{"title":"John Grant Ross","description":null,"products":[{"product_id":"formosan-odyssey-book-john-grant-ross-9781910736227","title":"Formosan Odyssey","description":"\u003cp\u003eUntil the early twentieth century, Taiwan was one of the wildest places in Asia. Its coastline was known as a mariners' graveyard, the mountainous interior was the domain of headhunting tribes, while the lowlands were a frontier area where banditry, feuding, and revolts were a way of life. Formosan Odyssey captures the rich sweep of history through the eyes of Westerners who visited and lived on the island -- from missionaries, adventurers, lighthouse keepers, and Second World War PoWs, to students coming to study martial arts. It finishes with the story of Taiwan's economic miracle, the political transition from police state to vibrant democracy, and its continuing stand-off with China.\u003cbr\u003e \u003cbr\u003e The author's travels, made around the island in the wake of the devastating 921 earthquake, and his experiences from five years of living in a small town, provide an intimate picture of modern Taiwan.\u003cbr\u003e \u003cbr\u003e The island is a storehouse of Chinese and indigenous cultures, a fascinating mix of the new and the traditional, and likewise Formosan Odyssey is a smorgasbord of delights that both the general reader and any old Asia hand will find informative and amusing.\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"WoB","offers":[{"title":"GB \/ VERY_GOOD \/ INTERNAL","offer_id":49925917606161,"sku":"GOR013815764","price":0.0,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":false},{"title":"US \/ GOOD \/ SBYB","offer_id":50575070265617,"sku":"CIN1910736228G","price":0.0,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":false},{"title":"US \/ NEW \/ INGRAM","offer_id":51053866287377,"sku":"NIN9781910736227","price":0.0,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":false}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0784\/4072\/6801\/files\/1910736228.jpg?v=1750835318"},{"product_id":"taiwan-in-100-books-book-john-grant-ross-9781788692007","title":"Taiwan in 100 Books","description":null,"brand":"WoB","offers":[{"title":"US \/ VERY_GOOD \/ SBYB","offer_id":50497218412817,"sku":"CIN1788692004VG","price":0.0,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":false},{"title":"US \/ NEW \/ INGRAM","offer_id":51050944266513,"sku":"NIN9781788692007","price":0.0,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":false}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0784\/4072\/6801\/files\/1788692004.jpg?v=1750962439"},{"product_id":"inaka-book-john-grant-ross-9781788692205","title":"Inaka","description":"\u003cp\u003e\u003cem\u003eInaka: Portraits of Life in Rural Japan\u003c\/em\u003e is an affectionate but unsentimental immersion into the Japanese countryside (inaka). In eighteen chapters we undertake an epic journey the length of Japan, from subtropical Okinawa, through the Japanese heartland, all the way to the wilds of Hokkaido. We visit gorgeous islands, walk an ancient Buddhist pilgrimage route, share a snow-lover's delight in the depths of record snowfall, solve the mystery of an abandoned Shinto shrine, and travel in the footsteps of a seventeenth-century haiku master. But above everything, \u003cem\u003eInaka\u003c\/em\u003e answers the question of what it's like to be a foreigner living in rural Japan, whether as a newly arrived English teacher in a small town or as someone who never left and decades later is integrated into the community. \u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eAlthough this anthology shows the beauty of rural Japan with its seasonal kaleidoscope of colors, foods, and traditions, its friendly farmers and fishermen sharing old customs and local histories, Inaka doesn't avoid detailing the downsides of rural life - the hypothermia-inducing housing, inconvenient superstitions, demographic decline, and unlikely noises. \u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eThe combination of brilliant, experienced writers and up-and-coming talent makes \u003cem\u003eInaka\u003c\/em\u003e a delight to read, and a must for anyone interested in life away from the crowded Japanese cities. Readers who know Japan well will find much to enjoy, and those new to the country dreaming of a trip or extended stay will be both encouraged and better prepared to map out their own adventures.