{"product_id":"the-merchants-tale-yokohama-and-the-transformation-of-japan-9780231182935","title":"The Merchants Tale  Yokohama and the","description":"\u003cb\u003eBook Synopsis\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003eIn a narrative history rich in colorful detail, Simon Partner uses the story of an ordinary merchant farmer as a vantage point onto sweeping social transformation and its unwitting agents. Partner’s history of Yokahama as a vibrant meeting place humanizes the story of Japan’s revolutionary 1860s and their profound consequences.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eTrade Review\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003eTo an already lively cast of Restoration characters—rascals and rebels, poets and fighters—\u003ci\u003eThe Merchant’s Tale\u003c\/i\u003e adds a new voice: that of the rural entrepreneur. Long on dreams but short on capital, Chūemon decamped early to the treaty port of Yokohama, where he would scramble for years to gain a profitable foothold at the epicenter of Japan’s tumultuous encounter with the modern West. Simon Partner skillfully turns his letters home into a hair-raising romp across the Tokugawa\/Meiji divide. A fresh take on a fascinating time. -- Karen E. Wigen, Stanford University\u003cbr\u003eLike all Partner’s work, \u003ci\u003eThe Merchant's Tale\u003c\/i\u003e is beautifully written, in an engaging style, with vivid vignettes that bring to life the time and place that is his focus. -- Andrew Gordon, Harvard University\u003cbr\u003eCombining his finely honed skills as a storyteller with his deep knowledge of historical context, Partner paints a compellingly human picture of nineteenth-century Japan’s integration into the global economy, helping us understand the excitement and opportunities, as well as the risks and challenges that it opened up for those who decided to seek their fortunes in the bustling treaty port of Yokohama.  The remarkable story of Shinohara Chūemon is essential reading for anyone with a serious interest in the origins of modern Japan. -- Daniel Botsman, Yale University\u003cbr\u003eA vivid and accessible account of the events and places that helped to form modern Japan. * The American Historical Review *\u003cbr\u003e\u003ci\u003eA Merchant’s Tale\u003c\/i\u003e is beautifully written and contains many thoughtful insights into the relations between Japan and the West seen from the perspective of ordinary people. . . . It will become essential reading for students of nineteenth-century Japanese and world history. -- Anne Walthall * The Journal of Japanese Studies *\u003cbr\u003eExceedingly accessible and rich in human detail. -- Eric C. Han * Journal of Asian Studies *\u003cbr\u003eThe book's focus on proto-industrial development, humanized through the trials and successes of Chuemon's business ventures, offers a refreshing addendum to the sociopolitical histories that currently dominate the field. * Choice *\u003cbr\u003ePartner writes engaging and entertaining prose with great fluidity and authority. For anyone looking for an introduction into treaty port Yokohama, especially with sensitivity toward the Japanese predicament, Partner’s work is a great place to start the adventure. -- Simon Bytheway * H-Japan *\u003cbr\u003eA fascinating read. * The Historian *\u003cbr\u003e[An] enjoyable, beautifully-researched and fascinating account of Japan a few years after what Western writers are pleased to call its “opening” in 1853. * Asian Review of Books *\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eTable of Contents\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003eList of Tables and Illustrations\u003cbr\u003eNotes on the Text\u003cbr\u003eAcknowledgments\u003cbr\u003eIntroduction\u003cbr\u003e1. Out of Thin Air (1859–1860)\u003cbr\u003e2. Years of Struggle (1860–1864)\u003cbr\u003e3. Prosperity (1864–1866)\u003cbr\u003e4. Transformation (1866–1873)\u003cbr\u003eConclusion: The Power of a Place\u003cbr\u003eTables\u003cbr\u003eNotes\u003cbr\u003eBibliography\u003cbr\u003eIndex","brand":"Columbia University Press","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":51138106523991,"sku":"9780231182935","price":999.99,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":false}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0817\/1739\/5799\/files\/9780231182935.jpg?v=1751918012","url":"https:\/\/bookcurl.com\/products\/the-merchants-tale-yokohama-and-the-transformation-of-japan-9780231182935","provider":"Book Curl","version":"1.0","type":"link"}