{"title":"Christopher Harding","description":"\u003cp\u003eWelcome to our collection dedicated to the esteemed author, Christopher Harding. Known for his insightful exploration of history and culture, Harding has carved a niche in dissecting the intricate narratives of Japan and Asia. Whether you are a history enthusiast or a curious learner, Harding's works offer a blend of thorough research and engaging storytelling.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cem\u003eA Short History of Japan\u003c\/em\u003e provides a compelling overview of Japan's past, painting a vivid picture of its transformation over the centuries. In \u003cem\u003eJapan Story\u003c\/em\u003e, Harding delves deeper, capturing the dynamism and cultural shifts that have defined modern Japan. His works are essential reads for understanding the profound layers that make up this fascinating nation.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eFor those interested in biographies, \u003cem\u003eThe Japanese\u003c\/em\u003e offers a personal glimpse into the lives and psyche of individuals from various eras in Japan’s historical landscape. Harding's narrative skillfully bridges the historical with the contemporary, helping readers gain a profound understanding of the Japanese way of life.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eIn \u003cem\u003eThe Light of Asia\u003c\/em\u003e, Harding extends his expertise beyond Japan to explore larger Asian themes, providing insightful context and analysis that enrich our understanding of the historical movements across Asia. His works are both scholarly and accessible, making them perfect for anyone eager to delve into the rich history and military chronicles of Asia.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eEmbark on a journey through time with Christopher Harding's collection, where each book is a doorway to the complex yet fascinating tales of history and culture. Expand your understanding with these meticulously crafted narratives that are informative and captivating.\u003c\/p\u003e","products":[{"product_id":"japan-story","title":"Japan Story","description":"\u003cdiv class=\"book-description\"\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eEmbark on a captivating journey through the rich tapestry of Japan's modern history with \u003cem\u003eJapan Story\u003c\/em\u003e by Christopher Harding. This mesmerising cultural chronicle delves into the nation's evolution from the mid-19th century to the present, viewed through the eyes of those who harboured reservations about modernity. Instead of embracing the future with confidence, these individuals met it with resistance, conflict, and distress, offering a unique perspective on Japan's transformation.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eHarding introduces us to an intriguing array of characters whose stories vividly illustrate the multifaceted nature of Japan's cultural history. We meet writers of dramas, ghost stories, and crime novels where modernity itself becomes the tragedy, the ghoul, and the villain. Surrealist and avant-garde artists sketch their escapes from an overbearing modern world, while rebel kamikaze pilots and the beleaguered urban poor navigate their turbulent realities.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eThe narrative continues to explore the lives of hypnotists and gangsters, men on a desperate quest for the eternal feminine, and feminists striving for more than state-sanctioned subservience. The book also touches upon Buddhists without morals, Marxist terror groups, and the psychological fallout that pervaded couches, all during a time of breakneck modernisation. These characters, emerging from the very soil of modern Japan, endeavoured to find their place in a rapidly changing society. Their personalities and ambitions often misaligned with prevailing norms, rendering them the 'dark blossoms'—both East-West hybrids and indigenous varieties that probed, wreathed, and sometimes penetrated the new fabric of mainstream Japan.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eWith richly drawn narratives and an insightful, thought-provoking approach, \u003cem\u003eJapan Story\u003c\/em\u003e unveils the undercurrents that shaped modern Japan. Harding's mastery in presenting history through the lens of those on the fringes—writers, dissidents, artists, and ordinary folk—offers a fresh perspective that goes beyond the usual tales of modernisation and economic success. Whether you are a seasoned Japanophile or a curious newcomer, this book is an indispensable addition to your reading list, shedding light on the nuanced and often overlooked aspects of Japan's cultural evolution.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003c\/div\u003e","brand":"Penguin Random House NZ","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":45695432818924,"sku":"9780141985374","price":30.0,"currency_code":"NZD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0705\/7784\/8556\/files\/9780141985374.jpg?v=1725629677"},{"product_id":"the-light-of-asia-by-christopher-harding-9780141992273","title":"The Light of Asia","description":"\u003cdiv class=\"book-description\"\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThis rich and enjoyable book recounts the tangled, dynamic encounters through which Asia has influenced Europe and North America over centuries.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eFrom the time of the ancient Greeks onwards, the West's relationship with Asia consisted for the most part of outrageous tales of strange beasts and monsters, of silk and spices shipped over vast distances, and an uneasy sense of unknowable empires fantastically far away. By the twentieth century, much of Asia might have come under Western rule after centuries of warfare, but its intellectual, artistic, and spiritual influence was fighting back.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cem\u003eThe Light of Asia\u003c\/em\u003e is a wonderfully varied and entertaining history of the many ways in which Asia has shaped European and North American culture over centuries of tangled, dynamic encounters, and the central importance of this vexed, often confused relationship. From Marco Polo onwards, Asia has been both a source of genuine fascination and equally genuine failures of comprehension. China, India, and Japan were all acknowledged to be both great civilisations and, in crude ways, seen as superseded by the West. From Chicago to Calcutta, and from antiquity to the new millennium, this is a rich, involving story of misunderstandings and sincere connection, of inspiration and falsehood, of geniuses, adventurers, and con-men.