Michael Wert

Does exactly what it says: a concise history of the warrior class in medieval and early modern Japan, which also functions as a good, brief history of the times. The text is accompanied by some excellent woodcut illustrations and references modern interpretations of the samurai in book and especially film to set our understanding in context. For anyone with an interest in the country and its history, this would be an excellent book to keep on your shelves to dip into again and again.