Samurai: The World of the Warrior [Hardcover]

Stephen Turnbull (Author)

Book Description

Series: World of the Warrior | Publication Date: October 30, 2003

The world of the samurai - the legendary elite warrior cult of old Japan - has for too long been associated solely with military history and has remained a mystery to the general reader. In this exciting new book, Stephen Turnbull, the world's leading authority on the samurai, goes beyond the battlefield to paint a picture of the samurai as they really were. Familiar topics such as the cult of suicide, ritualised revenge and the lore of the samurai sword are seen in the context of an all-encompassing warrior culture that was expressed through art and poetry as much as through violence. Using themed chapters, the book studies the samurai through their historical development and their relationship to the world around them - relationships that are shown to persist in Japan even today.

Editorial Reviews

Review

"The best military history series published today--indispensable."

About the Author

Stephen Turnbull took his first degree at Cambridge University, and received a PhD from Leeds University for his work on Japanese religious history. He has travelled extensively in Europe and the Far East and also runs a well-used picture library. His work has been recognised by the awarding of the Canon Prize of the British Association for Japanese Studies and a Japan Festival Literary Award. He is currently an Honorary Research Fellow at the Department of East Asian Studies at the University of Leeds.

Product Details

• Hardcover: 224 pages
• Publisher: Osprey Publishing (October 30, 2003)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1841767409
• ISBN-13: 978-1841767406
• Product Dimensions: 9.9 x 7.6 x 1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 2.3 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (8 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #193,319 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

18 of 20 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Stretching its focus beyond the military aspect, February 9, 2004

By 

Midwest Book Review (Oregon, WI USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Samurai: The World of the Warrior (Hardcover)

Samurai: The World Of The Warrior by Stephen Turnbull (Honorary Research Fellow, Department of East Asian Studies, University of Leeds), is an extraordinary historical work that examines the legendary professional and hereditary warrior class of ancient Japan. Stretching its focus beyond the military aspect of the samurai, Professor Turnbull deftly explores the culture and world that surrounded them. Full-color illustrations of classical works of art and artifacts highlight and enhance this informed and informative 224-page cultural and historical exploration with its immersion into the powerful societal, psychological, and physical forces that shaped these strictly disciplined warriors. Samurai: The World Of The Warriors is a welcome and enthusiastically recommended addition to personal, academic, and community library Japanese History and Martial Arts History reference collections and supplemental reading lists.

12 of 16 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Good not great, August 14, 2005

By 

Bellerephon (NYC, USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Samurai: The World of the Warrior (Hardcover)

This is a good but not great book. Turnbull is clearly knows quite a bit about his subject and there is a lot of interesting information contained in this book. I think, however that there were a few issues that held "The World of the Warrior" back. First of all, his treatment of Medieval Japanese history is a bit too superficial. I know it was not his intention to write a narrative history, I still think, however, a more systematic approach was needed.

The most glaring issue was the fact that he essentially ignores the traditional weapons of the Samurai. The one chapter on weapons focuses on guns and artillery. It was an interesting chapter, but hardly sufficient. Especially when one realizes, as Turnbull himself makes clear, that guns were not Samurai weapons but rather weapons used by peasant soldiers. I am well aware that he did not intend his book to be only about the military aspects of Samurai life, but this book needed at least one chapter about the traditional, medieval weapons of the Samurai.

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Samurai - The World of the Warrior, January 29, 2009

By 

Mike R. Tinsley - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Samurai: The World of the Warrior (Paperback)

I found this book on the Samurai to be very well written. For a novice on this subject, it provided me with a great deal of insite into the history of these individuals. I would recommend this book to anyone. By the way, I was able to purchase a used copy of this bood for $2.50 plus shipping and it looked like new! Check this one out, it is worth it.