Written centuries before the time of Shakespeare and even Chaucer, The Tale of Genji marks the birth of the novel and after more than a millennium, this seminal work continues to enchant readers throughout the world. Lady Murasaki Shikibu and her tale's hero, Prince Genji, have had an unmatched influence on Japanese culture. Prince Genji manifests what was to become an image of the ideal Heian era courtier: gentle and passionate. Genji is also a master poet, dancer, musician and painter. The Tale of Genji follows Prince Genji through his many loves, and varied passions. This book has influenced not only generations of courtiers and samurai of the distant past, but artists and painters even in modern times episodes in the tale have been incorporated into the design of kimonos and handicrafts, and the four-line poems called waka which dance throughout this work have earned it a place as a classic text in the study of poetry. This version by Kencho Suematsu was the first-ever translation in English. Condensed, it's a quarter length of the unabridged text, making it perfect for readers with limited time. Not speaking is the wiser part, and words are sometimes vain, but to completely close the heart in silence, gives me pain. Prince Genji, in The Tale of Genji

"A FANTASY OF FAR JAPAN OR SUMMER DREAM DIALOGUES" was originally published in 1905. The book "depicts Japanese ideals and notions at the turn of the century, as well as some historical facts which seemed likely to interest those of the sympathetic Western public who may be inclined to study the psychology of Japan" and was designed to counteract anti-Japanese sentiment emerging at the time in the West. Viscount Kencho Suematsu (September 30, 1855 - October 5, 1920) was a Japanese politician, intellectual and author, who lived in the Meiji and Taisho periods. He arrived in London in 1878 with the Japanese embassy and enrolled in Cambridge University in 1881. He graduated with a law degree from Cambridge (St. John's College, Cambridge) in 1884. From 1904 to 1905 he was sent by the Japanese cabinet to Europe to argue Japan's case in the Russo-Japanese War. Apart from his activity in the Japanese government as Communications Minister (1898) and Home Minister (1900-01), he also wrote several important works on Japan in English.