Asia Books

Cameron has achieved somthing remarkable here. He has produced a superb scholarly work, and infused it with a warmth and humanity which beggars description. He evokes the sense of awe, of wonder, of sheer disbelief felt by these European visitors. He revels in their confusion, laughs as they grope their way through a world of which they have no comprehension. And is completely sympathetic. That is not to say this is a lighthearted book. He can be savage in his critique, and his description of the Opium Wars will anger many. Still, for a balanced, lively and superbly scholary book, you can not find better. I recomend it wholeheartedly.

If you are not interested in China you should read this book, to understand more of your own country. If you are, then you will find it insightful, erudite, empathic, and comfortably delivers the quality you would want when reviewing the scope of 13 centuries of western engagement with traveller. Based on my reading of innumerable other books on the subject, one of the best informed. Except maybe about the Last Empress.....such a small point. This writer has lived for decades in the region, and it shows. Highly recommend.

I have made China, its history and future, a dedicated hobby. It also helps that my work requires me to covers Greater China. As such I have read 100's books, and visited many times, and published - although nowhere near the scholarly work of this. It is a great work, very well researched, sympathetic, and empathic - rare in the case of a western writer in my experience. He has spent decades in the region, and it shows. A project on a broad scale, 13 centuries of China's engagement with western travellers is readable, insightful, human, and even if you do not have an interest in China - it will change the way you think about your own country[men] and the geopolitical landscape. However, you should know about China, it is now a major player on the world stage. Highly recommend.

Through the accounts of representative Western travelers -over thirteen centuries- in China, the author provides a historical thread of encounters between West and East, starting with the christians-nestorians in the year 625, and continuing with Marco Polo and the Mongols. Then, the great saga of Jesuits scholars and Dominics during the late Ming and early Qing dynasties. The author moves on to the 19th century with detailed accounts on traders and diplomats intertwining with the Opium War and the Unequal Treaties, finishing with the boxer attack of the Foreign Legations in 1900 and the Sun Yat Sen's first republic in 1911 .

In the background one reads of the comings and goings of the Chinese dynasties dealing with increasing waves of "ocean devils". In the forefront one finds the portrayal of a gallery of actors : sages and villains, missionaries and eunuchs...The underlying clash of cultures enhances the reciprocal fascination and disbelief of two worlds, each one convinced of his own superiority but nevertheless enthralled by the other.

Nigel Cameron -- in a well documented exposition of hundreds of historical clues, with over 100 illustrations-recounts the introduction of western astronomy to the Middle Kingdom, the enchantment of Jesuits with Confucianism and the subsequent conflict with Christianity, the antiforeignism as official Chinese policy confronting the Western "gunboat" extraterritoriality.

History repeats itself ?.I am writing this review in Beijing, July 1999, myself a " bearded barbarian" European staying in China since early 1989. A few weeks ago I saw in Beijing demonstrations of Chinese students stoning two western embassies. Recently we have seen on the news the emotional confrontations between Chinese and Western (Americans) diplomats and political leaders regarding atomic espionage. At the threshold of the celebration of the 50th Anniversary of the New China and the upcoming China entrance into the World Trade Organization, the story of the East and West, face to face, is an unending and fascinating one .

A copy of its out of print 1989 edition has been on my desk as a special reference book, so I am glad that it has been recently reprinted.I would recommend it for someone who has more than a mild interest in the subject matter, and mainly for the next barbarians coming to China in the next millenniums...

The year is 1971. American involvement in Vietnam is winding down and the United States prepares for reversion of Okinawa back to Japan. Enter Indiana Jones-like Captain Rast, fresh from his tour of duty in Vietnam, ready to begin his next adventure on "The Rock." Assigned to the top-secret "Operation Red-Hat," the removal of WMD's from Okinawa, Captain Rast is catapulted into a world of military cover-ups, renegade officers, CIA operatives, sinister drug lords, murder, firefights, and (Oh, Yes!) steamy sex.
Rast's first-rate novel, filled with colorful and sometimes loony characters, snappy and witty dialogue, and biting political commentary, is an exciting and action-packed book from beginning to end. --Diana J. Dell, author, "A Saigon Party: And Other Vietnam War Short Stories."