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eChristopher Harding's captivating gallery of people and places celebrates Asia's impact on the West in all its variety.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003c\/div\u003e","brand":"Penguin Random House NZ","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":46343680524524,"sku":"9780141992273","price":29.0,"currency_code":"NZD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0705\/7784\/8556\/files\/14724713482238.jpg?v=1744003196"},{"product_id":"the-light-of-asia-by-christopher-harding-9780241434444","title":"The Light of Asia","description":"\u003cdiv class=\"book-description\"\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThis various, rich and enjoyable book tells the story of the many ways in which Asia has influenced Europe and North America over centuries of tangled, dynamic encounters.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eFrom the time of the ancient Greeks onwards, the West's relationship with Asia consisted for the most part of outrageous tales of strange beasts and monsters, of silk and spices shipped over vast distances, and an uneasy sense of unknowable empires fantastically far away. By the twentieth century, much of Asia might have come under Western rule after centuries of warfare, but its intellectual, artistic, and spiritual influence was fighting back.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cem\u003eThe Light of Asia\u003c\/em\u003e is a wonderfully varied and entertaining history of the many ways in which Asia has shaped European and North American culture over centuries of tangled, dynamic encounters, and the central importance of this vexed, often confused relationship. From Marco Polo onwards, Asia has been both a source of genuine fascination and equally genuine failures of comprehension. China, India, and Japan were all acknowledged to be both great civilisations and, in crude ways, seen as superseded by the West.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eFrom Chicago to Calcutta, and from antiquity to the new millennium, this is a rich, involving story of misunderstandings and sincere connection, of inspiration and falsehood, of geniuses, adventurers, and con-men.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eChristopher Harding's captivating gallery of people and places celebrates Asia's impact on the West in all its variety.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003c\/div\u003e","brand":"Penguin Random House NZ","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":46343681212652,"sku":"9780241434444","price":75.0,"currency_code":"NZD","in_stock":false}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0705\/7784\/8556\/files\/26143773482273.jpg?v=1744003221"},{"product_id":"the-japanese-by-christopher-harding-9780141992280","title":"The Japanese","description":"\u003cdiv class=\"book-description\"\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eTwo thousand years of Japanese history, told through interconnected portraits of twenty fascinating individuals.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eChris Harding's enormously enjoyable new book distils Japan's long, complex and fascinating history into the stories of twenty remarkable individuals. These vivid and entertaining portraits take the reader from the earliest written accounts of Japan right through to the life of the current empress, Masako. We encounter shamans and warlords, poets and revolutionaries, scientists, artists and adventurers—each offering insights of their own into this extraordinary place.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eFor anyone new to Japan, \u003cem\u003eThe Japanese\u003c\/em\u003e is the ideal introduction. For anyone already deeply involved with it, this is a book filled with surprises and pleasures.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003c\/div\u003e","brand":"Penguin Random House NZ","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":46380170084588,"sku":"9780141992280","price":32.0,"currency_code":"NZD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0705\/7784\/8556\/files\/14724783482238.jpg?v=1744844010"},{"product_id":"a-short-history-of-japan-by-christopher-harding-9780241563199","title":"A Short History of Japan","description":"\u003cdiv class=\"book-description\"\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cem\u003eA history that somehow manages to be at once succinct and sweeping: essential reading for anyone interested in this most fascinating of countries\u003c\/em\u003e - Tom Holland\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eIn this enormously enjoyable introduction to a remarkable country, Christopher Harding traces Japan's rich history over several millennia. Beginning with its earliest coastal communities, through to the spread of Buddhism, the rise of the warlords, the promise and menace of the West, and Japan's own empire-building, Harding explores how a distinctly Japanese society and culture was forged.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eDrawing on the latest scholarship, \u003cem\u003eA Short History of Japan\u003c\/em\u003e moves beyond traditional tourist-board clichés to consider Japan's own view of its past, values, and culture, from ceramics and theatre to food and architecture. The result is a sensory, tactile history, where the reader experiences all the pleasures of a visit to Japan: a bolt of silk or a warm bowl of ramen; the feel and scent of \u003cem\u003etatami\u003c\/em\u003e underfoot; the warmth of slipping into a hot spring bath. Harding skilfully shows how these everyday details are intimately bound up with the bigger historical picture, as an expression of the values that have been extraordinarily successful in helping the country to cope with centuries of radical change.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003c\/div\u003e","brand":"Penguin Random House NZ","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":46545300226284,"sku":"9780241563199","price":50.0,"currency_code":"NZD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0705\/7784\/8556\/files\/9780241563199.jpg?v=1750039791"}],"url":"https:\/\/bookhero.pro\/collections\/christopher-harding.oembed","provider":"Book Hero","version":"1.0","type":"link"}