Toilet Reading

[johnegert]

In my ongoing effort to make Amazon stock a bit more attractive, I just received a copy of " Samurai-- The World of the Warrior" by Stephen Turnbull. My hope was to find some acorn of info that would save my butt in the aforementioned Aitna project-- at first I was dissapointed. This Osprey hardbound has 220 pages of historical material, a color or b&w photo on nearly every page, and the weight of Turnbull's considerable expertise. It does not follow the familiar Osprey pattern( cf "The Samurai"--Osprey #23) of concentrating on photos and artwork of equipment. Then I realized that I was doing what I have railed against for years--- looking for a quick Osprey fix, just find a "nice" picture, and rip it off. Now , if ever there was a figure genre that has an infinitely extensive contemporary record of artistic depictions, it has to be the samurai. So why am I not going to these primary sources?---- lazy. So, we have two choices--- Google or Quangle. Are you out there, braniac? What were those beautiful sites we used to drool over?
But back to this book.... It's a handsome presentation by a proven expert, and I intend to actually READ the damn thing! At 30 bucks U.S., discounted by Amazon, this is a worthy addition to any library.
john

 

[Guy]

Hello John,
I also have a Stephen Turnball Samurai book intitled "Samurai Warlords" The Book of the Daimyo, by Blandford press. Was wondering if they were one in the same? I purchased it several years ago when I bought the Poste Militaire range of Samurai figures. If your is a different book, then I will have to contact Amazon and acquire one as well.

guy

 

[MSzwarc]

John,

Along with a couple Osprey titles, I have Turnbull's The Book of the Samurai and The Samurai Sourcebook. These two books make a nice complement to each other in that The Book of the Samurai is lavishly illustrated with Japanese artwork, photos, and maps, and The Samurai Sourcebook takes a more encyclopedic approach with sections on the samurai families, armor and weapons, strategy and tatics, and battles and sieges.

I noticed that Osprey just released this new title, and plan to add it to my collection. Turnbull's books are well worth the read .

Mike

 

[Guy]

Thanks for the link John