Samurai William: The Adventurer Who Unlocked Japan - Softcover

Giles Milton is a man who can take an event from history and make it come alive. Milton's book delivers that most precious of commodities - fun. He has a genius for lively prose, and an appreciation for historical credibility. With Samurai William he has crafted an inspiration for those of us who believe that history can be exciting and entertaining. - Matthew Redhead, Times Play Milton's account of this remarkable life is rich in historical detail. It's a page-turner of a book, a good read, an accessible, well-crafted piece of popularised history. - Allan Spence, The Scotsman Giles Milton has once again shown himself to be a master of historical narrative. The story of William Adams is a gripping tale of Jacobean derring-do, a fizzing, real-life, Boys' Own adventure underpinned by genuine scholarship. - Katie Hickman, The Sunday Times Milton makes the story a compelling one. Lovingly researched and strikingly written - Time Out Giles Milton has been assiduous in searching through all the published sources. This is an attractive book. If it brings more readers to the marvellous story of how West discovered East and East discovered West, that's good. - Anthony Thwaite, Sunday Telegraph The subject matter of Samurai William is fascinating. Milton can certainly write, and is at his best when imaging the details of say, London's Limehouse district where "in the ha

On an ordinary winter's day in London, 1611, a mysterious letter arrived at the offices of the East India Trading Company. It had taken some seven years for the letter to make its tortuous way to England and the merchants there were astounded by its contents... William Adams, an Englishman, had been one of only twenty-four survivors of a fleet of ships bound for Asia, and he had washed up in the forbidden land of Japan. The traders in London were even more astonished to learn that, rather than be horrified by the strange customs, Adams had fallen in love with the barbaric splendour of the country - and had decided to settle. He had forged a close friendship with the ruthless Shogun Ieyasu, taken a Japanese wife and sired a new, mixed-blood family. Adams' letter was the spark that fired up the merchants in London to plan a new expedition to the Far East, with designs to trade with the Japanese and use Adams' contacts there to forge new commercial links. SAMURAI WILLIAM illuminates a world whose horizons were rapidly expanding - eastwards.