\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"WoB","offers":[{"title":"GB \/ VERY_GOOD \/ INTERNAL","offer_id":50527589105937,"sku":"GOR013986404","price":0.0,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":false},{"title":"US \/ NEW \/ INGRAM","offer_id":51051846795537,"sku":"NIN9781788692205","price":0.0,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":false}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0784\/4072\/6801\/files\/1788692209.jpg?v=1751345803"},{"product_id":"inaka-book-john-grant-ross-9781788692199","title":"Inaka","description":"\u003cp\u003e\u003cem\u003eInaka: Portraits of Life in Rural Japan\u003c\/em\u003e is an affectionate but unsentimental immersion into the Japanese countryside (inaka). In eighteen chapters we undertake an epic journey the length of Japan, from subtropical Okinawa, through the Japanese heartland, all the way to the wilds of Hokkaido. We visit gorgeous islands, walk an ancient Buddhist pilgrimage route, share a snow-lover's delight in the depths of record snowfall, solve the mystery of an abandoned Shinto shrine, and travel in the footsteps of a seventeenth-century haiku master. But above everything, \u003cem\u003eInaka\u003c\/em\u003e answers the question of what it's like to be a foreigner living in rural Japan, whether as a newly arrived English teacher in a small town or as someone who never left and decades later is integrated into the community. \u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eAlthough this anthology shows the beauty of rural Japan with its seasonal kaleidoscope of colors, foods, and traditions, its friendly farmers and fishermen sharing old customs and local histories, Inaka doesn't avoid detailing the downsides of rural life - the hypothermia-inducing housing, inconvenient superstitions, demographic decline, and unlikely noises. \u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eThe combination of brilliant, experienced writers and up-and-coming talent makes \u003cem\u003eInaka\u003c\/em\u003e a delight to read, and a must for anyone interested in life away from the crowded Japanese cities. Readers who know Japan well will find much to enjoy, and those new to the country dreaming of a trip or extended stay will be both encouraged and better prepared to map out their own adventures.\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"WoB","offers":[{"title":"GB \/ VERY_GOOD \/ INTERNAL","offer_id":50919232569617,"sku":"GOR013521319","price":0.0,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":false},{"title":"US \/ NEW \/ INGRAM","offer_id":51052301975825,"sku":"NIN9781788692199","price":0.0,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":false}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0784\/4072\/6801\/files\/1788692195.jpg?v=1751060097"},{"product_id":"taiwan-in-100-books-book-john-grant-ross-9781788691994","title":"Taiwan in 100 Books","description":"\u003cem\u003eTaiwan in 100 Books\u003c\/em\u003e is the distillation of hundreds of titles and decades of reading into a riveting narrative of Taiwan from the early seventeenth century to the present.Long-time resident John Ross, the author of \u003cem\u003eYou Don't Know China\u003c\/em\u003e and \u003cem\u003eFormosan Odyssey\u003c\/em\u003e, delves into the most acclaimed, interesting, and influential books on Taiwan, along with some personal favorites. Most entries are non-fiction works originally published in English (translated Chinese-language books will be covered in a separate upcoming title).Relive Taiwan's most dramatic historical event in \u003cem\u003eLord of Formosa\u003c\/em\u003e and \u003cem\u003eLost Colony\u003c\/em\u003e. Learn about the White Terror in \u003cem\u003eA Pail of Oysters\u003c\/em\u003e, \u003cem\u003eGreen Island\u003c\/em\u003e, and \u003cem\u003eFormosa Betrayed\u003c\/em\u003e. Discover dated time capsule accounts such as \u003cem\u003eFlight to Formosa\u003c\/em\u003e and \u003cem\u003eTaipei After Dark\u003c\/em\u003e, and others like John Slimming's \u003cem\u003eGreen Plums and a Bamboo