Shirane delivers a thorough, comprehensive grammar. This book is well organized and very easy to read due as much to the large clear print as to the author's organization. That said it is certainly not a pocket reference - it's roughly the size of a legal pad but about an inch-and-a-half thick, and weighs a few pounds. Shirane provides many examples from classical Japanese literature to illustrate most specific grammar structures and parts of speech. The appendices are particularly helpful for reference as they include sections like "Poetic Devices", particle lists, and auxiliary verb charts. I purchased it for my intro to Classical Japanese Literature class, so I am a beginner to classical Japanese. I have taken modern Japanese courses for years so I had some other classical grammar references lying around, but the professor recommended this one. I was a little put off by the $50 price tag, but I think most people serious about Japanese will find this a reasonable price to pay for what probably is the most comprehensive classical Japanese reference available in English. This is no substitute for a good dictionary, of course. But together with a dictionary one can begin to break through some of the classic texts.Read full review
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