An absolute must read
If you like action-adventure stories, then this is the book for you. The characters are blended together with skill that makes the plot very interesting. Set in exotic Asia, the author brings you into a very volatile situation in which a nuclear suitcase bomb is stolen by an American colonel. His intent and whereabouts are initially a mystery baffling both CIA and Soviet GRU agents. While this search is in full swing, the highly profiled removal of poison gas (Operation Red-Hat) begins on Okinawa with covered up incidents of deadly sarin and tabun leakage. The main character, Bayou Samurai, becomes involved in this gas removal along with being tasked with a secret `Black-Code' mission. There is plenty of activity ranging from murder, drug smuggling, typhoons, political pressure, to Bayou Samurai's romantic, often comical flirtation with the beautiful geisha, Uri Kikuchi. From the White House to General Big-Minh in Saigon and his drug warlord buddy, Khun Sa in Burma, Bayou Samurai manages to meet all challenges with his `odd' method of going after the bad-guys with one foot always in hot-water with his superiors. A true page turner, I couldn't put the book down. I have never read anything as exciting and riveting in my life. My strongest recommendation.

If Forrest Gump had stayed in the army, he would have been the perfect definition of 'Bayou Samurai', a reserve officer, rather innocently contrified from Louisiana, full of contradictions, afraid of upsetting his military boss's as he stumbles across Asia to remove poison gas from Okinawa, then recover a missing nuclear bomb along with thirteen pounds of plutonium just for starters. It's a great story, well thought out with some very interesting characters like the Burmese drug warlord, Khun Sa with his odd compassion for American primitive art; Timothy Bernard, VFW manager on Okinawa, thriving drug smuggling money while in cahoots with Saigon General Big Minh; Colonel Charles Hungeford, the renegade West Point expatriate, a misguided genius madly in love with 'Arun' (Dawn) of the Akha hill-tribes in the Golden Triangle, pregnant with Khun Sa's child; Uri Kikuchi, the beautiful virgin geisha, secretary to Chobyo Yara, top political figure in the impending reversion of Okinawa back to Japanese control who distrusts Americans, yet befriends Bayou Samurai. Throw in Bayou Samurai's romantic, comical scenes with Uri and his Vietnam femme fatale Nguyen Thi Chua and the rambunctious Major Steinson; you have plenty of sex to blend with often raw acts of violence, political intrigue, and descriptive areas of Japan, Okinawa, Vietnam, Laos, Thailand, and Burma, poetic in almost seance, blending with plot--- which is darn good.

This fast-paced, turbulent, yet romantic story focuses on a young somewhat countrified American officer assigned to Operation Red Hat on Okinawa in 1971. The circumstances are multi level making for some good reading as the story unfolds taking the reader across Asia and into The Oval Office of The White House for snatches of great dialogue, epsecially between Richard M. Nixon and Henry Kissinger. There is Operation Red Hat involving removal of poison gas and nukes from Okinawa, drug-smuggling intrigue, a missing nuclear suitcase bomb, government cover-ups placing the forces of good trying to undo evil into almost insolvable scenarios and great humor to balance out a Cold War drama involving realistic violence brought on by my fear and greed. I enjoyed reading this book because it was not only interesting but the obvious research is well organized in placement and sequence of characters and events. One has to wonder why Rast labels the work fiction as most of the events are true, while he only adds a delightful literary "Midas Touch" to make it into a compelling story set in an area faintly understandable by Westerners. Books like this are rare to come across nowdays which manage to bring across realistic content while co-mingling whith entertaining readability.

Just wanted to say I've had this book for 8 years now and it is still one of the greatest treasures in my library. Thanks to the author for writing it. I just recommended it yesterday to another great writer of things Indian - pass it on. This book's a keeper.

Richard Lannoy's "Benaras Seen from Within" is a passionately insightful spiritual/aesthetic inquiry on the holy city of Kashi (Benaras). It is more a work of ardent love than a work of curiosity. It is more a work of the seeking spirit than a work of art. Teeming with the elusive cosmic energy that has pervaded the city of Kashi since times immemorial, his photographs and his insightful writings in this book are testament to his seeking soul, his acute eye and his brilliant mind that have fueled the creation of this monumental body of work.

Inspite of several scholarly and scientific studies undertaken of this holy city, Mr. Lannoy's work stands out as a unique and exhaustive seeking of its kind. For one, it is the result of a passionate dedication of a lifetime of love, energy and effort by this acclaimed Indologist. (It has taken him about five decades to accomplish this work). Being a trained artist, a scholar and a deeply insightful writer, his love for the country of India and his sincere reverence for the city of Kashi have all contributed effectively to create this spiritually rich and inwardly seeking work. His lengthy span of over five decades to research and document this book has been a boon to reflect on the ever-changing yet never-changing cosmic landscape of Kashi. (This is paramount to the unique quality of this work). Besides, it takes a deeply dedicated and spiritually aware soul to see through the distracting and distorted layers of the teeming microcosmic city of Benaras and to reveal the transcendental cosmic city of Kashi. It is amply clear through this book that Mr. Lannoy seems to be all that in addition to being a master photographer.

