Customer Reviews

The Samurai (Elite)

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

 

 

A previous amateur reviewer has complained that this book is "obsessed with armour" and that he wishes this book gave a more definitive history of the Samurai. Well, what were you expecting from this series? It's primarily directed at re-enactors and model makers who really need all of those nitpicky details. If you're really serious about studying the history of Japan, then go to the library and crack some serious history books. This book, like others in the series, gives a good introduction to a particular time period and location and a good overview of the material culture.

This book has an obsessive fixation on armor. It is actually very annoying, not to mention quite strange. What is the deal with all of Anthony Briant's book and this fixation on armor? Jeeez! It goes into way too much detail about the armor (every name for every little strap and hook) and is just way more than the layperson needs to know when trying to understand the samurai. I can't even read through it because it's so mundane. There is so much more that one needs to understand about the samurai besides their armor, and this book does little to remedy that. What little discussion there is of the other apsects of the samurai's lives and training is useful, but it is only a small part of the book. The title of this book should be changed to "Armor of the Samurai".