Christopher Harding

Embark on a captivating journey through the rich tapestry of Japan's modern history with Japan Story by Christopher Harding. This mesmerising cultural chronicle delves into the nation's evolution from the mid-19th century to the present, viewed through the eyes of those who harboured reservations about modernity. Instead of embracing the future with confidence, these individuals met it with resistance, conflict,...

This rich and enjoyable book recounts the tangled, dynamic encounters through which Asia has influenced Europe and North America over centuries. From the time of the ancient Greeks onwards, the West's relationship with Asia consisted for the most part of outrageous tales of strange beasts and monsters, of silk and spices shipped over vast distances, and an uneasy sense of...

Two thousand years of Japanese history, told through interconnected portraits of twenty fascinating individuals. Chris Harding's enormously enjoyable new book distils Japan's long, complex and fascinating history into the stories of twenty remarkable individuals. These vivid and entertaining portraits take the reader from the earliest written accounts of Japan right through to the life of the current empress, Masako. We...

A history that somehow manages to be at once succinct and sweeping: essential reading for anyone interested in this most fascinating of countries - Tom Holland In this enormously enjoyable introduction to a remarkable country, Christopher Harding traces Japan's rich history over several millennia. Beginning with its earliest coastal communities, through to the spread of Buddhism, the rise of the...

This various, rich and enjoyable book tells the story of the many ways in which Asia has influenced Europe and North America over centuries of tangled, dynamic encounters. From the time of the ancient Greeks onwards, the West's relationship with Asia consisted for the most part of outrageous tales of strange beasts and monsters, of silk and spices shipped over...