Through the lens, he has succeeded in capturing the elusively spiritual; the hauntingly mythic. (This, I think, is the most difficult and worthy achievement of a photographer.) His works in entirety are wrapped around this theme and are reflected all over in secret cues. His visual vocabulary effuses the language of the mysterious and taunts the viewer to search his pictures. Like Henri Cartier Bresson, he is the master of the moment, but very unlike Bresson, he is concerned with the spiritual exuberance of the picture than the merely aesthetic. His pictures are more felt than seen. Some of his successes enjoy a brilliant quality of aesthetic, insightful and the inwardly. Mr. Lannoy is also kind and reverent to the subject of his study. In his pictures, he seeks for deeper moments with the grace and expectancy of an earnest and seeking student. Pictures of the people and the abundant petite bourgeoisie are not pictures of the materially poor, but the spiritually rich. Some of his captured moments are events of everyday life : ceremonies, ablutions, prayers, journeys....yet moments that celebrate metaphysical insight and inquiry.

Through his pen, he offers a penetrative and insightful documentation on the holy city of Benaras. Steeped in myth, religion and spirituality; Benaras is one of the last remaining living ancient cities where visitors, pilgrims and scholars throng; attracted by the enigmatic energy that radiates in this place. As a peculiar convergence between the present and the past, the sacred and the profane, this pervading dichotomy of sorts presents a very unique challenge to the inquirer and Mr. Lannoy acknowledges this very nature by interspersing his works between words and pictures. In a sense, what cannot be conveyed with words is reflected within his pictures and what fails to be seen is written with acuity and ardor. With this hard earned creation of a lifetime, he seems to have collected the ripest and the most mystically beautiful fruit from the sacred tree of Kashi.

Mr. Lannoy's book is a seminal and masterly work of an artist and intellect in search of the soul of a cosmic city. In many ways, his works are reminiscent of the scholarly undertakings of the pioneer Indian art historian and original thinker Mr. Ananda Coomaraswamy. Like him, Mr. Lannoy is intuitively gifted in his ability to grasp the metaphysical leanings of his subject and writes with a passion and an inwardly conviction that years of patient seeking and searching have granted him.

I highly recommend this book for any student of artistic and philosophical seeking. For those in proximity to New York City, there is an exhibition of his works on display till the 8th of April 2000 at Sepia International Inc. Galley, 148, W 24 Street, 11 Floor, NY.

-Lokesh Muthuramalingam, February 25 2000, lmuthura@att.com

This huge book about India's most holy city has two parts, either of which would be worth the journey through its beautifully produced pages. In the first, hundreds of photographs are cunningly arranged to lead us into the ancient, wonderful city where the Buddha first began his mission. The images take us along lanes and ways, up to rooftops, among pressing crowds, and down to the sacred ghats by the River Ganges; where Hindus have gone for millennia to cleanse their sins and burn their dead. In the second part, we get a lively description of the inner life of Benares--and by extension, all of India. This book should be read by anyone interested in Hindu art and religion, but also by city planners and would-be travelers.

Remarkably, the book spans over 40 years of thought and effort by Lannoy-- with a great caesura between the early 60's and the present. How this happened is that Lannoy began his project in the early 50's and worked at it for over 10 years during extended residences in the city. Then he struggled to find a publisher who would take the risk of printing so many rich photographs. Struggled and failed, and the photos crossed the oceans several times in steamer trunks, before finally coming sadly to rest. Until 1998, when the old sage, painter, and author of other books that are scholarly classics at last turns his eye again to this troublesome love of his youth. Now he takes up his camera for the first time in years and, armed with new possibilities for small press runs, returns to Benares for fresh photography, contracts a Hong Kong printer, works furiously, takes a huge financial risk, and at long last publishes this unique masterpiece, on his own, exactly as he wants it.

