 | Bridging the Culture Gap: A Practical Guide to International Business Communication by Penny Carte
Buy new: $26.60 / Used from: $19.98 This is the clearest discussion I've seen on the dimensions of culture.
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 | Beyond Culture by Edward T. Hall
Buy new: $10.85 / Used from: $0.73 Hall's books are smart and entertaining. Every global traveler should read this and The Hidden Dimension.
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 | The Hidden Dimension by Edward T. Hall
Buy new: $11.16 / Used from: $0.87 Halls books are smart and entertaining. Every global traveler should read this and Beyond Culture.
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 | The Tale of Genji: (Penguin Classics Deluxe Edition) by Murasaki Shikibu
Buy new: $18.48 / Used from: $9.59 Japan: The worlds first novel.
A fascinating 11th century soap opera that takes place in ancient Kyoto.
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 | Basho: The Complete Haiku by Matsuo Basho
Buy new: $16.47 / Used from: $18.23 Japan: Word jewels that capture images from Basho's journeys around Japan.
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 | The Book of Five Rings (Bushido--The Way of the Warrior) by Miyamoto Musashi
Buy new: $12.92 / Used from: $11.24 Japan: Japan's greatest samurai also wrote one of Japan's finest books.
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 | The Dancing Girl of Izu and Other Stories by Yasunari Kawabata
Buy used from: $4.20 Kawabata writes tales of love and obsession, Japan-style.
These will fit your every image of what Japan is (or was).
Also recommended is "Snow Country" or "A Thousand Cranes".
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 | Snow Country by Yasunari Kawabata
Buy new: $10.04 / Used from: $1.98 Kawabata writes tales of love and obsession, Japan-style.
These will fit your every image of what Japan is (or was).
Also recommended is "The Izu Dancer" or "A Thousand Cranes".
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 | The 47 Ronin Story by John Allyn
Buy new: $11.48 / Used from: $6.26 Japan: This classic will help you understand how highly regarded loyalty is in Japan.
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 | The Sound of Waves by Yukio Mishima
Buy new: $10.20 / Used from: $0.91 Japan: If you're going to spend any time on the Japan coast, bring this tale of youth and love with you.
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 | Tangled Hair: Selected Tanka from Midaregami (Japanese Edition) by Akiko Yosano
Buy new: $18.85 / Used from: $16.00 Japan: Poetry doesn't have to be boring... trust me.
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 | The Lady and the Monk: Four Seasons in Kyoto by Pico Iyer
Buy new: $10.17 / Used from: $0.07 Japan: Hands-down, my favorite book about Japan.
This reflects the Japan I know better than any other.
It's funny, touching, and interesting.
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 | Geisha by Liza Dalby
Buy used from: $1.12 A Berkeley anthropologist becomes a geisha in Kyoto.
Reprinted and fascinating.
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 | The Lone Samurai: The Life of Miyamoto Musashi by William Scott Wilson
Buy new: $16.32 / Used from: $9.02 Japan: After you've read The Book of Five Rings, this will help explain the man behind it.
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 | Lost Japan by Alex Kerr
Buy used from: $0.39 Japan: Kerr moves into a traditional house in rural Japan and shares his thoughts on the changes Japan has seen.
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 | Pink Samurai by Nicholas Bornoff
Buy used from: $1.87 Japan: Everything you wanted to know about the history of sex in Japan. Funny, wild, and interesting. A highlight of one trip to Thailand was finding a first edition hardcover of this, in a used book store.
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 | Inland Sea by Donald Richie
Buy used from: $3.86 Japan: Richies meditations on a journey through the Inland Sea.
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 | Travelers' Tales Japan: True Stories (Travelers' Tales Guides)
Buy used from: $10.59 Japan: This excellent series is always worth reading.
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 | Journey to the West (4-Volume Boxed Set) by Wu Cheng'en
Buy new: $34.15 / Used from: $24.50 China: Bring out your inner child. The monkey king is always worth some laughs and you'll learn quite a bit as well.
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 | Tao Te Ching: The Definitive Edition by Lao Tzu
Buy new: $10.85 / Used from: $6.70 China: My favorite translation of the Tao.
Don't be afraid to use these in meetings or presentations.
