The Cambridge Encyclopedia of Japan (Cambridge World Encyclopedias) [Hardcover]

Richard Bowring (Editor), Peter Kornicki (Editor)

Book Description

ISBN-10: 0521403529 | ISBN-13: 978-0521403528 | Publication Date: June 25, 1993 | Edition: First Edition

The Cambridge Encyclopedia of Japan is the essential reference to all facets of Japan past and present. Up to date, authoritative and wide ranging in scope, it covers all the general reader, student, business person, journalist, researcher, tourist or armchair traveler would want to know. A highly absorbing read, the Encyclopedia is also filled with the facts, figures and general data on Japan that make it an indispensable source of information. Learn, for example, that the safest place to be during an earthquake in Japan is in a bamboo grove; or that one of the greatest delicacies of Japanese cuisine, the fugu, is deadly poisonous in the hands of an unskilled chef. Also included are the latest statistics on Japan's dramatically aging population, a complete listing of its prime ministers, and valuable data on the powerful Japanese advertising industry.

Editorial Reviews

From School Library Journal

YA-An excellent resource for broad discussions of Japan, divided into eight major fields-geography, history, society, arts and crafts, language and literature, thought, economy, and politics. The detailed index must be used to locate precise information. The articles are all signed by university professionals. The text is not difficult to read, but students will have to scan at least a page or even a section to find the information they need. Colorful boxed entries contain short discussions of specific topics. While coverage is quite comprehensive, the text is surprisingly short on the culture of the geisha girl and nonexistent on the role of the bath in Japanese society. Placing the only geographical map on the endpapers forces students to use both maps at once, since the colorful bookjacket obscures a portion of each one. Numerous smaller maps appear within the book, illustrating various features of the country. Diverse photographs, usually in color, are well labeled and relate to the adjacent text. The chapter of further reading is, in effect, an annotated bibliography in paragraph form. Its entries are arranged in the same categories as the text. Despite minor flaws, this is a worthwhile purchase.
Claudia Moore, W.T. Woodson High School, Fairfax, VA
Copyright 1993 Reed Business Information, Inc.

From Library Journal

Like Kodansha's Japan: An Illustrated Encyclopedia ( LJ 10/1/93), this reference work deserves high praise for its authoritative and comprehensive treatment of Japan and for its lavish format. It is splendidly informative as well as being a handsome coffee-table display item. How to distinguish the two offerings? Kodansha has about five times as many pages and offers thousands of short entries in addition to numerous long essays. The Cambridge format is not alphabetical but topical, covering eight subjects (geography, history, society, etc.) broken down further into subtopics (education, leisure, the media, crime, etc., in the "Society" section). If price is no object, Kodansha's has all that Cambridge's has and much more, but either of these grand reference works is a valuable addition to any library.
- John H. Boyle, California State Univ., Chico
Copyright 1993 Reed Business Information, Inc.

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Hardcover: 410 pages
• Publisher: Cambridge University Press; First Edition edition (June 25, 1993)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0521403529
• ISBN-13: 978-0521403528
• Product Dimensions: 10.9 x 8.9 x 1.4 inches
• Shipping Weight: 4.3 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,416,922 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)