The fifties, for Americans anyway, are remembered as a time of great cultural certainty. We recall images--often in black and white--of an uncluttered land, at once carefree and supremely purposeful. India, we learn through these photographs, had a golden age of its own in this same era. But while America's purpose was transcendent materialism, Indians, newly independent, could at last strive for spiritual fulfillment in their own land. We sense this confidence, somehow, in the pictures and Lannoy is at pains to point out their psychological portent. It is as if he were an art critic analyzing the imagery Indians create by assembling, unselfconsciously, for their rituals and pageants--imagery which he is skillful enough to capture. For example, I might not have perceived the spiritual melding in crowds assembled for ritual bathing without the convincing captions Lannoy provides. Nor would I have seen the change wrought between the 50's and the present, when crowds have lost their unity of belief and become mere collections of individuals.

"Benares Seen From Within" works as a coffee table book. Many of the pictures are conventionally gorgeous and certainly exotic. But the collection is much, much more. Photographs are grouped, according to subject, in a more or less straightforward way. But within the groupings are subtle structures and by-plays with the captioning. For example, in one section shows a series of contact prints (miniature photographs are used to effect in several places). They show a mural painter drawing a devotional subject while a sahdu (holy man) regales a group of followers with a parable. At the climax of the story, the caption informs us, the muralist draws the pupil of the eye-the moment the image gains a soul. "Oh" one thinks and turns the page. There is a charming picture of the river side and a veranda. Turn another page and pow! A sahdu leans forward with burning eyes and points right into the lens. This moment, one realizes after paging back, was the climax of the story. Elsewhere, Lannoy describes the excitement and difficulty of photographing the Naga Baba, but without saying exactly what the Naga Baba are exactly. For this, and much more, we have to delve into the pages ourselves.

Earlier books by the Lannoy (Speaking Tree, The Eye of Love) have established his credentials as a scholar of Indian art and culture. Here, we get a more personal statement, informed by the passage of time, and insightful of the disturbing changes underway. The text is rich and lively-and illustrated with additional photographs. Where the detail is overmuch for a first reading, the layout allows one to skip ahead; and meticulous indexing refers one to the photographs for fresh examination. It is rare to get a book of photographs that contains such easy scholarship and it is even more unusual to get art and religious history enlivened with photographs that are art in their own right.

For all the pleasure, we are never far from a grim sense that Benares is under threat. Due to pollution, the Ganges is now extremely unsafe for even the most stalwart bathers. Urban blight and traffic has savaged the ancient city plan. Lannoy looks at this unflinchingly. Indeed the photography often acts as a time-series showing decay and loss.

At this point, I should confess that I have known Richard Lannoy for many years-since he was my tutor at college in England over 20 years ago. I can recall him showing us students some of the photographs now published. Tarot-like, he would deal pictures out onto a cloth laid on the floor, intone on their meaning, then whisk them away for a fresh set. They created a spell then that still enchants. In the truest way, this book is a gift from Richard-a giving back and a sharing about a place at once loved and mourned. Lucky us that he was able finally to not only show the beauty of Benares, but sound an alarm for the future.

This landmark book is a life's work and sings a soul song of one of the most deeply beloved spiritual places, a place where religious life is still the center.

Lannoy's photographs have all too rarely been published, and this book would be a visual feast if only for the chance to see a master photographer at work, composing foreground and background moments simultaneously so that they breathe life and a story in a complete message.

The text is also the best piece of writing about Benares that I've read. So many books describe only the obvious and most prurient sites of Benares (the burning ghats, the naga babas) and miss the true depth and richness of the city. From this text and photographs, the reader looks at the numerous facets of this multilayered city.

I, too, must confess to having met and now knowing Richard Lannoy, as a fellow traveler in Benares, where I had the extreme good fortune to meet him and to accompany him on photographic jaunts throughout the city and its outskirts.

His running dialog about things Benarsi is a gift of the gods...For anyone who is interested in India, I would say this is the first and best book you should buy. You can learn more about the country, and a great city, from this book. An incomparable experience and hours of absorbing reading and looking...

An engaging adventure enfolds when Bushi escapes a gang of school yard bullies by fleeing into a karate studio. He falls, losing consciousness and dreams (another interpretation from the book jacket is that he travels back in time) he meets the master who founded the school and has an adventure, in which he learns to escape a larger adversary by jumping aside during an attack. When he reawakens, he uses this technique to land the bully in a fountain and escapes again to attend karate class. Includes small glossary of Japanese words used in the story and vivid illustrations.

Once again Mat Faulkner have brought another great book into american liture this book is the best i love his illistrations and te story line is great i hope his next book maybe a sexquil? Will be just as good.

An engaging adventure enfolds when Bushi escapes a gang of school yard bullies by fleeing into a karate studio. He falls, losing consciousness and dreams he meets the master who founded the school and has an adventure, in which he learns to escape a larger adversary by jumping aside during an attack. When he reawakens, he uses this technique to land the bully in a fountain and escapes again to attend Karate class. Includes small glossary of Japanese words used in the story.

