Description: Discover the aesthetic traditions, political resilience, and modern economic might of this singular island nation. The Shortest History books deliver thousands of years of history in one riveting, fast-paced read.
Brief description: Lesley Downer is a Japan expert, author, journalist, and historian. She has written four novels, The Shogun Quartet, and several works of nonfiction, including the immersive work of journalism Women of the Pleasure Quarters: The Secret History of the Geisha and The Brothers: The Hidden World of Japan's Richest Family, which was chosen as a New York Times Book of the Year. She has traveled widely and given lectures at the Japan Society New York, at Asia and Japan Societies across the United States, at the Royal Geographic Society and the British Museum in London, and many other venues. She was the historical consultant for Northern Ballet's spectacular 2020 ballet Geisha and she appears on Age of the Samurai: Battle for Japan (Netflix). She lives in London with her husband, the author Arthur I. Miller.
Review Quotes: A terrific overview of Japan's long and rich history that covers an astonishing amount of ground. A gem of a book that is as engaging as it is readable.--Peter Frankopan, bestselling author of The Silk Roads and The New Silk Roads