(Hardcover) CAMBRIDGE UNIVERSITY 800th ANNIVERSARY LIMITED EDITION. This well-researched book was first written in Japanese by Noboru Koyama of the University Library and published in 1999. This fascinating case study focuses on the first Japanese graduate of Cambridge University, mathematician and academic Kikuchi Dairoku (1855-1917). Others who went on to distinguished careers include scholar-statesman Suematsu Kencho (1855-1920) and scholar-diplomat Inagaki Manjiro (1861-1908). This story, told for the first time in English, should interest all students of Meiji Japan. The book includes nine B/W images, introduction, preface, seven appendices, bibliography and an improved index. It is also available as a paperback on lulu.com and on amazon.com's marketplace. (KINDLE EDITION NOW ON AMAZON.COM)
"...[T]his is of interest to historians and Cambridge graduates alike." (Kansai Time Out, June 2006, p. 24)
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By Bonnie Turner
Aug 31, 2009
"another work of art" One hardly knows where to begin when reviewing Ian Ruxton's scholarly work. This beautiful hard-cover edition will be a welcome (and more permanent) addition to the libraries of researchers the world over, and Mr. Ruxton can be counted on to produce excellent work, no matter what the subject is.
"Engaging and absorbing" This preview demonstrates three wonderful qualities: it imparts without being dry, it's human and about being human, and the qualitiy of the writing belies its standard - neither the author's nor the translator's writing gets between the subject and the reader, and that's a marvellous achievement! I don't know who to give the credit to, but credit is well deserved. Thank you.
"Scholarly work with soul" Ian C. Ruxton states that the purpose of his translation is threefold: "first, to promote Anglo-Japanese friendship; next,to enhance and increase mutual understanding between Japan and the United Kingdom; and lastly, to bind together even more closely...the University of Cambridge and the nation of Japan." I believe in this account Of the Japanese Students at Cambridge University in the Meiji Era, 1868-1912 that he has surpassed expectations. From the moment I read Ian Ruxton's account of Kikuchi Dairoku's interaction with a Cambridge student named Brown, I was captivated by Ian Ruxton's writing style. Expecting a well written scholarly account of various Japanese students at Cambridge University in the Meiji era, I was pleasantly surprised by the very human portrayal of the participants. Kikuchi Dairoku, third President of the Imperial University of Kyoto (l898-1901) jumps off the pages as a warm, articulate man with great respect for... More > Cambridge and its teachings. Ruxton's translations and insites into Japanese culture and customs offers continuing lessons for historians everywhere.< Less
