Early Samurai Ad 200-1500: 035

Voilà la qualité du livre que j'ai reçu...... Couverture reprise, collée, sale.......

I was very disappointed by this book. I expected to get a book about the early samurai and, instead, I got a book which focused mainly on the history of early Japan. Half of the text is taken up by an excellent, but unwanted history of Japan's early political development. That's NOT what I paid for.There's very little discussion of training, tactics, and weaponry. Armor is covered well, but the author insists on referring to all components by their japanese names. My Japanese is non-existent and I kept asking myself why the author couldn't just write "breastplate" instead occasionally.Weapons aren't covered well. There is a drawing on page 16 of early swords which are very different than the curved katana sword we associate with later samurai. The text doesn't mention these swords (keeping in mind that the sword was supposedly the "soul of the samurai"), their evolution, variations, etc.The b&w photos and color plates are excellent as one could expect for an Osprey book.I was very disappointed in this book and would caution readers seeking more information on early samurai that this book will offer them little other than the color plates.

Great. Well written. Good information. Great for those that like Japanese history.

Meticulous armor details and visually appealing artwork (McBride) makes this a worthy addition to Osprey's books of samurai interest, and it focuses on a little known period. For a reader seeking less armor detail and more on what these guys actually did, I would recommend some of Stephen Turnbull's books in addition to his Osprey titles. Again, the plates were awesome; I especially liked Queen Himiko and the sohei.