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 | The Art of War by Sun Tzu
Buy new: $7.99 / Used from: $3.26 China: Another business favorite.
Don't be afraid to use these in meetings or presentations.
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 | Red Sorghum: A Novel of China by Mo Yan
Buy new: $10.88 / Used from: $2.00 China: I read this novel during a trip to Beijing, and I'm sure that the tale of lust, violence, and agriculture affected the way that I looked at the people of this city. The characters are alive and real.
This puts some very human faces to that mass of people we think of as China and shows people acting the way people act - anywhere, anytime - especially during war.
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 | Red Azalea by Anchee Min
Buy new: $9.36 / Used from: $2.08 China: You don't often see communism and lesbianism in the same sentence, but this book links them in one heated breath.
A book that brilliantly uses some very time and cultural-specific instances to tell a universal tale.
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 | Travelers' Tales China: True Stories (Travelers' Tales Guides)
Buy new: $14.78 / Used from: $0.45 China: This excellent series is always worth reading.
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 | Ramayana by William Buck
Buy new: $17.21 / Used from: $5.50 India: So much art, writing, dance, and drama throughout Southeast Asia is based on this story.
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 | Gandhi An Autobiography: The Story of My Experiments With Truth by Mohandas Karamchand (Mahatma) Gandhi
Buy new: $10.80 / Used from: $4.75 India: If you work with India and you haven't read this... shame on you! Inspiring.
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 | Shopping for Buddhas by Jeff Greenwald
Buy used from: $0.86 Tibet: A gem.
Literally about Buddha shopping in Tibet
A funny meditation on traveling, souvenirs, and religion.
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| The Story of Jan Darra by Utsana Phleungtham
Buy used from: $63.85 Thailand: This one is hot and heavy... not for kids. Gives an upclose look at Thai village life.
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 | Travelers' Tales Thailand: True Stories
Buy new: $12.89 / Used from: $7.65 Thailand: This excellent series is always worth reading.
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 | Bali, Sekala and Niskala, Vol. 1: Essays on Religion, Ritual, and Art (Vol 1) by Fred B. Eiseman Jr.
Buy used from: $15.95 Bali: Your best guide to Bali's fascinating culture.
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 | Bali, Sekala and Niskala, Vol. 2: Essays on Society, Tradition, and Craft by Fred B. Eiseman Jr.
Buy used from: $50.00 Bali: Your best guide to Bali's fascinating culture.
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 | Dance & Drama in Bali by Beryl De Zoete
Buy used from: $91.61 Bali: You can't understand Bali if you don't understand Bali's dance. Here's a great guide.
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 | Dancing Out of Bali (Periplus Classics Series) by John Coast
Buy new: $15.56 / Used from: $10.03 Bali: An expat builds a hotel and then promotes Balinese dance around the world. True story.
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 | The Year of Living Dangerously by Christopher J. Koch
Buy new: $10.20 / Used from: $1.88 Indonesia: Love and politics in Jakarta. Also a good Mel Gibson movie.
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 | The Quiet American (Penguin Classics Deluxe Edition) by Graham Greene
Buy new: $9.75 / Used from: $3.98 Vietnam: A brilliant novel of war, men, women, and the 'rules of engagement' in Vietnam.
It captures the expat dilemma perfectly.
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| Saint Jack (Om-Asia) by PAUL THEROUX
Singapore: A funny book that will show you a side of 'The Loin City' that you haven't seen.
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 | The Happy Isles of Oceania: Paddling the Pacific by Paul Theroux
Buy new: $10.85 / Used from: $2.27 Kayaking through the South Pacific. It's on my to-do list, but until then this excellent book by Theroux is worth reading twice.
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 | Things Korean by O-Young Lee
Buy used from: $6.83 Korea: You're going to see a lot of this stuff, so you might as well know what it is! Heck, you might even buy an item or two.
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 | Things Japanese by Nicholas Bornoff
Buy new: $18.96 / Used from: $9.44 Japan: You're going to see a lot of this stuff, so you might as well know what it is! Heck, you might even buy an item or two.
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 | Things Thai by Tanistha Dansilp
Buy new: $24.95 / Used from: $3.61 Thailand: You're going to see a lot of this stuff, so you might as well know what it is! Heck, you might even buy an item or two.
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