailed (other than the obviously higher level of initiative on the Tokugawa side)."
As Turnbull explained, the Toyotomi forces (outnumbered two to one) found their initial assault blunted as the Tokugawa continually brought fresh troops into the battle (while the Toyotomi forces became more and more tired and depleted). When the assault ground to a halt, the Toyotomi commander (Sanada Yukimura) was killed and their exhausted forces broke.
The book is not without its faults (I'd give it 4.8 stars rather than 5)...there are a few typos (for example, Kyushu is spelled Kyosho on page 9). The map of the battle of Domyoji on pages 70-71 has some mislabeling (there are two number 3's on the map-one of which should be #2-and number 1 & 2 on the map should both be labeled `1'). The same map also shows further troop positions on the Toyotomi side that do not agree with Japanese sources and appear to be incorrect. There's also some statements made to the effect that the walls and outworks of the castle look now just as they did in 1615-not so, as the original Toyotomi walls and structures were covered with dirt and built upon for the `Tokugawa' version of Osaka castle built around 1620. Likewise, the present keep is said to be based upon the Toyotomi version of the keep-however, the dimensions, number of roofs, and even something as basic as the castle's color are completely different.
All in all, however, Turnbull has done an exceptional job with the book given the limited space. There's something to be learned here for both serious scholars and casual readers. Highly recommended for any aficionado of Japanese history!

In Osaka 1615, Osprey Campaign #170, Samurai expert Dr. Stephen Turnbull provides an interesting summary of the final battle that unified Japan under the Tokugawa shogunate. I have been reading Turnbull's work since I was a student in Japan in the early '80s, when I also had chance to visit Osaka Castle. In short, Turnbull has a huge wealth of Samurai-related knowledge that he is able to convey on these pages to fascinate readers who enjoy Eastern tales of derring-do. Unfortunately, Turnbull is somewhat weaker on examining the actual military aspects of the campaign, such as why the Tokugawa won (yes the artillery was important, but simply not decisive at this point in history due to slow rate of fire and limited battlefield mobility) or how many casualties occurred. The author presents the reader with one Samurai account after another, but after awhile they start to appear as ciphers since we really don't know much about most of them. Turnbull's methodology for the most part ignores how units fought or operational decisions in favor of spotlighting individual behavior.

The volume follows the standard Osprey campaign format, with the usual 2-D and 3-D maps. Dr. Turnbull divides the campaign narrative into the winter and summer phases. I must admit that Dr. Turnbull adds good insight into Tokugawa Ieyasu's character, but most of the other leaders remain obscure. After reading the description of the main actions on 3-4 June 1615 I found it difficult to gauge from this volume why exactly one side prevailed (other than the obviously higher level of initiative on the Tokugawa side). Since the author admits that the final battle could have gone either way, this question deserved better analysis. Overall, this volume covers the subject fairly well, although it remains aloof from military issues, such as logistics, intelligence.

This book covers a lot of ground. It is generally considered to be one of the two (along with Honor Bound) major accounts of the POW experience in Vietnam. Unlike "Honor Bound" this book is not published by the Navy Press.

While writing a long article on a particular POW I was able to use this book as an excellent guide to the various timelines, facilities and actual implementations of the Code of Conduct. The book does not seek to be damning, except in one case where 8 men are named as total turncoats charged by their Sr. Ranking Officer with treason.

The book is smooth reading, but long. It is possible that this could be the only POW book many people will ever need.

As the title states, this is a definitive exploration of the experience of US heroes while in Vietnam captivity. Hubble's research is exemplary. The book is fact based with little bias. If one is interested in this topic, then this is the FIRST book they should read - from there, the reader can find particular people/topics of interest and branch out. The next book to read is "Honor Bound" by Rochester and Kiley - a later text using declasified sources. In reading these two books, a reader will come to understand the POW experience in Vietnam and appreciate America's TRUE heroes. Personnaly, I feel these should be required reading for ALL Americans - particularly our youth.

Researched over a 9 year time span using information gleaned from hundreds of interviews from Vietnam war POW's, this extensive saga of captivity is truly outstanding in its depth.

John G. Hubbell not only relates the stories of high profile POW's from North Vietnam, he explores the many aspects and rigors faced by U.S. servicemen in the brutal Southern Vietnamese prison camps. In helping the reader to truly understand the entire experience, this being a cautionary note to everyone, torture methods suffered by our U.S. servicemen are described very graphically throughout the text and may be difficult to read about at times.

Included in the superbly written and well researched narrative are maps of the various prison compounds, photographs of POW's and their captors, and the entire list of repatriated servicemen at Operation Homecoming in 1973.