Once again Matt Faulkner demonstrates his outstanding abilities in the literary as well as artistic realm. "Black Belt" rises to the top among his other works such as: "Amazing Voyage of Jackie Grace," and"Jack and the Beanstalk." His illustration is so beautiful you almost need no words to read the story of Bushi and his nemesis Yag yu. What child has not lived through Bushi's experience and dreamed that he would be the victor. The story has everything that makes a book exciting for a child: Magical illustrations, a real life problem, a possible solution, and a surprise ending that leaves you wishing for more. What more could you ask for?

This is an excellent book for two reasons: its lively writing and its emotional impact. Don Yost gives life to many of the underlying frustrations of serving in Vietnam that most other books and essays about Vietnam haven't even identified. It also provides a superbly realistic look at the war through the eyes of someone who understands and appreciates the depth of the potential sacrifice that each man must face when he's called to serve, especially in a war that's misunderstood my most people, and bitterly opposed by his own generation.
When it comes to first-person accounts of the Vietnam war, this book is like no other. It's an excellent work that should be on everyone's bookshelf.

I am not a reader, you'll never find a romance novel in my presence, but I do like war stories. This is anything but, it is a story of a man's love for his family written in a way that would move the most manly of men. It is more of an appology to all of those who he hurt during his healing than a war story but it's written in an entertaining, "laugh while you cry", "I can relate to that", matter of fact manner. It's a must read for anyone and everyone. I have passed it around to friends who have passed it to friends, my copy has been in more homes than me because everyone loves it and relates to it in one way or another.

Don Yost, in Blessings, pulls you into his heart and holds you willingly captive on his journey of self-discovery. Through his first person narrative, he tells a profound story of innocence, disillusionment, and acceptance. His book is a reassuring tribute to all of us who have had "Vietnams" in our own lives.

I couldn't put it down! The word "Vietnam" has meant little more to me than buff actors with atitude, this book changed that. It's not a blood and gore or look what America did to me, story. It's an appology and a promise to get over it. Anyone could relate this to the struggles in their own lives and learn how to turn them into something wonderful. This is so wonderfully written that I was able to empathize with this man rather than just have sympathy for him. I have given this to both male and female friends, everyone agrees, it's wonderful.

An outstanding book! This series has been a wonderful source of information concerning the more obscure air combat scene in the Asia/ Pacific warzone. The day-to-day accounts of allied air activity combined with personnel insights and photos provide a stark picture of the war's early days. British, Dutch, American, Aussie, and Japanese accounts of the signifcant early battles are compared and contrasted, highlighting the "fog of war" and the abilities of both sides to grossly overestimate their combat results. Volume one was so outstanding that I ended up purchasing the remaining books in the series immediately after finishing it. You will not regret purchasing this or any of the other books in this series. Volume 2 contains some minor corrections for Volume 1, as well as a chapter that was originally intended for the first book.
I find Christopher Shores one of the best aviation writers out there. This book is really better then 5 stars; the illustrations earn it a 6!

This book, yet another in the wonderful series of air war accounts done by Christopher Shores and Brian Cull is a great review of the early air war in the Pacific Theater. Mr. Shores and Mr. Cull use interviews with the participants as well as the actual unit reports to bring an idea of the constant struggle that the air war represented. Rather than being dry, these books are easy to read and a great resource.

Let me first say that both volumes in the Bloody Shambles series are excellent and far superior to ANY other text on the subject of air warfare in the first six months of the Pacific War that I've ever seen.

Nonetheless, having conducted extensive research into the role of the Royal Netherlands Naval Air Service (MLD) during the Japanese invasion of the former Netherlands East Indies (NEI), I can tell you that both volumes of Bloody Shambles contain some fairly substantial errors on the MLD. However, this can be overlooked somewhat given that the role of the MLD in the Pacific War is not particularly well covered in English and there is very little information available for the non-Dutch speaking historian. It is unlikely that I would have noticed the errors in question had I not spent 11 years researching my own manuscript on the naval air war in the NEI.

But from what I can tell though, the rest of the information detailing the air war in the Philippines, NEI, Singapore and Burma appears to be incredibly accurate. Having grown up hearing and reading stories about how the "invincible" Japanese blew through Allied air defenses with nary a loss, these texts go a long way in educating the reader that in many cases, the Allies gave just as much as they received from the Japanese.

