Stephen Mansfield

The definitive survey of Japanese gardens and a beautiful investigation of the relationship between nature and modernity through the lens of 50 public gardens in Japan--an invaluable design resource on the subject. The Modern Japanese Garden is a celebration of the immense diversity of garden designs in Japan, from animist-infused, prototypical stone arrangements placed in sacred groves, to extraordinary post-war innovations. In a beautifully designed package, it is an object to treasure, one that examines post-war shifts in attitudes towards the contemporary garden as they moved from status symbols and expressions of influence to spaces of healing, mediation, and connection to nature. It is intended for both horticultural and general readers with an interest in landscape design and Japan's contemporary lifestyle, featuring gardens from across Japan that offer insight into some of the most renowned Japanese designers across history. These gardens are not simply gardens, but points of convergence for several art forms and cultural practices, from the tea ceremony to Zen meditation. With stunning photographs and an artful, minimalist design, The Modern Japanese Garden integrates garden portraits with brief essays from notable specialists in the fields of landscape design, garden aesthetics, and architecture, including Shyunmo Masuno, Japan's leading garden designer, monk, and author of The Art of Simple Living. Includes a foreword by internationally bestselling author, Pico Iyer.

The first ever survey of the evolution of the Japanese garden, dating from 1900 to the present day. A major survey and the first book of its kind, The Modern Japanese Garden is set to become the definitive book on the subject. Featuring gardens from Tokyo, Kyoto and Fujisawa to Osaka, Okayama, Fukuoka and beyond, this impressive overview includes major analysis of key works of interest through detailed garden profiles; insights into some of the most renowned Japanese garden designers across history; and a thoughtful exploration of the essential themes and developments in Japanese garden design. The Modern Japanese Garden investigates the relationship between nature and modernity. Roughly divided between pre- and post-1945 Japanese garden design, it examines post-war shifts in attitudes towards the contemporary garden as they move from status symbols and expressions of influence to spaces of healing and mediation. A short history of the Japanese garden, from pre-Shinto stone arrangements to the last years of the nineteenth century, sits alongside analysis of the contemporary gardens of Japan’s corporate buildings, museums, hotels and public spaces. Garden profiles offer a comprehensive overview of the most iconic and influential gardens in Japan, and include a mix of landscape- and smaller-scale gardens, many just recently completed. Interspersed throughout are short interludes, covering everything from the ancient garden of Ryoan-ji in Kyoto to the aesthetic lexicon of Japanese garden design, while essays from a number of high-profile contributors meditate on particular themes. Intended for both professional and general readers with an interest in landscape design and Japan's contemporary lifestyle, this is the definitive sourcebook on the subject.

Tokyo lives up to its reputation as a modern metropolis and, as this book shows, it is also one of the most exciting and diverse places on the planet.Focusing on Tokyo and its surrounding areas, photojournalist Stephen Mansfield brings this buzzing place to life within these pages. He presents all the well-established sights along with many new ones that are not "discovered" yet. This book will provide inspiration for every traveler—whether your interests are J-culture, fashion, food, traditional crafts, gardens or nature trails (or all of the above!).This visual guide is the perfect introduction for anyone planning a trip to Tokyo, reminiscing about time spent there or those hoping to go in the future.

Join New York Times bestselling author Stephen Mansfield as he dives into the incredible story of Abraham Lincoln's spiritual life and draws from it a deeper meaning that’s sure to inspire us all.Abraham Lincoln is, undoubtedly, among the most beloved of all US presidents. He helped to abolish slavery, gave the world some of its most memorable speeches, and redefined the meaning of America. He did all of this with endless wisdom, compassion, and wit. Yet, throughout his life, Lincoln fought with God.In his early years in Illinois, he rejected even the existence of God and became the village atheist. In time, this changed but still he wrestled with the truth of the Bible, preachers, doctrines, the will of God, the providence of God, and then, finally, God’s purposes in the Civil War. Still, on the day he was shot, Lincoln said he longed to go to Jerusalem to walk in the Savior's steps.In this thrilling journey through a largely unknown part of American history, Mansfield traces Lincoln's exploring:Lincoln's lifelong spiritual journeyThe ways that Lincoln's faith shaped his presidency and beyondHow Lincoln's struggle with faith can inspire modern believersLet Lincoln's Battle with God show you Lincoln's life and legacy in a brand new light.

Men were made for more than this. Men are in crisis. From every direction, they are presented with a deformed masculinity. One that sees women as conquests rather than partners. One that values success at work over success at home. One that hinders true and open friendships with other men who hold them up and hold them accountable. One that presents them as either the bumbling, disconnected dad in sitcoms or the predator in movies and video games (and the news). It's time to rekindle the fire living inside of men and awaken them to the value of valiant, righteous manhood. Through inspiring stories and hard-hitting biblical truths, Stephen Mansfield uncovers the seven fires that ought to burn in a man's soul--the fires of destiny, heritage, friendship, love, battle, legacy, and God. This raw guide to the restoration of a noble, honorable manhood will challenge men of every generation to live well, invest in others, and leave a powerful legacy.