"P.O.W. - A definitive history of the American Prisoner of War Experience, 1964-1973" is a very comprehensive and powerful study that makes for a lasting, memorable, and emotional reading experience. Upon recommending this book to everyone with interests in POW captivity, I would also like to suggest the brilliant and epic work "Honor Bound - American Prisoners of War in Southeast Asia, 1961-1973".

As a POW researcher, I would have been lost without Hubbel having gone before me to pave the way. This book continues to be a resource for me, a one of a kind history that says it all. I recommend it to anyone who wants to understand what the 566 POWs who were repatriated to the US in 1973 endured. The books by and about individuals give their person accounts, but Hubbel offers an objective analysis and global persecptive.

I regretted loaning my Readers Digest Press hardcopy of this book and never seeing it return. I had to wait years for the re-publication of this marvelous book.

This book is the quintessential book on the POW experience in North Vietnam, and I have read many of them. The atrocities committed by the North Vietnamese captors were barbaric, horrific, and inhuman. The POWs mostly Navy, Marine Corps and Air Force pilots and crewmen were left with no guidance other than their consciences, their moral compass, their pride of service, their patriotism and an outmoded "Code of Conduct" to fight back against unspeakable tortures designed to win over and break the "American Enemy" and score political propaganda points. For these prisoners, the war was not over when they were shot down. A new and completely unexperienced war commenced upon their capture, a cold, calculating battle to exploit those most vulnerable in the Vietnam War in order to exact concessions from the United States of America.

Against the background of these torturous events, North Vietnam's enablers from the U.S. and international anti-war activists cravenly cooperated with North Vietnamese officials to further undermine the courageous efforts of our POWs who endured barbaric handling to not betray their country's honor.

Not all POWs held up to the rigors of the "Code of Conduct" as well as the greatest majority. However, fortunately not having walked in their shoes, I cannot judge their behavior. The activities of the most stalwart POWs as well as those who were less so are chronicled it this very readable and very moving book. These were the true "heroes" of the Vietnam War. They have never received due honor and recognition. This book attempts to do so in a very meaningful way. If you read ANY book on the Vietnam experience, this must be the one.

I just finished taking an oriental cuisine class less than a year ago and our wonderfully experienced teacher recommended this cookbook for continued enjoyment in oriental cooking and eating at home. I have truly enjoyed using this book. I am quite young so cooking is new and I really like the art of it. Carpenter and Sanderson I think are at there best by exposing us to meals designed complete with the use of the most exciting and eccentric flavors. This is my favorite part about eating, besides company and presentation. At any rate, I am glad to have begun to collect cookbooks with this as one of the first ones. Thanks!

One of Carpenter's best books (and all of them are good). He constructs interesting foods with varied flavors. None of them (at least so far) are difficult to put together. He's consistently the best cook book author that I know of.

This is a great cookbook! It's got a great combination of basic and highly creative recipes. It seems that with many Chinese recipes and cookbooks, everything tastes similar, just with different ingredients. This book's recipes are very broad in concepts, flavors, presentation and preparation styles (some stir frys, barbeques, dumplings,sautes,sauces, etc.). If we could only have one Chinese cookook, this would be it.

Hugh Carpenter is one of my favorite cookbook authors: James Beard, Jacques Pepin and Rose Levy Berenbaum being the others. All write with explanations for the process---why you do something the way it is indicated in the recipe---is it the author's whim, tradition, or vital to a successful result?! Hugh Carpenter tells you what to do as far as preparation, whether it can be done in advance, and all needed information regarding the recipe, including plating the final results. What separates this book from so many other very good cookbooks is the actual recipes. If you want to try your hand at asian cooking, this would be my guide of choice. As Frommers travel guides are to the traveler, so are Carpenter/Sandeson's books to the intrepid cooks. As another reviewer stated, it is not recommended to 'blind' try a recipe for guests---that is, don't plan to serve an untried recipe for the first time to guests. But with this book (or any of his others, for that matter) you can do this fearlessly. The flavors are vibrant, bold and he tells you if you need to raise the level of heat. Do what he says: if he tells you something needs to marinate overnight, or be cooked a day in advance to allow the flavors to mellow or settle, DO IT! He and his wife have traveled all over the Pacific Rim and bring authentic flavors to the American cook who wants veracity and integrity in their cooking.

Out of +150 cookbooks we own, this is one of the top five. Hugh Carpenter isn't afraid to have you use spices to produce wonderful dishes. His method of separating the recipe into advance preparation and cooking is a great help in preparing something new. His serving sizes are very accurate and menu ideas useful. The photography is outstanding and an added plus in first time preparation. At a dinner party, we rarely dare to prepare a dish we haven't tried, but have done this on five occasions using "Pacific Flavors", all with compliments from everyone. This book is not only an excellent cookbook, but a beautiful coffee table piece also.

