A History of Japan, 1615-1867 [Paperback]

George Sansom (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: June 1, 1963

"All students of Japanese history will welcome the completion of this history... These volumes, with the author's earlier works, provide the standard and point of departure for future work in Japanese history." -- The American Historical Review "Written in the elegant and lucid prose that has become for a generation of students the hallmark of Sir George's writing, all three volumes are indispensable for students of Japan." -- The Annals "Marks a milestone in the history of Western scholarship on Japan." -- The Journal of Asian Studies

Product Details

• Paperback: 272 pages
• Publisher: Stanford University Press; 1 edition (June 1, 1963)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0804705275
• ISBN-13: 978-0804705271
• Product Dimensions: 9 x 6 x 0.7 inches
• Shipping Weight: 13.6 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.4 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (8 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #656,712 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

9 of 10 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars III. Edo to Meiji. . . and then?, June 5, 2005

By 

Robert E. Morrell (St. Louis, MO USA) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: A History of Japan, 1615-1867 (Paperback)

Again, it is probably well to point out that Sansom's 3-vol. narrative history of Japan is sometimes confused with several of his other works, and that, for all practical purposes, these three constitute the standard narrative history of Japan of our time. . . Of course, these "other works" are of the same high caliber and well worth our attention: Japan: A Short Cultural History (1931; Revised Edition, 1943); and especially, The Western World and Japan: A Study in the Interaction of European and Asiatic Cultures (1965; 504, xi pp). The author is identified in both books as "G.B. Sansom." [Not a very exciting distinction, to be sure, but online computers sometimes get confused.]

George Sansom (1883-1965) is variously identified on Amazon.com and elsewhere as George Sansom, G. Sansom, George Bailey Sansom, G. B. Sansom, George B. Sansom, and Sir George Sansom (yes, he was knighted in 1935 and again in 1947). The 3-vol. set is signed "George Sansom".

This third volume of the series stops at 1867. Sansom's stated reason for not continuing his history beyond this year is that he had lived too close to events of the Meiji Restoration (1868) for him to develop a perspective that only distance could supply. For readers interested in later events, The Making of Modern Japan (2000; 2002), by Marius B. Jansen, another outstanding scholar of Japanese history, would be a good choice. Since this history begins at 1600, there are overlapping accounts of the Edo period, but from two quite different perspectives.

In short, this set is a good buy and is likely to remain the standard narrative history of Japan for the foreseeable future.

11 of 13 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Best affordable introduction to Japanese history, July 19, 2001

By 

Barbara Nostrand "Barbara Nostrand" (Syracuse, NY USA) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: A History of Japan, 1615-1867 (Paperback)

Pretty much every English speaker who studies Japan acquires a copy of Sansom. Consequently, if you are interested in Japan, you probably already have a set. I am giving this collection four stars instead of five simply because its scholarship is now a bit dated and it is not the Cambridge History of Japan. But, who can afford the Cambridge History? I wish I could. In terms of being affordable, this is most likely still the best introduction to Japanese history around in English.

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars The Third in an Excellent Compilation of History, January 3, 2006

By 

presypclhs (New Jersey USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: A History of Japan, 1615-1867 (Paperback)

George Sansom follows his previous work with this, "A History of Japan, 1615-1867" which chronicles the rise of the Tokugawa Shogunate, the engrandeurment of Edo (Tokyo) and goes up to the Meiji Restoration (1868). This book is an excellent resource for any college student studying the Japanese culture as well as anyone with even a casual interest in the time period.

Sansom's history is by no means a boring recitation of dates and names. He tells stories, and does so with the expertise of a good writer. Sansom makes history interesting aswell as highly informative and very readable.

It is not essential to read "A History of Japan to 1334" and "A History of Japan, 1334-1615" to understand Sansom's work, however it does help. Sansom never looks back unless he absolutely has to, so the first time reader of his work may be a little confused as to who some of the major characters are, whats going on in Tokugawa's rebellion and some of the groundwork that led to it.