Customer Reviews

Japan A Concise History

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

 

 

This is an excellent, concise history of Japan. The emphasis is
on the major historical events. I was glad to see the inclusion
of cultural, artistic and religious milestones as well. There
are summaries and datelines at the ends of each chapter as well
as a glossary, all of which are quite useful features, especially
if this book is to be used as an adjunct to formal study; I
found it extremely handy in helping me organize the facts mentally.
This is a history clearly written by a Nipponophile. There
is an emphasis on the post-Meiji history, which is probably not
inappropriate. Any insights into the Japanese psyche and
philosophy can be inferred generally from historical events, but
the treatment is not exhaustive. This book delivers what it
says: a concise history of Japan. For those who want to know
the essentials of Japanese history start here. For those
who want to know what makes Japan as a people tick psychologically,
you'll need more detail, however.

As a casual history reader, I found this book way too dry. Although it delivers on its premise, namely sketching out a history of Japan, it was a relief to finally put the book down after having read it.

This book I bought for the dual purpose of being entertained and learn something in the process, but it could only fulfill the latter requirement. It may be unfair to ask of a book to be engaging and still tell a whole country's history in under 300 pages, so I'm probably unfair - the book just reads too much like a textbook, and that wasn't really what I had hoped for.

Not knowing too much about Japanese history from other sources, I can't comment on the accuracy of the text, but there's an annoyingly high frequency of simple spelling errors, etc.

Lastly, there's only one map of Japan in the Southeast Asian setting, and it's buried deep inside of the book. I really missed a map of Japan in the book!

To cut to the chase, this book is quite poorly written and does not serve its purpose well at all. The writing is extraordinarily dry, essentially like being at a *really* bad powerpoint presentation, as in: Here's a fact. Here's another fact. Here's another fact.... There is no insight gluing the facts together, and no craft of writing to integrate the sentences into a coherent whole. Just one "bullet point" after another.

Although this weakness had been implied by a couple of prior reviews, as a serious student of Japanese language and culture and an avid reader, I figured I could overcome. But it is simply not sensible to spend one's time plowing through such a book, which is in any case unlikely to result in anything remembered (I made it less than halfway before giving up).

In addition to the incredibly dull writing, the book lacks the insight of a Japan specialist. The author has written books on India, Pakistan, China, Philippines, and so on. Japan is a complex topic, and the depth of coverage betrays the fact that Japan is "just one" of his areas of study. It is always best to go with a true expert.

Finally, one notices that there are no positive reviews from newspapers or magazines, or even other authors, on the book itself. It is published by a relatively obscure publisher, and appears to have been written in quite a rush. This is not a work built to stand the test of time.

I will return this book to amazon for a refund (I very seldom do this), and will try a different author. To those that come after, I offer a strong warning that the quality of this book is unlikely to provide what you are looking for.

To condense over 2000 years of Japanese history into 300 pages is no easy feat. So Meyer's "Japan : A Concise History" is an excellent introduction to the topic for any newcomer or reader interested in a quick overview of the essential elements of the subject. I found the chronological segmentation of the different phases of Japanese history especially useful. Serious students of Japanese history may justifiably prefer a topic by topic approach but for first timers, chronology is a relief and an ideal prism through which to peer into the past.

Format aside, the writing is a little dry, which makes the book less than an absorbing read. The absence of any maps, pictures and graphical representation is unforgiveable - a thoughtless omission on the part of the author and the publishers. We know how the use of maps and pictures can make all the difference. They enliven and add immeasurably to the enjoyment of the reading.

A good book which could easily have been better.

All right, after France and England, I wanted to turn away from European history for a while, and go on to Asia. This continent was isolated for so many years, but now, it's the most technoligical country in the world, especially Japan. So, anticipating a trip to Japan, I got this book.

Good - The book is excellent! It covers Prehistory, to the emperor's reigns, to the many different shogunates such as the Tokugawa, Japan becomes isolated to get away from the Portugese and Dutch colonists, Japan is opened in 1854 and the Emperor restored to power, and finally the colonial era, and a brutal occupation by America after Japan was crushed at the end of World War II, and finally, to Japan's current standing as a world power.

Bad - The book has no pictures. There's just one picture of a map of East Asia, and that's all. Also, the book doesn't really go deep into how the Japanese cooled resistance in their conquered lands, but that's about it.

Anyone who is new to Japan will love this book, I did!

Besides the rather blatant reviews, I for one really liked the concise history that Mr Meyer has written. In my opinion, this book really is great; it gives a rather detailed explanation of Japan from its prehistory, to the Mongol invasions, to the Tokugawa isolation, to the Meiji era, to the American invasion of Japan in 1945, and to its current military and economic world power position today. The book could have had some more illustratons, except for a map of Japan, but then again, it's all right. I suggest that beginners in Japanese history start with something a bit more generalized, but it's a great book. In my opinion, every history buff should own this book.