| NOTA |
()(ú{ : `ĈÏJ, This valuable new book on Japan actually needs no further introduction to discerning readers than the mention of its authorsL names, for both are scholars and writers of high standing and both are recognized as authorities on their subject. It is pertinent, however, to note why this subject is one of intense interest, and for this purpose it is best to let the authors speak for themselves by way of an abbreviated quotation from their preface : LJapan is a land of modest geographic size, but it is one of the larger countries of the world in population and today ranks third in economic production... It is also one of the older nations of the world... Though in culture it is a daughter of ancient China, ... Japan has developed one of the most distinctive cultures in the worldL.LAll this makes Japan a subject of much interest, but the unique course of Japanese history has made it of even greater significance... Today it has become a leading nation of the so-called First World...L LAs the only non-Western member of this otherwise purely Western grouping of nations, Japan stands in a very special relationship to the other industrialized lands. As the only non-Western nation that has made the transition to full industrialization... it stands in a special relationship to the other... non-Western cultures. Its success in negotiating this vast change and the great economic power this has produced are matters of importance to both groups of nations. Even more significant is the fact that Japan ... has preserved a considerable part of its traditional, pre-modern culture, despite the tidal wave of Western influences that has inundated it in modern times.L In brief, by surveying its history in a concise but highly informative manner and by presenting the essence of its culture, the authors achieve a vivid picture of a country whose attractions have fascinated the West ever since the first Europeans reached its shores in the sixteenth century.@Edwin O. Reischauer was born in Japan and began his education there. A graduate of Harvard University and currently Professor of History there, he has served the U.S. as Ambassador to Japan and is widely known for his numerous books on that country. Albert M. Craig, Professor of History at Harvard University, has studied at that school as well as at Northwestern University and the University of Kyoto. He is a co-author, with Edwin O. Reischauer and John K. Fairbank, of LEast Asia : Tradition and TransformationL.) |
BASE de DATOS, Biblioteca del Centro Cultural de la Embajada de Japon
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