All in all, a must read for anyone interested in learning more about the true nature of the air war in the first six months of the Pacific War.

Christopher Shores is an international treasure, a man who has made it his task to suss out the truth about aerial combats in far corners of the globe, usually with the assistance of a fellow historian or two from the countries most involved. In this particular case, he is one of the few who have accessed Japanese records, and he compares them with Allied accounts on a day-by-day basis. This is great stuff, especially for those of us who already know something about the campaigns. My particular interest is the Flying Tigers of Burma, and I was delighted to have Shores's version, especially since he gives equal time to the RAF squadrons that fought alongside the AVG. But I confess that it took a great deal of concentration for me to slog through the Philippines campaign, about which I knew very little. So my conclusion is this: the more you know already, the more you will learn from this account. -- Dan Ford

Few Asian companies have been successful in developing international brands. It is now a sophisticated process that puts together and sustains a complex mixture of local and international attributes and values , something that is tangible.Its interesting how Temporal have chosen the different products ( over 20 )from leading Asian and Western brands to show good examples of how companies have used the fundamentals of branding to achieve global success. He has provided illustrative examples, techniques , exercises and invaluable advice for any company in Asia regardless of size that strives for more than being just another local household name.

Asian market is unique with their traditional cultural. Brands should be though for leading in this area. This book must be read for the company who : - want to build a strong image - want a competitive advantage - struggle in asian market

One of the ways to achieve sustainable growth in any market is a recognisable brand name. While many Western companies have successfully developed international brands, Asian companies have been slow to follow suit. How is it that Asia, a region that has such high brand appreciation, produces so few international brands of its own?

In this groundbreaking book, Asia's leading brand architect addresses this unusual situation, explains the fundamentals of branding and shows how companies can use them to achieve outstanding performance. Containing over 20 case studies of leading Asian and Western brands, this book is packed with illustrative examples, advice and exercises.

Branding in Asia is an invaluable book that is a must for anyone responsible for business growth in the 21st century.

Dr Paul Temporal is Asia's leading expert on brand creation, development and management, having lived in the region for over 14 years. He has worked with leading companies and governments, and is well known his results-oriented and hands-on approach. He is the author of Corporate Charisma.

My expectations were mainly about redressing the balance on geographical origins of brand case studies. Our literature suffers from being far too US centric. This imbalance is unfortunate for several reasons including: - living in the US for the last 2 years has taught me how atypical the US consumer is of any other I have met in 25 countries that I have worked - from the oldest brand models (which assumed brands were advertising led) to the newest ebrand models, there's huge share of voice reflecting the culture of corporate America and the case theories of its business schools. These powerful systems shouldn't be unquestioningly exported as being de facto paradigms for local organisational excellence or social value.

My expectations were exceeded because this book - unlike most on the brand which start with chapters on advertising and marketing communications - opens up from the very beginning on the leadership importance of branding. Here we are on pages 1-2: "Strong brands endure many challenges. This is becoming increasingly relevant in an era of unprecedented change, upheaval and uncertainty. This change is strategic, unlike the incremental change of more predictable times, and therefore requires a strategic response. Brand building is exactly such a response. If successful, it can be the strongest weapon in a company's armory and the best guarantee of corporate survival. The challenge that lies ahead is that of change management.

And by page 4, we're invited to join in a cataloguing of worldwide changes to marketing: -the breakdown of market boundaries -globalization and the development of global brands -increasing market fragmentation -product diversity and shorter life cycles -greater customer sophistication -digital business -economic instability and market volatility

So this book flies, and yet at the same time when you read it you will continually pick up useful advice whether your brain is looking for practical or academic stimulation. For example, the book closes with an appendix of very worthwhile brand exercises, and it resonates with case studies, 24 in all. Each case study ends with a summary of that brand's strengths.

This book will be good for you whether this is the first one you read on branding, or as in my case the twenty first, including two of my own. For example, I learnt a lot from Temporal's consistently strong advice on brand values and the way they shape corporate personality on its outside and inside.

It's a very good book, good analysis of Nikkei life in Japan.

I read this book and I found that it was more than a simple academic book with statistics, and numbers...It's a realy good view of what is a migrant life in Japan .

Here is a short, simple book examining the role and place of the ever-growing Japanese-Brazilian population in Japan. Overall, it is a well written piece of work that I found helpful in my reseach. Although it is not the most comprehensive book on Japan's new ethnic minoritiy population,the Brazilians, Roth's work is worthwhile nonetheless.

