Japan : An Illustrated Encyclopedia

Rating:
Summary: The definitive resource on Japan, wrapped like a candy.
Review: Japan: An llustrated Encyclopedia is a condensed two-volume offspringof a venerable predecessor. Kodansha first published its 10-volumeEncyclopedia of Japan in 1985. It was a landmark reference work that immediately made space for itself on the shelves of every major library in the world. It also became at once the standard by which all other reference material on Japan is judged. Illustrated was introduced specifically for homes and libraries that wished for the wealth of the original in a more manageable format. It includes high-quality colour photographs, charts, and tables, and raises the standards of its near-perfect parent to even higher levels. The text of articles has been taken directly from the parent and this ensures the same high quality of research. The articles are written by renowned academics and scholars, Japanese as well as others. They represent a fair range of points-of-view that lends objectivity as well as variety to this beautiful and entertaining work. Some issues, such as Japan's role in the War and the conduct of the war crimes trial, are approached from a novel standpoint that does justice to all parties involved. All in all, Japan: An Illustrated Encyclopedia is as much as can be said, and as beautifully, about a nation as complex and unique as Japan in two handy cloth-bound volumes.