Customer Rating: 
Summary: Very Good History
Comment: This book is the History of the Samurai Warrior and it is packed
with information. It not only gives a summery but explains the live a death of a proud warrior. It is a gripping account that tells a story
and keeps one's interest to understand a world that has inspired a nation.
This book is factual and compelling.
Customer Rating: 
Summary: STILL THE MASTER
Comment: Mr. Turnbull is the best author in his field. He continues to shed light on a topic long ignored by military and non-miltraty historians.
Customer Rating:
Summary: Good not great
Comment: This is a good but not great book. Turnbull is clearly knows quite a bit about his subject and there is a lot of interesting information contained in this book. I think, however that there were a few issues that held "The World of the Warrior" back. First of all, his treatment of Medieval Japanese history is a bit too superficial. I know it was not his intention to write a narrative history, I still think, however, a more systematic approach was needed.
The most glaring issue was the fact that he essentially ignores the traditional weapons of the Samurai. The one chapter on weapons focuses on guns and artillery. It was an interesting chapter, but hardly sufficient. Especially when one realizes, as Turnbull himself makes clear, that guns were not Samurai weapons but rather weapons used by peasant soldiers. I am well aware that he did not intend his book to be only about the military aspects of Samurai life, but this book needed at least one chapter about the traditional, medieval weapons of the Samurai.
Customer Rating:
Summary: An Exciting Account
Comment: Turnbull has shown his merits as both a research scholar and author. His fundamental knowledge of both Japanese history, as well as, Samurai culture, has been exquisitly displayed in Samurai: The World of the Warrior. His writing style is very easy to follow and provides a dynamic glimpse into this veiled subculture. The descriptions of both battles and battlements is to say the very least, interesting and well thought out. As an amateur reader of all types of historical accounts, Turnbull has shown that Japanese culture is extremely interesting in its own right and clearly demonstrates that which makes the Samurai unique in this publication. For anyone interested in gaining an easy insight into this corner of history, I wholeheartedly recommend Turnbull's account.
Customer Rating:
Summary: Stephen Turnbull's best book
Comment: This book goes beyond samurai warfare.It goes into great detail about the origin of samurai traditions and how they still remained intact all the way to world war 2.This book has a lot of illustrations almost one on every page.
if you want to learn about samurai you have to read this book.