The history of Tokyo is as eventful as it is long. A concise yet detailed overview of this fascinating, centuries-old city, Tokyo: A Biography is a perfect companion volume for history buffs or Tokyo-bound travelers looking to learn more about their destination.In a whirlwind journey through Tokyo's past from its earliest beginnings up to the present day, this Japanese history book demonstrates how the city's response to everything from natural disasters to regime change has been to reinvent itself time and again. A calamitous fire results in a massive expansion of the city's territory. A debate over the Samurai code creates far-reaching social change. A malleable boy becomes the figurehead for powerful forces which change an ancient feudal society into a modern industrialized power within a generation. Utter destruction wipes the slate clean again so Tokyoites may start all over. And so it goes. Tokyo's story is riveting, and by the end of Tokyo: A Biography, readers see a city almost unrivaled in its uniqueness, a place that—despite its often tragic history—still shimmers as it prepares to face the future.

Tokyo lives up to its reputation as a modern metropolis and, as this book shows, it is also one of the most exciting and diverse places on the planet.Focusing on Tokyo and its surrounding areas, photojournalist Stephen Mansfield brings this buzzing place to life within these pages. He presents all the well-established sights along with many new ones that are not "discovered" yet. This book will provide inspiration for every traveler--whether your interests are J-culture, fashion, food, traditional crafts, gardens or nature trails (or all of the above!).This visual guide is the perfect introduction for anyone planning a trip to Tokyo, reminiscing about time spent there or those hoping to go in the future.

Ingenioso, convincente y astuto, El libro de hombres de Mansfield se trata de la resurrección de tu ser innato, eterno, esencial y masculino.El mundo occidental está en una crisis de honor descartado, integridad dudosa y masculinidad falsa. Es hora de recuperar lo que hemos perdido.Stephen Mansfield nos muestra el camino. Trabajando con máximas eternas y ejemplos conmovedores de la masculinidad de épocas pasadas, Mansfield da una llamada de trompeta de masculinidad apropiada para nuestros tiempos.«Mi objetivo en este libro es simple», dice. «Quiero identificar lo que hace un hombre genuino: las virtudes, los hábitos, las disciplinas, los deberes, las acciones de una masculinidad verdadera, y luego llamar a los hombres para que lo hagan».

100 Japanese Gardens is an ambitious attempt to profile the finest gardens in Japan, while also highlighting lesser known, but equally accomplished landscapes in less-visited parts of the country. A celebration of Japanese landscape design, this book features gardens from Kyoto and Tokyo, as well as from the sub-arctic island of Hokkaido and the semi-tropical islands of Okinawa. Author Stephen Mansfield travelled the length and breadth of Japan on a quest to identify the most impressive gardens in this vast and culturally varied archipelago. His erudition and love of the Japanese garden shines through on every page, making this the perfect primer for travel to Japan or an enjoyable armchair read for gardening enthusiasts. Mansfield's insightful descriptions of each garden examine design concepts and principles, space management, compositional elements, and the iconographic and metaphysical role of Shinto and Buddhist influences. Through his exquisite visuals and engaging stories, we experience Japanese garden designs not merely as landscapes, but as large-scale art installations.

No two Japanese gardens are ever the same. The Japanese Zen garden is a work of art equivalent in scale to an installation, but it is also an urban refuge, a setting where we can attain composure and equipoise. It is a place to collect our thoughts, examine deeper feelings, and ponder our responses to managed nature. Zen gardens comprise a sensory as much as a cultural experience. They are multifaceted, satisfying both our subjective and intellectual yearnings. This beautifully-photographed book illustrates a tradition that benefits from a thousand years of applied knowledge. It also demonstrates how contemporary landscaping draws from its history, and reflects on why ancient gardening should be relevant to the lives of people in the twenty-first century. In this beautifully illustrated book, Japanese gardening specialist Stephen Mansfield takes readers on an exploration of the outward forms, underpinning principles, complex use of metaphor and allusion, and beauty and depth that set the Zen garden apart. Readers of his previous book, Japanese Stone Gardens, will find in this new work a worthy companion volume. Japan's Master Gardens is an inspiring, thought-provoking tribute to the landscape design wisdom of the Japanese.

Traces the origin and growth of Christianity in America beginning in fifteenth Century Europe and concluding with the Revolutionary War. More than dates and dead people, history is the result of God's rule over the affairs of men and nations.

The 2016 election of Donald J. Trump exposed a deep divide in American politics and culture, one that pollsters and pundits didn't seem to realize was there. But Trump did, and he used it to his advantage in ways that surprised nearly everyone, even those who voted for him. Perhaps the biggest question on many people's minds is how, exactly, did a crass, unrepentant reality TV star and cutthroat business tycoon secure the majority of the religious conservative vote? Now the New York Times bestselling author of The Faith of George W. Bush and The Faith of Barack Obama turns his pen toward the Trump phenomenon. Through meticulous research and personal interviews, Stephen Mansfield uncovers who Trump's spiritual influences have been and explains why Christian conservatives were attracted to this unlikely candidate. The book ends with a reflection on the vital role of prophetic distance, both historically and now.

