Excellent Reference Book for Foreign Scholars
921725
This guide has really helped us in communicating with Americans as foreigners because the Asitimbay explains what's behind their behavior, from family values and food customs to privacy and medical care. If you want to find out how to communicate with Americans and understand American culture, this is a perfect book.---Aki, Visiting Scientist, University of California, San Diego - School of Medicine
2621948
It is very usefull book and it consist alot of information. More, this book is easy to read for foreigners. I am glad to have it.:)
1209879
This is really a book intended for academic studies, and it would not be an easy read especially considering that this book is a collection of academic papers that some may be written in German, while others in English or in French. But otherwise this book is excellent in term of its use as reference and source of information in academic studies. I place 5 star for its academic value, not its easiness to read.
971935
Christoph Baumer does excellent work (see my review of his book on the Southern Silk Road), and this book is no exception. Anyone interested in the rich varieties of Eastern Christianity should own this book, which surveys the complex and fascinating history of a Church mistakenly called Nestorian. I cannot praise this enough. It is "popular history" as it should be--nuanced and based on solid scholarship. And, as we have come to expect from Baumer, the illustrations are first rate. It is also well written, and unless a work of history is written in the clear language of common sense, it does not deserve to be called history.
2768760
This is an outstanding and well-annotated collection of original translations of "kanshi" poetry (verse in Chinese written by Japanese poets) composed by court officials, literati, and Buddhist priests during the period from 700 to 1200. The Japanese elite traditionally used Chinese of various kinds (ranging from the fairly orthodox type to more variant or hybrid styles) for much of their more formal writing for many hundreds of years, down until roughly the beginning of the twentieth century. This work is the most comprehensive collection of classical court kanshi in translation. The translations are elegant and readable, representing a wide variety of traditional kanshi themes and reflecting the rhythms of the original texts well. In short, this book brings together many appealing kanshi of the Nara and Heian periods (mainly works not previously translated). Further, it provides introductions to each anthology from which the poems are sourced, as well as biographies for all of the poets represented. Its biographical content alone would be of value to anyone working in the field of premodern Japanese studies.
2248256
Absolutely fantastic translation. Extensive footnotes and an incredibly helpful glossary all make this hard-to-find work well worth the investment. The authors have clearly translated and well-communicated Kukai's absolutely fascinating writings on Esoteric Buddhism. I only wish the page layout was a bit easier for reading.  Very highly recommend for any serious student of Japanese Buddhism.
4763111
This is a great compendium of information that is very useful for anyone doing business abroad.  Yes, there are companies that handle the processing of documents (powers of attorney, assignments, invoices, etc.) for foreign filing, but the user must know what occurs to understand attendant costs.  Mr. Sinnott, I hope you continue to update your Guide which I will continue to purchase regularly.  Thank you!
1043464
I have literally hundreds of books on Japanese design, culture, history and philosophy.  This book stands out.  It's gorgeously illustrated with clear, vivid, photos, and not just the run-of-the-mill usuals - the author has drawn on what are clearly personal connections with scholars, collectors and museums to illustrate this book with a fascinating collection of photos.  The book provides an amazing degree of detail without getting bogged down or lost on tangents; quite a feat for a book covering such a broad topic with a lengthy history.  Although I've lived in Japan, speak and read Japanese and have been traveling there for over forty years, I still learned all sorts of things from this book!  I wish this book had existed when I first started studying Japan - I would recommend this to anyone interested in Japan, from casual observers to serious scholars.  A real accomplishment, and a big contribution to the field.
214139
Dr. Huehnergard's book is not a light read. Nor is it truly a grammer of Akkadian (if you want to learn Akkadian, I would recommend, without reservation, Dr. Huenergard's other work "A Grammer of Akkadian"). It is, however, an outstanding work of scholarship and a work I would recommend to anyone who has already learned Akkadian.

This book examines all of the ancient texts written in the ancient city of Ugarit that the author is aware of. These texts are then compared to contemporary Akkadian texts from the rest of the ancient Near East in regards to their orthography (the characters used to write the texts), phonology (sound changes), morhpology (the parts of speech: nouns, pronouns, adjectives, etc.) and syntax (how clauses and sentances are constructed from the different parts of speech). The author then draws conclusions regarding the similarities and differences between the Akkadian used in all of these various texts.

The book contains a list of the texts considered and where they are published. The bibliography lists more than a hundred books and journal articles that are relevent and is almost worth the cost of the book by itself.

