TO ANTHONY

Hello Tony,

I was wondering, I am a complete amateur to the subject and when I try to purchase books the shelves are often dominated by books by Stephen Turnball. I have heard you mock (quite rightly) his book on the Ninja but what do you think of his other books? I have read your book on the Samurai and it is very well written but seems to contradict Turnballs's books, especially on the basic orgin of the Samurai. Are these just conflicting views? How d you view this work?
Thanks for you time
Jonny


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jonathan lee wrote:

>
>
> Hello Tony,
>
> I was wondering, I am a complete amateur to the subject and when I try to
> purchase books the shelves are often dominated by books by Stephen Turnball.
> I have heard you mock (quite rightly) his book on the Ninja but what do you
> think of his other books? I have read your book on the Samurai and it is very
> well written but seems to contradict Turnballs's books, especially on the
> basic orgin of the Samurai. Are these just conflicting views? How d you view
> this work? Thanks for you time

For the record, I don't believe I've ever mocked anything Steve's written. Given
my own position, it would be in rather bad taste. I generally stay clear of
conversations about his work. For myself, it was his big samurai history book
that was the first non-fiction book on the subject I ever read, so I owe him.

Tony

Agreed. I think we all owe Stephen Turnbull (for the books) and Akira
Kurosawa
(for the films) - a mixture of both of them, with a dash of James Clavell
thrown in - is probably what got most of us started on this fascinating
subject and country!
For me is was Turnbulls's The Samurai: A Military History, the film
Kagemusha and the novel and TV version of Shogun.
Michael

> For the record, I don't believe I've ever mocked anything Steve's written.

Given

> my own position, it would be in rather bad taste. I generally stay clear

of

> conversations about his work. For myself, it was his big samurai history

book

> that was the first non-fiction book on the subject I ever read, so I owe

him.

>
> Tony

Are you refering to Clavell Jameses book Goshun?
Yes -- we owe him a lot...and I feel the same about his other
works...

Date Saburou Yukiie



--- In samuraihistory@yahoogroups.com, "Pamela Grayer" <
m.grayer@b...> wrote:

> Agreed. I think we all owe Stephen Turnbull (for the books) and

Akira

> Kurosawa
> (for the films) - a mixture of both of them, with a dash of James

Clavell

> thrown in - is probably what got most of us started on this

fascinating

> subject and country!
> For me is was Turnbulls's The Samurai: A Military History, the

film

> Kagemusha and the novel and TV version of Shogun.
> Michael
>
>
> > For the record, I don't believe I've ever mocked anything

Steve's written.

> Given
> > my own position, it would be in rather bad taste. I generally

stay clear

> of
> > conversations about his work. For myself, it was his big

samurai history

> book
> > that was the first non-fiction book on the subject I ever read,

so I owe

> him.
> >
> > Tony