This book charts the history of ritual samurai suicide from ancient times until the 20th century through a selection of thrilling samurai tales, both literary and historical. It provides a lot of information that has not appeared in English before. The author has worked directly from original sources, such as medieval war tales, documents of the samurai clans, and execution handbooks. There is a fairly long introduction, and a few footnotes, but the book is written with a general readership in mind. There is no other book in English on this subject-so no competition! "As for when to die, make sure you are one step ahead of everyone else. Never pull back from the brink. But be aware that there are times when you should die, and times when you should not. Die at the right moment, and you will be a hero. Die at the wrong moment, and you will die like a dog." (Izawa Nagahide, 'The Warrior's Code', 1725).