Historian Victor Brooks argues that 1944 was, in effect, “the longest year” for Americans of that era, both in terms of casualties and in deciding the outcome of war itself.Brooks also argues that only the particular war events of 1944 could have produced the “reshuffling” of the cards of life that, in essence, changed the rules for most of the 140 million Americans in some fashion. Rather than focusing on military battles and strategy alone, the author chronicles the year as a microcosm of disparate military, political, and civilian events that came together to define a specific moment in time.As war was raging in Europe, Americans on the home front continued to cope (with some prospering). As US forces launched an offensive against the Japanese in the Mariana Islands and Palau, folks at home enjoyed morale-boosting movies and songs such as "To Have and Have Not" and “G.I. Jive.” And as American troops invaded the island of Leyte—launching the largest naval battle during the war—President Franklin D. Roosevelt and Thomas E. Dewey were in the home stretch leading up to the election of 1944.It has been said that the arc of history is long. Throughout American history, however, some years have been truly momentous. The Longest Year makes the case that 1944 was one such year.Skyhorse Publishing, as well as our Arcade imprint, are proud to publish a broad range of books for readers interested in history--books about World War II, the Third Reich, Hitler and his henchmen, the JFK assassination, conspiracies, the American Civil War, the American Revolution, gladiators, Vikings, ancient Rome, medieval times, the old West, and much more. While not every title we publish becomes a New York Times bestseller or a national bestseller, we are committed to books on subjects that are sometimes overlooked and to authors whose work might not otherwise find a home.

    • The Dragon Ball & Dragon Ball Z series combined have sold through more than one million GNs in the U.S. to date (BookScan). • Over 11.7million Dragon Ball and Dragon Ball Z videos & DVDs have sold through in the U.S. to date (VideoScan). • Every volume of the Dragon Ball series is still selling to this day.  There are 42 volumes total and they debuted in the U.S. in 2000! • Toriyama has a strong fan base in the U.S. • Dragon Ball & Dragon Ball Z have also spawned numerous video games, which consistently rank in the top ten in national sales. • A live action Dragon Ball Z movie is currently in production to be released theatrically in Spring 2009.Dragon Ball: The Complete Illustrations   A seminal series from a legendary creator. Dragon Ball, a wry update on the Chinese "Monkey King" myth, introduces us to Son Goku, a young monkey-tailed boy whose quiet life is turned upside-down when he meets Bulma, a girl determined to collect the seven "Dragon Balls." If she gathers them all, an incredibly powerful dragon will appear and grant her one wish. But the precious orbs are scattered all over the world, and to get them she needs the help of a certain super-strong boy...

    Ten years in the future, he is *gasp* married to the cutest girl in school, Wagatsuma-san! In the present, they are only classmates, so how in the world does he end up with the unobtainable Wagatsuma-san?! A time-slipping Romcom coming at you from a brand spanking new duo!

    Heine does a great job of building a world replete with rules and history and uses both to construct a mystery with an awful lot of intrigue and surprise." - Nerds on EarthSamurai vs. robots. In 1901, the Meiji Restoration has abolished the old ways and ushered in a cybernetic revolution. Androids integrate into society at all levels, following their programming for the betterment of every citizen, as servants, bodyguards, and bureaucrats. Jinzou are the future. Japan is at the threshold of a new tomorrow!As a ronin steeped in the old ways, Itaru wants nothing more to do with the artificial creations posing as human. But when a jinzou is suspected of murder, he's pulled into a mystery that could tear the nation apart.​Malfunction or free will? When is a machine more than just a machine?IZANAMI'S CHOICE is an alternate history sci-fi novella set in Meiji Era Japan. It's samurai vs. robots as the author explores how Japan might grapple with the rise of artificial intelligence.

    Legendary figures such as Koizumi Isenokami, Tsukahara Bokuden, Yagyu Munenori, Miyamoto Musashi, and Ito Ittosai have been revered as deities for countless years, forged into the history of Japan's martial arts. But there were also many lesser known samurai who carried the spirit of Bushido, Tirelessly devoting themselves to Japan's martial traditions and mastering their many fighting forms. Japan's rich legacy of swordsmanship has been passed on through these generations of samurai, who developed many techniques using the long sword, short sword, and Ninja sword, among others.In this book, Masaaki Hatsumi, the most renonwned Budo and Ninja grandmaster in the world, explores the venerable history of Japanese sword fighting, sharing with the reader his reflections on the hidden essence of this revered martial art. He covers a variety of classical techniques including Ninja kenpo, Yagyu Shinkage-ryu, as well as two-sword techniques. Drawing on his deep knowledge, the author demonstrates advenced, practical applications of the art, using the stick, spear, naginata, and kusarigama. More mysterious, secret techniques are also discussed, including those involving armor, and the variety of renowned mutodori (no-sword) forms-the ultimate martial skill of the samurai. Works of calligraphy by famous samurai masters, such as Asari Matashichiro and Yamaoka Tesshu, accompany the descriptions, as well as important historical scrolls and an array of lavish illustrations that help demonstrate the grace and beauty of Japanese sword fighting.After his highly acclaimed works The Way of the Ninja and Advanced Stick Fighting, Masaaki Hatsumi continues to pursue his life's ambition of fostering and spreading Budo throughout the world, with this definitive book on the art of Japanese sword fighting. Within his technical descriptions and musings on the history of Bushido, Hatsumi's philosophy of promoting a world of peace and tolerance is ever present, as is his firm belief in the universality of Budo, espoused in his own words: ". . . if the seed of Japan's Budo is planted anywhere in the world, it will continue to grow and flourish."

