Made into a movie starring Patrick Swayze, this is the inspiring story of an American doctor who experienced a spiritual rebirth in an impoverished section of Calcutta.

    His ceaselessly inventive works deal with such subjects as the interplay between God and the world, the eternal and transient, and with the paradox of an endlessly changing universe that is in tune with unchanging harmonies. Poems such as 'Earth' and 'In the Eyes of a Peacock' present a picture of natural processes unaffected by human concerns, while others, as in 'Recovery - 14', convey the poet's bewilderment about his place in the world. And exuberant works such as 'New Rain' and 'Grandfather's Holiday' describe Tagore's sheer joy at the glories of nature or simply in watching a grandchild play.

    Anderson, Cornell University"The book is a splendid achievement. Because Scott listens closely to the villagers of Malaysia, he enormously expands our understanding of popular ideology and therefore of popular politics. And because he is also a brilliant analyst, he draws upon this concrete experience to develop a new critique of classical theories of ideology."—Frances Fox Piven, Graduate Center of the City University of New York“An impressive work which may well become a classic.”—Terence J. Byres, Times Literary Supplement“A highly readable, contextually sensitive, theoretically astute ethnography of a moral system in change…. Weapons of the Weak is a brilliant book, combining a sure feel for the subjective side of struggle with a deft handling of economic and political trends.”—John R. Bown, Journal of Peasant Studies“A splendid book, a worthy addition to the classic studies of Malay society and of the peasantry at large…. Combines the readability of Akenfield or Pig Earth with an accessible and illuminating theoretical commentary.”—A.F. Robertson, Times Higher Education Supplement“No one who wants to understand peasant society, in or out of Southeast Asia, or theories of change, should fail to read [this book].”—Daniel S. Lev, Journal of Asian Studies“A moving account of the poor’s refusal to accept the terms of their subordination…. Disposes of the belief that theoretical sophistication and intelligible prose are somehow at odds.”—Ramachandra Guha, Economic and Political Weekly“A seminally important commentary on the state of peasant studies and the global literature…. This enormously rich work in Asian and comparative studies is… an essential contribution to participatory development theory and practice.”—Guy Gran, World DevelopmentJames C. Scott is professor of political science at Yale University.

    The Roads to Sata is his wry, witty, inimitable account of that prodigious trek.Although he was a city person--he was brought up in London and spent most of his adult life in Tokyo--Booth had an extraordinary ability to capture the feel of rural Japan in his writing. Throughout his long and arduous trek, he encountered a variety of people who inhabit the Japanese countryside--from fishermen and soldiers, to bar hostesses and school teachers, to hermits, drunks, and tramps. His wonderful and often hilarious descriptions of these encounters are the highlights of these pages, painting a multifaceted picture of Japan from the perspective of an outsider, but with the knowledge of an insider.The Roads to Sata is travel writing at its best, illuminating and disarming, poignant yet hilarious, critical but respectful. Traveling across Japan with Alan Booth, readers will enjoy the wit and insight of a uniquely perceptive guide, and more importantly, they will discover a new face of an often misunderstood nation.

    Re-publication of the essays by the author whose criticism of Taiwan¡'s political culture became the seed of an essay wild fire for motivating the people of Taiwan.

    This is the gripping account of brave men whose stories of heroism have never been told.

    

    But out of the devastation of the first atomic bomb, some survivors emerged - twenty-five courageous Japanese women who became part of a remarkable humanitarian epic. Victims of the atomic blast that ushered in the Nuclear Age, these women were brought to the United States in 1955, where they underwent reconstructive surgery to repair the ravages of the bomb. Schoolgirls when the bomb destroyed their futures, they began to remake their lives and re-create themselves. This is the compassionate, often bittersweet chronicle of the Hiroshima Maidens. It follows their lives from the terrifying moments of the detonation of the bomb, through their years as outcasts in their own country, to their not always idyllic stay in America, and on to their lives since — some tragic, some heroic, some affectingly ordinary.

    'I am decidedly envious of Gavin Young and his "Slow Boats Home", successor to his highly entertaining "Slow Boats to China" ...a fascinating, memorable book' - Eric Newby, the "Guardian". 'Like "Slow Boats to China", this is likely to become a classic of travel' - Francis King, the "Spectator".

    From 1795 until 1805 Lady Hyegyong composed this masterpiece, which depicts a court life whose drama and pathos is of Shakespearean proportions. Presented in its social, cultural, and historical contexts, this complete English translation opens a door into a world teeming with conflicting passions, political intrigue, and the daily preoccupations of a deeply intelligent and articulate woman.JaHyun Kim Haboush's accurate, fluid translation captures the intimate and expressive voice of this consummate storyteller. The Memoirs of Lady Hyegyong is a unique exploration of Korean selfhood and of how the genre of autobiography fared in premodern times.

