Primary Sources, Historical Collections: A Japanese Robinson Crusoe, With a Foreword by T. S. Wentworth

Intersections: Asian and Pacific American Transcultural Studies

by Jenichiro Oyabe

Jenichiro Oyabe was the first Japanese student to attend Middlebury College in Vermont, and his remarkable story is now available in this primary source historical collection with a foreword by T. S. Wentworth. Oyabe's life was full of adventure and challenges, and this book provides readers with an intimate glimpse into the life of a young Japanese man in the early 20th century. A fascinating story for lovers of history and adventure! This work has been selected by scholars as being culturally important, and is part of the knowledge base of civilization as we know it. This work is in the "public domain in the United States of America, and possibly other nations. Within the United States, you may freely copy and distribute this work, as no entity (individual or corporate) has a copyright on the body of the work. Scholars believe, and we concur, that this work is important enough to be preserved, reproduced, and made generally available to the public. We appreciate your support of the preservation process, and thank you for being an important part of keeping this knowledge alive and relevant.

Genres: Biography

240 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 1898

Reviews

[Jerry]

review text for 1478

[Leroy Seat · Rating 4 out of 5]

I received this book to review for "Missiology" An International Review," and would likely not have read it otherwise. But it is an interesting book about an outstanding young Japanese man, an autobiography written before the author was thirty years old.

The book was first published in 1898, so much of its value lies in getting a feel for life and thought of the previous twelve years.

The book is written in very good English prose, making me wonder how much help the author received in the editing of his manuscript. But maybe he was just a very gifted person--and in many ways he was, at least to hear him tell it.

It was surprising to read of such an outstanding Japanese Christian whom I never heard of in Japan. This book, though, was not published in Japanese translation until　1991.