The topic of Japanese Brazilian migrants in Japan is one that very few people outside of Japan or Brazil know about. I'm glad to see that there was a book written about this issue, especially since it involves the complexity of race vs. ethnicity and issues dealing with feelings of isolation, sense of belonging and cultural acceptance, something which we all strive for. Mr. Hotaka Roth did an excellent job of researching the experiences of these migrant workers and presented them in a very honest way. You could tell that he dove into this project fullheartedly by the fact that he made an effort to not only learn Japanese and about Japanese culture, but that he also learned Portuguese and the different nuances of Brazilian culture. Unlike a lot of research books, this book was not dry and did not drag on forever. It was quick paced and easy to read and understand. It keeps the reader interested and each chapter presents itself with new themes.

In Japan, a country that is thought to be "ethnically pure", the new phenomenon of return migration poses an interesting problem. Nikkei (those who are of Japanese ancestry outside of Japan) Brazilian nationals began migrating to Japan for economic reasons in the 1990s (the government made it particularly easy for them to enter the country, assuming they would adapt to Japanese culture better than those with no ties to the country), and many decided to stay, creating minority enclaves with a culture distinctly their own and NOT Japanese. Joshua Hotaka Roth provides an analysis of Nikkei life in Japan.

Although I read this book as part of a research project, I found that it was much, much more than a dry academic book with lots of statistics (although there certainly were plenty of statistics for anyone looking for solid numerical data). Roth didn't just write about this subject; he experienced it: he worked in a factory side by side with Nikkei Brazilians, lived and associated with Nikkei, and truly participated in his subjects' way of life in Japan. The result is an intimate view of the "return" migrant's experience, including sections on the actual factory work, injury and health insurance issues, and some ways in which Brazilian Nikkei in Japan maintain Brazilian identities while adapting to Japan.

This book is great for anyone who wants to know more about Japan in this time of internationalization, anyone who is interested in international migration, issues of national identity, or anyone who just wants an interesting non-fiction read.

I savor my time to read "Buddhist Goddesses of India". The energy it brings me is very specific to the Goddess I am reading about. It must have been quite a journey writing it, connecting so deeply with each Goddess. Reading the book helps me stay centered in myself in what feels like a masculine world. Anyone like myself, who is sensitive to the many currents of energy in the world, or who would like to experience the energy of the Goddess, will have a good time with this book. It is also very useful for practitioners of Buddhism.

This book is more than worth it for the pictures alone. The images of Buddhist goddesses are simply gorgeous--whether clear black and white, or glorious color. Representing architectural elements, reliefs, gates, sculptures, painted cloth, and more, these images provide an invaluable visual document of the female images of divinity populating Buddhist history.

Even so, the book offers far more. Shaw not only gathers these visual images for us, she helps us understand them--why they exist, why they appear as they do, and what they teach us about Buddhist thought and practice. For each goddess, Shaw considers the visual representations alongside the goddess's appearances in literature, history, ritual practices, and other Hindu and folk traditions. Moving among these various representations, Shaw creates compelling accounts of each deity's religious significance. She also documents change over time, charting the ascension of goddess figures through three stages of Buddhist history, early, Mahayana, and Tantra. The female Buddhas of Tantra occupy the third section of the book. And all along the way, Shaw deftly moves from persuasively engaging issues in Buddhist scholarship to telling vivid stories about the goddesses themselves.

This comprehensive, accomplished book is for everyone and anyone who is interested in Buddhism, India, goddesses, South East Asia, Indian art and architecture, comparative religions, or the religious significance of art in general. Its stories and pictures engage and delight. At the same time, it is a must-read for scholars in all these fields for the ways in which it stretches and prunes our understanding of Buddhism. As Shaw persuasively documents, there is far more to the tradition than teachings of renunciation. Equally integral to the tradition are life-affirming, female-celebrating expressions of wisdom, creativity, and devotion.

This magnum opus will remain a serious resource for information about Buddhist Goddesses of India for decades. The scholarship is impeccable. Not only does it bring numerous texts and information into English for the first time, it explicates vast amounts of material loaded with insightful interpretations that only an expert authority can provide. This text will also reward those seeking inspiration from the Buddhist pantheon of goddesses. The prose is lyrical, compelling, and transports the reader into the powerful and colorful worlds of these ancient goddesses.

Ms. Shaw is an impeccable scholar whose transcendent writing captures the imagination. This inspired text is a compilation of unparalled research on an amazing array of Buddhist deities. Beautiful book.

