Honor, loyalty, and self-sacrifice defined the life of the samurai,
fierce warriors who controlled Japan for more than seven centuries. This
book explores the history of these dedicated fighters from their roots
as soldiers of the imperial court to their eventual rise to power
greater than that of the emperor. Illustrated with B&W era drawings and
art. CAROL GASKIN is a writer, editor, and website producer who has
written fifteen books and numerous articles on history and fiction. She
lives in Sarasota, Florida. VINCE HAWKINS is a professional military
historian with over 17 years' experience in historical research, writing
and analysis. He received his Master's Degree in History from George
Mason University in Virginia. He has written numerous articles for
various periodicals, including Military Heritage magazine, as well as
being a contributing author to such books as The Encyclopedia of
Military Biography, The International Military and Defense Encyclopedia
and Understanding Defeat. He is currently working on a book project with
the U.S. Army Historical Foundation on a chronology of the U.S. Army. He
is a member of the Company of Military Historians, the Indiana
Historical Society, the American Revolution Round Table of D.C. and the
First Virginia Regiment of the Continental Line re-enactment unit. His
hobbies include miniature figure painting, historical war gaming and
Revolutionary War re-enacting. He lives in Fairfax, Virginia.
