This study serves both as a biography of the so-called "First Englishman in Japan", and as a focus on the period itself - particularly in terms of trade and political alliances, in both Europe and Japan.

Previous biographies of the so-called First Englishman in Japan - most notably P.G. Rogers and Richard Baker ("The Needlewatchers") earlier this century - did not have access to the more recent research of scholars such as Derek Masarella, Anthony Farrington, Michael Cooper and Charles Boxer. This study offers an authoritative biography, as well as providing a valuable focus on the period - especially in terms of trade and political alliances, in both Europe and Japan. While it is clear that the romantic fiction surrounding Adams' story is unlikely to abate, it is hoped that at least some of the readers of the great "epics" - such as Clavell's "Shogun" - will find the truth just as strange, and more fascinating.