Louis Allen, who was there, has captured the completeness of the longest war, the three year non-stop struggle for Burma, magnificently. This largely forgotten war, which saved the Indian sub-continent from Japanese dominance, has been well described, mostly in fragments, based on their personal experiences, by several authors but none has undertaken a complete description that encompasses both the Allied and the Japanese perspectives and Allen's work does this brilliantly.
Based on many interviews with both Allied and Japanese personnel this book captures the struggle from the initial defeat through the retreat into India to the final overthrow of the Japanese military in this large, often beautiful, and unfortunately, today mostly closed ,country.
Fought over widely varied terrain and with a savagery akin to that of the German-Russian experience this book is a tribute to the bravery of military personnel from a wide variety of backgrounds. On the Allied side soldiers from Britain, China, America, India, Nepal ( Goorkas), East and West Africa and Burma were motivated by excellent leadership to stop and then defeat the Japanese.
Interestingly it was to prove to be both the proudest moment and the swansong of the world's largest volunteer army---the British Indian Army. In the Burmese campaigns this army, with its mixture of races and religions form today's India, Pakistan, Bangladesh and Burma truly came into its own only to be broken up two year later.
One must not forget the part played by the logistics services. Both the Allied and the Japanese forces were low in priority for equipment and at the end of a long supply chain. Much of the Allied success was due to a superior supply capability, and in particular, the concept of aerial supply was perfected in the ejection of the Japanese army from Burma.
This book is an excellent read for any student of military history if only to ensure that we never forget the Kohima Memorial inscription.

"When you go home,
Tell them of us and say.
For your tomorrow
We gave our today."

This is an outstanding book that must be considered the definitive single-volume account of the campaign in Burma in WWII. The author is a veteran of the campaign in the British Army where he was an intelligence officer. What is especially enjoyable about this book is that it includes many firsthand Japanese accounts in addition to Allied. The author speaks Japanese and drew upon official Japanese histories and personal interviews with participants. I have read several other books about this often forgotten Theater in WWII ( including Viscount Slim's "Defeat Into Victory" ), but this is the first book that includes Japanese sources. The author starts with the Japanese invasion of Burma and discusses the political situation in Burma prior to the invasion and how the Japanese used this to their favor. It includes the retreat of the British into India, their recovery, the British offensive in the Arakan, and Wingate and the birth of the Chindits. The author goes into great detail about Kohima-Imphal and this is where the Japanese perspective is so interesting. It follows with battles of North Burma and Stillwell, Mandalay/Meiktila and the race to Rangoon and the Japanese breakout of the 28th Army and then the surrender of Japanes forces. The book has good maps and it is not to difficult to follow forces on the battlefield. The most daunting task is trying to remember the Burmese and Indian names for places and trying to remember all the names of the Japanese sources and officers. But all this helps to add to the authenticity of the book. This book is a must read for anyone interested in WWII. It is well written, easy to read and very enjoyable. I highly recommend it.

This is an outstanding book that must be considered the definitive single-volume account of the campaign in Burma in WWII. The author is a veteran of the campaign in the British Army where he was an intelligence officer. What is especially enjoyable about this book is that it includes many firsthand Japanese accounts in addition to Allied. The author speaks Japanese and drew upon official Japanese histories and personal interviews with participants. I have read several other books about this often forgotten Theater in WWII ( including Viscount Slim's "Defeat Into Victory" ), but this is the first book that includes Japanese sources. The author starts with the Japanese invasion of Burma and discusses the political situation in Burma prior to the invasion and how the Japanese used this to their favor. It includes the retreat of the British into India, their recovery, the British offensive in the Arakan, and Wingate and the birth of the Chindits. The author goes into great detail about Kohima-Imphal and this is where the Japanese perspective is so interesting. It follows with battles of North Burma and Stillwell, Mandalay/Meiktila and the race to Rangoon and the Japanese breakout of the 28th Army and then the surrender of Japanes forces. The book has good maps and it is not to difficult to follow forces on the battlefield. The most daunting task is trying to remember the Burmese and Indian names for places and trying to remember all the names of the Japanese sources and officers. But all this helps to add to the authenticity of the book. This book is a must read for anyone interested in WWII. It is well written, easy to read and very enjoyable. I highly recommend it.

This excellent book is hard to put down but I am afraid that in going from a hardcover edition to a smaller paperback that the maps have become very hard to read. The letters are so small on some of the maps that they are nearly impossible to read. Hope the editors do something about it but I doubt it will happen. Minor flaw in a great read.