Simply better than the first... and it's on my bookshelf now.

I got this book from a local bookstore. Only one was available and the cover was not in a very good condition. But I find the content stunning... the combination of photographs and no faults with the manipulations/modifications done could have easily fooled many in earlier days. Today we know such mastery is possible powerful computer software.

This book eye candy to me.

Paintbox No.1 shows the power of image manipulation. With a simple digital pen these artists blend together images that will amaze your eyes. Pages upon pages of eyecandy!

This book is chocked of photographic pictures that are skillfully modififed to blend seamlessly. Some of these may be done by using plug-ins, but others require more effort, skill and thought. For example, you cannot just mask an object and paste it on another photo; need to consider shadow, lighting, etc. and I think the pictures here involved such considerations. Great work. When I look at the pictures, I think, "That's great..." and a great challenge to me to produce similar results.

I am also intending to get "Paintbox No. 2" !!

Sometimes we come across advertisements (eg. posters) that catch our attention and make us wonder---"How REAL!!" and amaze us. This book is filled with wonderful pictures, carefully designed, composited, etc. with consideration of details such as shadows to make things realistic. Everything in the pictures blends well with other elements in the pictures. With the power of today's photo editing software, some of these may not be difficult to produce but for the rest, they seem like wonders to me. Imagination and skills are essential.

If you are in advertising and designing, it would be a great challenge to yourself to try to produce similar effects in the book. Or if you are just looking for a book that shows you great pictures in advertising, you will find this book to be an eye-candy. However, this book does not teach you how to produce the effects; which, I think is not the aim of the book.

I am happy to have a copy of this book.

Kazuo Inamori, the founder of Kyocera, puts forth his philosophy on success in business and life in this book. One thing that you'll notice is that he takes an almost religious approach to work, and believes that one can find true happiness through work. At the same time, he realizes that work can be a real struggle, so he gives good advice for pulling through those difficult times at work. I recommend this book to anyone who would like to look at success in business through other means than money. It will help you see how you can gain self fulfillment through your work.

I've never written one of these reviews, but this is one of the treasured books in my library. I've owned it since it came out and continually refer to it for advice and council. I have also given it to many customers. Kyocera's website is also an inspiring to place to see how Mr. Inamori put his philosophy to work to bring a legacy of business success worldwide. His people-practices would change the world if practiced.

This is a great book! Whether you read it straight through for the inspiration or read a section a day (usually only a page in length) as a meditation guide, just read it and absorb it. Give it to your boss, give it to your customers, give it to your peers, give it to your team members, even give it to your family. All will be better for it.

I bought this book back in 1995, and after much reflection and numerous business/leadership books, I must say Mr. Inamori is still in a class of his own. Though he teaches seemingly oversimplified concepts, it is indeed the correct concepts--if there is such a thing. Correct, for example, in that you can leave the world knowing your grandchildren will be proud that you existed. If you're familiar with Maslow hierarchy of needs: when you're reading this book, you will have no doubt that the author is at or above the self actualization stage, which I must say 90% of all the so called gurus of business don't seem to be in. The concept that you should speak from your heart, not implementing certain "techniques" in public speaking rings true for me personally. I'm grateful for such a gift from Mr. Inamori.

Kazuo Inamori's book is highly inspirational in its evocation of "passion" as the underpinning driver of success in life. In all fields of social endeavour, it is the most passionate individuals who stand out, and ultimately achieve success. We see this in the sporting arena (Muhammad Ali, Leyton Hewitt), in business (Richard Branson, Jack Welsh), and in politics.

Inamori's book is divided up into two parts. Part one provides a series of insights on "How to Succeed in Life", covering the following key areas: ability, effort, attitude, and success. His central thesis is that success = effort x ability x attitude. Most of us tend to see success as the result of effort and ability, but overlook the power of maintaining a positive attitude. Inamori urges the reader not to overlook the immense power that a positive attitude can have, both in terms of attracting support for our goals, and in terms of building and maintaining our own self esteem.

The second part of this book focuses on "How to Succeed in Business" and covers the following eight areas; passion, profit, ambition, sincerity, strength, innovation, optimism, and 'never give up'.

Above all else, this book contains genuine bursts of insight that will enrich the perspective of most readers. Unlike so many self-help products that promise the earth and deliver disappointment, this book is as close as the thinking person will get to "the real deal".

I would put this book on the same shelf with "The Witch Doctors" by Micklethwait & Wooldridge, and "Dangerous Company" by O'Shea & Madigan - all of these are excellent business books, and stand out as unique and valuable contributions to our understanding of the meaning of success in today's modern world of work.