"This survey of the best of Japan's stone gardens may send you into the sort of fugue state in which you wake up to find yourself floating through the airport, boarding pass in hand." —New York TimesJapanese Stone Gardens provides a comprehensive introduction to the powerful mystique and dynamism of the Japanese stone garden—from their earliest use as props in animistic rituals, to their appropriation by Zen monks and priests to create settings conducive to contemplation and finally to their contemporary uses and meaning. With insightful text and abundant imagery, this book reveals the hidden order of stone gardens and in the process heightens the enthusiast's appreciation of them.The Japanese stone garden is an art form recognized around the globe. These meditative gardens provide tranquil settings, where visitors can shed the burdens and stresses of modern existence, satisfy an age-old yearning for solitude and repose, and experience the restorative power of art and nature. For this reason, the value of the Japanese stone garden today is arguably even greater than when many of them were created. Fifteen gardens are featured in this book: some well known, such as the famous temple gardens of Kyoto, others less so, among them gardens spread through the south of Honshu Island and the southern islands of Shikoku and Kyushu and in faraway Okinawa.

The Son’s Book of the Father, as Richard Freadman termed it, is a rich field of relational autobiography, offering a unique set of tensions and insights into modes of masculinity, notions of identity and the ethics of representing another’s life in writing one’s own. This study of modern Australian life writing by sons who focus on fathers places an emerging sub-genre within its literary ancestry and its contemporary milieu. Providing compelling readings of Raimond Gaita’s ‘Romulus, My Father’, Peter Rose’s ‘Rose Boys’ and many others, this is the first study of its kind within Australian literature.

The story of one American's Quixote-like vision for Kurdistan following Saddam's barbarous attacks of the early 1990s - encouraging the Kurds to build one of the most remarkable, hopeful, and prosperous cultures in not just the Middle East but the world.

The history of Guinness, one of the world's most famous brands, reveals the noble heights and generosity of a great family and an innovative business.The history began in Ireland during the late 1700s when the water in Ireland as well as throughout Europe was famously undrinkable, and the gin and whiskey that took its place was devastating civil society.It was a disease ridden, starvation plagued, alcoholic age, and Christians like Arthur Guinness, as well as monks and evangelical churches, brewed beer that provided a healthier alternative to the poisonous waters and liquors of the times. This is where the Guinness tale began.Now, 246 years and 150 countries later, Guinness is a global brand and one of the most consumed beverages in the world. The tale that unfolds during those two and a half centuries has power to thrill audiences today including:the generational drama, business adventure, industrial and social reforms, deep-felt faith, and the beer itself.The Search for God and Guinness is an amazing, true story of how the Guinness family used its wealth and influence to touch millions during a dark age.

Witty, compelling, and shrewd, Mansfield’s Book of Manly Men is about resurrecting your inborn, timeless, essential, masculine self.The Western world is in a crisis of discarded honor, dubious integrity, and faux manliness. It is time to recover what we have lost. Stephen Mansfield shows us the way. Working with timeless maxims and stirring examples of manhood from ages past, Mansfield issues a trumpet call of manliness fit for our times. In Mansfield’s Book of Manly Men, you’ll see that:This book is about doing. It is about action.It is about knowing the deeds that comprise manhood and doing those deeds.Habits have to be formed, and actions have to be aligned with the grace received.“My goal in this book is simple,” Mansfield says. “I want to identify what a genuine man does?the virtues, the habits, the disciplines, the duties, the actions of true manhood?and then call men to do it.”

The Son’s Book of the Father, as Richard Freadman termed it, is a rich field of relational autobiography, offering a unique set of tensions and insights into modes of masculinity, notions of identity and the ethics of representing another’s life in writing one’s own. This study of modern Australian life writing by sons who focus on fathers places an emerging sub-genre within its literary ancestry and its contemporary milieu. Providing compelling readings of Raimond Gaita’s ‘Romulus, My Father’, Peter Rose’s ‘Rose Boys’ and many others, this is the first study of its kind within Australian literature.

Stephen Mansfield, the acclaimed New York Times best-selling author, has highlighted the growing popularity of Mormonism-a belief system with cultic roots-and the implications of its critical rise. Mormons are moving into the spotlight in pop culture, politics, sports, and entertainment via presidential candidates like Romney and Huntsman, media personality Glenn Beck, mega-bestselling Twilight author Stephanie Meyer, and The Book of Mormon, the hottest show on Broadway. Mormonism was once a renegade cult at war with the U.S. Army in the 1800s, but it has now emerged as not only the fastest-growing religion, but as a high-impact mainstream cultural influence.