Japan: A History

by Lucas Peyton Thomas

Kyoto - founded in the year 794 and capital of Japan for fully half that nation's recorded history - sits firmly in the center of Lucas Peyton Thomas's compelling, vivid history of Japan. Here, in vibrant detail, are the stories of the rise and fall of Japan's aristocracy, of the days of the shoguns and samurai, of life in its palaces and moated castles, of a country that once sought to rule China but chose to isolate itself for more than 200 years. Mysterious Japan - a nation known to the West only after the travels of Marco Polo - is unveiled in this engaging book.

Genres: History

115 pages, Kindle Edition

Published August 13, 2018

Reviews

[TXGAL1 · Rating 2 out of 5]

Beautiful gallery of pictures in color at the end of the book, but the writing was skimpy at 140 pages for a history subject.

[Annette Zamudio · Rating 5 out of 5]

Enjoyable and informative

As a Japanese American I enjoyed reading about the history of Japan thst is rarely discussed. This was an enjoyable read that was also educational and informative.

[A · Rating 2 out of 5]

2 stars. It is hard to condense +1000 years of history in less than 200 pages, but I feel this book was confusing and diverging: Many pages related to descriptions of temples, castles and artwork in general without pictures! (yes, there are a few postcard pictures at the end of the book, but nothing else). A map, and hopefully a timeline would have been useful as well, especially for people not used to japanese names.

[Kate · Rating 3 out of 5]

Really interesting although brief, this cannot be thought of as a complete history of Japan. The highlights were well covered and although I have no interest in the history of art or buildings, the author covered a wide range of interests (religion, politics, art, architecture and foreign relations) for such a short book. This has whet my appetite for a more thorough historical account.

[Richard Ponsonby · Rating 4 out of 5]

Would have liked more depth to some of the this history. It was closer to an extended catalog. Would have been particularly interested in the cultural changes from 1850 to present day given the enormity of the change.

[Leigh · Rating 4 out of 5]

Gives a good overview of the history of Japan in a relatively small package. Concise yet engaging, I found it to be an enjoyable read that encourages a more thorough exploration of the story of Japan.

[Don Mitchell · Rating 3 out of 5]

way too many facts for me! good history tho

[Caleb Loh · Rating 3 out of 5]

Brief book that seemed to comprise of Wikipedia-style articles

[Char Freund · Rating 3 out of 5]

Good overview of the history of Japan. Chapters gave summaries of important eras in chronological order. Read as a pretrip overview as we will be visiting many historical sites there. Glad it’s on my iPad so I can use it as a reference because I’d only get a C (maybe C+) if given a quiz. Lol!