Description
Book SynopsisThis work covers 19th-century Japan through the life story of Boston journalist Edward H. House (1836-1901), America's first regular correspondent in Japan. It covers Japan's use of public relations as a diplomatic tool, the contentious relations of the expatriate community, and US-Japan relations.
Trade ReviewThis well-written book will not only interest specialists of Japan but will be fascinating reading for anyone interested in history. Highly recommended. * CHOICE *
James Huffman's well-written biography of the American journalist Edward House is a welcome addition. . . . A detailed, factual narrative that flows smoothly, allowing the reader to follow House's life as it is set against a complicated historical background. * Persimmon *
James Huffman's earnest and compelling, also meticulously researched, story reveals a huge amount about Western attitudes toward Japan in the Meiji era, also about Japanese methods of making itself more of a presence in the international arena. Beautifully researched and a lively read, this is a major contribution to the historiography of Japan–U.S. relations. * The Daily Yomiuri *
A Yankee in Meiji Japan is at once an engrossing biography of a nineteenth-century American journalist and an absorbing history of Japan in the initial stages of its modern transformation. As a pioneer interpreter of Japan for the English-speaking world, E. H. House struggled against stereotypes of exoticism to represent the country he loved as progressive and civilized. Huffman offers a fascinating and innovative account of the interaction between personality, press, and politics. This is history at its best: superbly crafted, painstakingly documented, and brilliantly written. -- M. William Steele, International Christian University
Huffman's highly readable account of E. H. House's life will appeal to a wide audience, but especially to non-specialists, and by focusing on a sympathetic observer of Japan, Huffman has found an effective vehicle for exploring a number of interesting themes in the history of the Meiji period. * Pacific Affairs *
Huffman has provided a well-researched life of the Yankee of his title, Edward H. House. * Journal of Asian History *
A century later Professor Huffman has dispelled the obscurity which enshrouded the life and work of a man who was a Yankee, an American, a pioneer in the development pf American-Japanese friendship, and an unsung hero who fought valiantly against a crippling disability. We are in his debt. -- John M. Maki, University of Massachusetts at Amherst
Table of ContentsChapter 1 1 Incident in Yokohama Harbor Chapter 2 2 The Prodigy: 1836-1870 Chapter 3 3 Japan to 1870: Dizzying Change Chapter 4 4 The Newcomer: 1870-1873 Chapter 5 5 Japan, 1870-1875: Consolidating Power Chapter 6 6 Writing for Japan: 1873-1876 Chapter 7 7 Japan, 1876-1881: Growing Pains Chapter 8 8 The Tokio Times—"That Naughty Yankee Boy": 1877-1880 Chapter 9 9 Japan, 1881-1885: The Outsiders Chapter 10 10 A Change in Course: 1880-1885 Chapter 11 11 Japan, 1885-1892: Imperial Constitutionalism Chapter 12 12 Interesting Times: 1886-1892 Chapter 13 13 Japan, 1893-1901: Modernity—And All That Meant Chapter 14 14 Evening Years: 1892-1901 Chapter 15 15 Epilogue
