What really strikes you about these diaries are the lavish illustrations - postcards, paintings, prints and photographs - liberally scattered throughout. Smith's comments are fascinating too, looking at Japan as he does through the eyes of a Home Counties squire. Hunting, shooting and fishing are core passions, but his curiosity and passions encompass the full range of a Japanese culture. Equally fascinating are the cultural attitudes and beliefs of the British displayed by Smith himself.
(Clive Yelf - bwl 22 February 2004 ) |