    Dramatic, amusing, and engaging observations of a major climb by a first-time climber.

    This is one of the books in the famous Day in the Life series. Introduction & captions are in Japanese; there is no other text. A nevre to be forgotten coffee table gift book for that special person who knows a little about Japan, or for the conossieur

    Here some of Japan’s best and most representative writers chronicle and re-create the impact of this tragedy on the daily lives of peasants, city professionals, artists, children, and families. From the “crazy” iris that grows out of season to the artist who no longer paints in color, the simple details described in these superbly crafted stories testify to the enormity of change in Japanese life, as well as in the future of our civilization. Included are “The Crazy Iris” by Masuji Ibuse, “Summer Flower” by Tamiki Hara, “The Land of Heart’s Desire” by Tamiki Hara, “Human Ashes” by Katsuzo Oda, “Fireflies” by Yoka Ota, “The Colorless Paintings” by Ineko Sata, “The Empty Can” by Kyoko Hayashi, “The House of Hands” by Mitsuharu Inoue, and “The Rite” by Hiroko Takenishi.

    Includes complete text of Shipton's six books: -- Nanda Devi -- Blank on the Map -- Upon That Mountain -- Mountains of Tartary -- Mount Everest Reconnaissance Expedition 1951 --- Land of TempestEric Shipton's adventures in the mountains are virtually incomparable. He explored Central Asia, Africa, and South America, making a number of significant first ascents of his own as well as pioneering routes for the first ascents of others. This set of Shipton's six mountain-travel books, now in paperback, takes readers along on his exploits and expeditions, letting them experience a time in history when vast regions of the world were unknown to all but the indigenous inhabitants.

    That brutal experience prompted him to write a searing, critically acclaimed novel about the surreal experiences of the battle to wrest control of Vietnam’s ancient Imperial capital from regiments of fanatical North Vietnamese Army soldiers. Now he’s taken a long second look at that fight and revised his original work into an even more powerful narrative of one of the Vietnam War’s most brutal battles. The story is told through the eyes of a veteran Marine Corps Combat Correspondent with the observational skills and off-beat attitude to relate what he sees from the close-quarter, house-to-house meat-grinder of the southside to the epic assault on the enemy-infested walls of the city’s medieval Citadel in a voice that reflects the Code of the Grunt: Just do it—or die trying. There it is.

    Shocked and sickened though he is, he must adapt himself to the brutal but fascinating city of extremes, and he spends the rest of his life there, through all the vicissitudes of revolution, riot, lawlessness and war. He makes, loses, and regains a fortune, dangerously crosses a powerful triad leader, enters politics, is imprisoned by the Japanese and survives to see the communists march in to mete out their own brand of cruel justice. An intricate weaving of fact with fiction, Shanghai is the story of a man at the centre of one of history's most dangerous and crucial epochs. It is also the love story of Denton and his exquisite mistress, Su-mei, who eventually becomes his wife.

    March with them as their stories are played out against the progress of WWII in London, Italy, Paris and the Pacific! International Best Seller in hardback. Sold to CBS for mini-series.

    This book chronicles the great diplomatic coup of Friar Manrique's career, opening the kingdom of Arakan, now Burma to the Church and to Portuguese trade.

    Sterling Seagrave describes for the first time the intricate and fascinating rise to power of Charlie Soong and his children: daughters Ai-ling, who married one of China's richest men, H.H. Kung; Ching-ling, who married Sun Yat-sen, leader of China's republican revolution; May-ling, who married Chiang Kai-shek, the autocratic ruler of Nationalist China whose ties to the Shanghai underworld the author has documented; and son T.V. Soong, who at various times served as Chiang's economic minister, foreign minister and premier. How all of the Soongs except Ching-ling amassed enormous wealth while millions of Chinese starved or were killed in the long fight against Japan and the equally bitter struggle with Mao are just some of the revelations in this explosive book.

    Later he fought in the Vietnamese jungle and emerged as one of the major figures in the "fight for liberation" -- and one of the most determined adversaries of the United States. He became the Vietcong's Minister of Justice, but at the end of the war he fled the country in disillusionment and despair. He now lives in exile in Paris, the highest level official to have defected from Vietnam to the West. This is his candid, revealing and unforgettable autobiography.

    The Vermilion Bird attempts to recover the actual character of the monsoon realms of T'ang-a scattering of palisaded garrisons, isolated monasteries, and commercial towns, all surrounded by dark, haunted woods. Professor Schafer examines the thoughts, emotions, imaginations, and daily lives of the men of that era, through the medium of their literature, for evidence of the changes inspired by this new environment, and especially for signs of the transformation of the ancient symbol of the South, the sacred vermilion bird. The Journal of Asian Studies called this book: A work of immense and devoted scholarship, a mine of fascinating information, a delight to read, and an indispensable work of reference on Medieval China.