Horse\u003c\/em\u003e that have stood the test of time. Turn the pages of obscure books such as \u003cem\u003eThe Jing Affair\u003c\/em\u003e and \u003cem\u003eDragon Hotel\u003c\/em\u003e, undeserved best-sellers like the \u003cem\u003eThe Soong Dynasty\u003c\/em\u003e, and some of the best academic works. Experience unique facets of life in Taiwan in \u003cem\u003eShots from the Hip: Sex, Drugs and the Tao\u003c\/em\u003e and \u003cem\u003eBarbarian at the Gate: From the American Suburbs to the Taiwanese Army\u003c\/em\u003e. Follow authors on their quests, whether conservationists going undercover to expose the illegal wildlife trade, adoptees returning to find their biological parents, or foodies in search of the perfect beef noodle soup.\u003cem\u003eTaiwan in 100 Books\u003c\/em\u003e is an accessible introduction to works on the country and and an enjoyable shortcut to understanding the country's history and culture. It's also a bibliophile's elixir packed with the backstories of the authors and the books themselves; there are tales of outrageous literary fraud, lost manuscripts, banned books, and publishing skulduggery.","brand":"WoB","offers":[{"title":"- \/ - \/ -","offer_id":51052293521681,"sku":"","price":0.0,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true},{"title":"US \/ NEW \/ INGRAM","offer_id":51052296438033,"sku":"NIN9781788691994","price":0.0,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":false},{"title":"GB \/ VERY_GOOD \/ INTERNAL","offer_id":52728513003793,"sku":"GOR014602512","price":0.0,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":false}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0784\/4072\/6801\/files\/1788691997.jpg?v=1751122141"},{"product_id":"you-don-t-know-china-book-john-grant-ross-9781910736210","title":"You Don't Know China","description":"\u003cp\u003e\u003cem\u003eYou Don't Know China\u003c\/em\u003e takes a wrecking ball to misconceptions old and new. Each of the twenty-two chapters debunks a particular myth on topics ranging from history and economics to language and food. Learn the truth about feng shui and Chinese medicine. Find out whether Marco Polo really went to China. Does the Great Wall actually deserve its name? Is studying Mandarin worth the effort? Should smartphone owners lose sleep over suicides at Chinese factories?\u003cbr\u003e \u003cbr\u003e Informative, entertaining, and sometimes controversial, \u003cem\u003eYou Don't Know China\u003c\/em\u003e is a welcome antidote to the schizophrenic hyperbole surrounding China's supposed rise to global supremacy or, conversely, its imminent collapse. John Ross, author of \u003cem\u003eFormosan Odyssey\u003c\/em\u003e, gives the general reader access to information from specialist sources and insider knowledge from long experience on the ground. The format of self-contained chapters allows for both breadth and depth, helping to make sense of a complex subject.\u003cbr\u003e \u003cbr\u003e An important theme running through the book is the myth of Chinese exceptionalism - the idea that China is uniquely unique. This belief, held by both Chinese and non-Chinese, is dangerous, especially when coupled with China's historical grievances (which are based on myths that Ross also debunks).\u003cbr\u003e \u003cbr\u003e \u003cem\u003eYou Don't Know China\u003c\/em\u003e is an amusing, eye-opening, and ultimately uplifting shortcut to understanding this complicated country. Recommended reading for anyone with an interest in China, it's especially invaluable for businessmen not wanting to lose their shirts, or journalists looking to avoid embarrassing themselves.\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"WoB","offers":[{"title":"- \/ - \/ -","offer_id":51053849051409,"sku":"","price":0.0,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true},{"title":"US \/ NEW \/ INGRAM","offer_id":51053852033297,"sku":"NIN9781910736210","price":0.0,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":false}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0784\/4072\/6801\/files\/191073621X.jpg?v=1751219294"}],"url":"https:\/\/www.worldofbooks.com\/en-gb\/collections\/author-books-by-john-grant-ross.oembed","provider":"World of Books ","version":"1.0","type":"link"}