Geisha: The Secret History of a Vanishing World Hardcover – Import, January 1, 2000

A fascinating read about a hidden world, a different culture. The feminist in me rebelled sometimes until I understood that geisha are proud to be who they are: living works of art. This book gives and excellent history of geishas and insights into the Japanese culture.

Great book if you want to learn about geisha more deeply.

I really enjoyed reading Geisha: The Secret History of a Vanishing World. Like many, I thought all Geisha were similar. Reading the history of the Geisha and how they are different from one part of Japan to another, and how they train throughout their lives in dance, music, and a variety of other skills, demonstrated how much work and self went into this chosen profession. Now I have an appreciation for these women.

Muy interesante y sorprenderte . Un mundo aparte, dedicado a la belleza y seduccion platonica. Vidas dedicadas al arte y servicio

The content of the book is illuminating, and I, being a lifelong fan of geisha and the culture of Japan, was thrilled to read it. The formatting is odd though, with several errors in syntax and grammar. May not be author's fault.

Provides tremendous information on geisha history in Japan.I have been there and was entertained by 1967 geishas inAtami, that is a very nice city.

British lady interested in the world of Geisha and what is happening to it. Started with the history and the most famous of the Geisha....how thing changed both good and bad. How things really changed after WWII and how they have been changing up to 1999 when this book came out.Read and enjoy.

This is a very well written and very well researched history of the geisha in Japan. The author has researched every detail and gives us quite a history. I recommend this book for anybody who wants to know the history of the geisha.

The world of the geisha, demystified by an author who has spent many years living and working in Japan.The first half of the book looks at the history of the geisha, women brought up from a disturbingly early age to entertain men in dedicated houses in certain areas of Japanese cities; their roles combining those of courtesan, confidant, hostess, dancer and musician. Several stories, both factual and fictional, many of them tragic, are told, painting a picture of a culture in which sex, love and marriage are idealised but separate concepts.The second half looks at the geisha in modern Japan (the book having been published in the late 1990s), with Western values having been embraced, and the profession downgraded (or perhaps upgraded) to largely being seen (at least in public) as a tourism-friendly relic of an imperial past.The book is scrupulously researched, with the contemporary segments displaying exemplary journalistic skills. Inevitably, there is quite a lot of repetition, and the sexism inherent in the geisha world (on both sides: women = sex; men = money) is faintly depressing. But, ultimately, this is a colourful and (I assume) authoritative account of life in "the floating world".

I've lone been fascinated by the "hidden" world of the Geisha and fuelled by Memoirs of a Geisha went looking for mre factual works on the Flower and Willow world.Although a little dated this book still provides some interesting commentary from a Western point of view on the life of Geiko/Geisha and the author certainly got some interesting interviews during her research.Spilt into 2 sections - the history of the rise ( and fall) of the Geisha community and a more modern view of Geisha/Geiko in the 80s/90's - the book is certainly thoroughly researched and gives a new comer a good basic grounding in why and how the Geisha came to be and how they worked in the late 20th Century.I was a little disappointed that there weren't more pictures although the ones in the book are lovely and I found it strange that the book was organised into History first and modern commentary second yet the pictures were the opposite way around - meaning you had to flick back and forth to match the pictures with the text.This book wont offer an astounding new insight to the world pf the Geisha but its a great read , interesting and on the whole well written- would certainly recommend.

A great book to understand the history of the Geisha, their divine scared femininity, and to learn how their form of femininity can be used and applied to yourself, to use in you everyday life to enhance your divine femininity, weather you are a man or a woman.

Downer paints an informative but empathetic journey through the history and regions of the Geisha. Through her deliberate positioning of the naive first person narrative she creates an encouraging space for the reader to learn along side her past self. Together the reader and downer visit Goin, Kyoto and the Shimbashi district and together they grow in their shared fascination and respect of this deeply evocative world .

Good read. Learned a lot I didn't know. Enjoyed it