    

    Professor Tsien Tsuen-Hsuin, working in regular consultation with Dr Needham, has written the most comprehensive account of every aspect of paper and printing in China to be published in the West. From a close study of the vast mass of source material, Professor Tsien brings order and illumination to an area of technology which has been of profound importance in the spread of civilisation. The main body of the book is a detailed study of the invention, technology and aesthetic development of printing in China. From the growth and ultimate refinements of early woodcut printing to the spread of printing from movable type and the development of book-binding, Professor Tsien carries the story forward to the beginning of the nineteenth century when 'more printed pages existed in Chinese than in all other languages put together'.

    Unusually, his coffin is closed. Why?Among the powerful Gil family of doctors, lawyers, socialites, priests, businessmen as well as the rare student dissident speculation grows rife, but soon moves on to the topic of the Pope's planned visit to the Philippines. Religion, death, and the harsh realities of martial law crowd around them.Among the mourners are two isolated people struggling to find themselves: Don Severino's favourite niece Telly, a 49-year-old divorcée with a penchant for poetry and a tendency to suicide, and Sevi, the dead man's son, a middle-aged priest who works in the slums but doubts his vocation.If the coffin is opened, who will have the courage to look inside?

    In describing the journey, Isabella provides a rich mix of observations and describes two occasions when she is almost killed by anti-foreign mobs. It many ways, Isabella created the model for travel writing today, and this one of her greatest works.

    Omnibus containingA Dragon Apparent - Travels in Laos, Cambodia & VietnamGolden Earth - Travels in Burma (Myanmar)A Goddess in the Stones - Travels in India

    And both reorient our understanding of all phases of existence and experience in terms of time and temporality, death and dying, and finitude and impermanence.Heine provides new insight into Dogen's philosophy as seen in the "Uji" chapter of Dogen's Shorogenzo.The book features a new annotated translation of the "Uji" and a glossary of Japanese terms.

    But deep in the bamboo forests lived bears with fur as white and soft and shining as new-fallen snow. The Chinese called them Bai xiong which means 'white bear'.This beautifully illustrated story is a retelling of the old Chinese legend of how the Panda got his familiar black marking.

    Fascinating features of each era are highlighted such as the giant tombs of the Kofun period built by Chinese and Koreans. The power and the influence of the samurais are extensively depicted. The impact of western influences and how the Japanese wrestled with such influences are also explored. The tumultuous events leading to the collapse of the power of the samurais in the 19th centur are also documented. The devastation of the Second World War is illustrated and the book ends with Japan of today. Flowing from one page to the next, Shigeo Nishimura has taken the significant events and personalities of each historical period and brought them to life in vivid and detailed color, helping young readers grasp what people were like and how they lived long ago. Even if it's called the medieval era or aristocratic era, there were always common people--farmers, fishermen, craftmen and merchants. This picture book features the people who took part in the different trades, occupations, and lifestyles, and shows the history of Japan through the stone age to the present day. Illustrating almost 3,500 people, this is a magnificent history book.

    It reveals the humiliation of basic training, the attitude to fear, the drive for sex and loot, the elixir of comradeship.

    How did this group of believers not only survive but grow under the intense persecution of a repressive regime? Carl Lawrence lived in Hong Kong and other parts of Asia from 1964 through 1979. He directed thousands of hours of Christian radio programming beamed into Red China. Through contacts with many organizations, the author has been able to gather a wealth of documented information and thrilling testimonies concerning the underground (house) church in China. Students of church-growth and mission strategy will bind this a fascinating journey behind the Bamboo Curtain to look at China's Church today.

    A biography of the Chinese philosopher and teacher emphasizing his ideas about the value of honesty.

    More than half of these tales have never before been translated. Fanny Hagin Mayer, a pioneer Western scholar in the field of Japanese folklore, has selected 347 folk tales from the standard Japanese reference work, the Meii. Ninety early collectors from throughout Japan, among them key figures such as Sasaki Kizen and Iwakura Ichiro, furnished tales for this selection.This remarkable anthology presents a vivid picture of centuries of Japanese folk culture. Ancient Tales in Modern Japan is an essential work for students of folklore and Japanese culture.

    remarkable insight into the human aspect of the war." --Library JournalThe 48 American and Asian veterans, refugees, and officials who speak in this book come from widely divergent backgrounds. In their narratives we hear them reliving crucial moments in the preparation, execution, and aftermath of war. It is a riveting, eyewitness account of the war and also reclaims from this tragic continuum larger patterns of courage and dedication.

    Describes the Japanese approach to quality control, explains how quality circles work, and discusses applications in subcontracting and marketing.

    

    Covers in exhaustive detail the international aid mission to prevent famine (1979 to 1983) following the fall of the Khmer Rouge in Cambodia.