In short, this is an excellent, if very scholarly, work. It is clearly written for specialists in the field rather than a general reader.
1048662
I love this book.  It's chock-full of great information about the study of Tai Chi.  The price is very reasonable, too.  Don't expect to learn how to perform the Yang Style form from the drawings of Yang Cheng Fu, though.  Make sure you get a teacher.  But as a thorough reference work this is fantastic.  Just the glossary alone is worth the $12 I paid.

And if you're already studying Yang Style, the drawings are a treasure and will help you understand better what it must have been like to see the great man do the form.

There are also some terrific essays as well as remarkable photos of Yang Cheng Fu and his  students and family, including one where he's riding in what looks like an early 1930's convertible.
554987
A while ago, a friend asked me to review some business correspondence when I was in Beijing. Subsequently, I always thought that it would be helpful to find him some business writing reference books. When I came across The Business Style Handbook (in both English and Chinese), I recommended them to my friend.

The book is very practical. It differs from a regular dictionary in that it contains not only definitions for terms but also their cultural and social backgrounds. Look for the references for items such as 360-degree review, 401(k) or cookie. They are very helpful to people with different language backgrounds. Another advantage is the included examples, such as how to properly use kudos. Additionally, the first five chapters provide an excellent summary on modern business writing. In all, no matter it is for a beginner or as a reference, the book provides a lot of value to its readers.
4067346
A terrific collection of well-written essays by top-notch scholars covering Indonesia, Malaysia, Singapore, Vietnam, Hong Kong, PRC, Japan, Philippines, South Korea, and more. Indispensable resource!
1602194
As an indulgent scholar of Korean history and culture, I greatly appreciate Dr. McCann's masterful work in compiling and weaving this selection of early Korean literature into an English-language printed text.  Dr. McCann includes some of the keystone pieces of Korean literary history, including an extract from the Samguk sagi (The History of the Three Kingdoms), and also the most commonly known early Korean myth, the Tangun story, as drawn from the Samguk yusa (Remnants of the Three Kingdoms).  This is the most complete version of the Tangun story I have seen.  Dr. McCann's insightful commentaries and introductions on the dozens of other selections from prose to literary debates reveal his academic career as a professor of Korean literature, much to the benefit of the readers.  He schools the uninformed reader on the Korean sijo and kasa vernacular verse forms, and follows the concise lesson with several beautiful examples of these poems.

I highly recommend this book for college students majoring in world literature, Asian/Korean literature, Korean studies, Asian history, or political science with an Asian focus.  I would recommend this text for inclusion in high school and public libraries, as well as for high school students showing an interest in foreign literature and history.
2069770
This is an excellent research reference for master's degree and doctoral students. It gives clear explanations of academic research language. Will help you with academic work. Worth the money.
1484418
I enjoyed this book a great deal.  It was a requirement for a class and I thank God for higher education.  This was my first book I had read by a foreign author.  It was a heavy read, but I could relate to his struggles with reference to his female relationships.  I was also enlightened on the history of the Czech Republic.  I highly recommend this book to any scholar.
223665
Students and friends of East Asian studies will admire and respect the amount of work William Duiker put behind this great biography.  Duiker's expertise in the field of Vietnamese History was showcased and pushed to the forefront after the release of this book.  This is a must have reference material for anyone studying East Asian History or Modern American History.  Duiker's pages went fast but I can see periods of dry times for the average reader less familiar with Vietnam.
I found the early years of Ho and his pleas for nationalistic assistance equally interesting to that of the more popular French and American conflicts.  Like many reviewer opinions, this is not a book about Vietnam but rather the evolution of a legend, one who has defined a country, and a man of either self-serving ideals or nationalistic pride.  Duiker's prose are smooth; however information and citations do come in a little choppy thus making transitions a little difficult to follow.  In addition, it seems that the connectivity between Ho and the much larger key events surrounding Vietnamese history with the French and Americans are missing.  This is especially true in the later pages.  Ignoring this minor flaw the book still deserves 5 stars.  I would also recommend his book, "Sacred War".  Though it reads more like a text, it does capture the North's perspective during the war with the U.S. .
2381659
Really interesting volume for both the beginning student of Hebrew up to more advanced students.  This book should prove invaluable to those wanting to make a study of the Old Testament in it's original language.  A resource of this quality can be an excellent addition to any scholar's library.  The pedigree of the author alone speaks to its quality.