Customer Reviews

Fighting Ships of the Far East (2): Japan and Korea AD 612-1639 (New Vanguard) (v. 2)

5 star:		(2)
4 star:		(1)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

I am rating this book for what it is...a guide to specific ship designs. Turnbull is the premier popular historian of Japanese and Korean military history. This book is excellent when combined with Turnbull's other works, including "Samurai Invasion" and "The Samurai, A Military History."

Japan's Korean War experience at the beginning of the 17th century is an eerie foretaste of America's experience in the 20th century. This book is an invaluable addition to the library of any student of the era, and the maps, pictures and diagrams make Turnbull's other works come to life.

You are not going to build big and powerful navies without money and resources. Empires like China clearly spent much on their navy.

This is a very short book but there is much detail here. It had many fine illustrious. It could have used more. With subject matter like this, no matter how much you explain it in words, you need a diagram.

It did stun me the use of paddle wheels by the Chinese. I would have liked to have seen more the relative merits of oars like Westerns used vs paddle wheels. The Korean turtles were interesting too.

So more details on the battles would have been nice too. Maybe this could be book three.

Search the web on this subject and almost every hit will bring you back to Steven Turnbull's work. I live in Korea and even the Koreans don't have this much information. Great illustrations, very well written, and THE affordable reference.

This book, with splendid graphics is a breakthrough for researchers on the evolution of naval technology and tactics in Japan, China and Korea.