    Whether retracing the footsteps of ancient warriors or detailing the encroachments of suburban sprawl, he unerringly finds the telling detail, the unexpected transformation, the everyday drama that brings this remote world to life on the page. Looking for the Lost is full of personalities, from friendly gangsters to mischievous children to the author himself, an expatriate who found in Japan both his true home and dogged exile. Wry, witty, sometimes angry, always eloquent, Booth is a uniquely perceptive guide. Looking for the Lost is a technicolor journey into the heart of a nation. Perhaps even more significant, it is the self-portrait of one man, Alan Booth, exquisitely painted in the twilight of his own life.

    A Japan where snakes slither down school corridors, where bears prowl dark forests and where Westerners are still regarded as curious creatures. Welcome to the world of the inaka – the Japanese countryside.Unhappily employed in the UK, Sam Baldwin decides to make a big change. Saying sayonara to laboratory life, he takes a job as an English teacher on the JET Programme in a small, rural Japanese town that no one – the Japanese included – has ever heard of.Arriving in Fukui, where there’s ‘little reason to linger’ according to the guidebook, at first he wonders why he left England. But as he slowly settles in to his unfamiliar new home, Sam befriends a colourful cast of locals and begins to discover the secrets of this little known region.Helped by headmasters, housewives and Himalayan mountain climbers, he immerses himself in a Japan still clutching its pastoral past and uncovers a landscape of lonely lakes, rice fields and lush mountain forests. Joining a master drummer’s taiko class, skiing over paddies and learning how to sharpen samurai swords, along the way Sam encounters farmers, fishermen and foreigners behaving badly.Exploring Japan’s culture and cuisine, as well as its wild places and wildlife, For Fukui’s Sake is an adventurous, humorous and sometimes poignant insight into the frustrations and fascinations that face an outsider living in small town, backcountry Japan.

    The story begins in the years before WWII when a penniless Japanese child is torn from her family to work as a servant in a geisha house. Despite a treacherous rival who nearly breaks her spirit, the girl blossoms into the legendary geisha Sayuri (Ziyi Zhang). Beautiful and accomplished, Sayuri captivates the most powerful men of her day, but is haunted by her secret love for the one man who is out of her reach (Ken Watanabe).The Newmarket Pictorial Moviebook explores the intricate process of re-creating the period and world of the geisha. Special sections showcase production design, makeup, choreography, and costumes, featuring kimonos created especially for the movie by five-time Oscar®-nominated costume designer Colleen Atwood. Sidebars throughout also provide fascinating historical background on the geisha culture.

    Beyond Survival offers practical help with the real questions of homeschooling and provides an extensive list of proven resources. With confidence and compassionate humor, this in- demand homeschool conference speaker leads veteran and beginners on a joy-filled educational journey.

    To the Western mind these fearsome warriors-samurai, the masterless ronin, and the assassin ninja-have always been a source of mystery and wonder, combining the idealism of chivalry with military fanaticism. The Ways Of The Samurai digs beneath the myth and reveals a truth even more amazing about the men who practiced a discipline drawn from Zen and Confucian ethics-bushido, the way of the warrior.

    Ranging from humor to profound maturity, the works in this volume offer the full spectrum of Soseki's genius. They are among Soseki's best, and brilliantly display his temperament and thought, the richness of his humor, and the sureness of his satirical touch. Ten Nights of Dream comprises a collection of ten short stories of dreams. Couched in a surrealistic atmosphere, they reveal the attitudes of a major writer at a turning point in his career.

    Not in 4000 years of Japanese recorded history had anyone followed the Cherry Blossom Front from one end of the country to the other. Nor had anyone hitchhiked the length of Japan. But, heady on sakura and sake, Will Ferguson bet he could do both. The resulting travelogue is one of the funniest and most illuminating books ever written about Japan. And, as Ferguson learns, it illustrates that to travel is better than to arrive.