Comptes Rendus 497 Journal of History 57.3 © University of Toronto, 2022 successors. The book does not narrate the history of the last Ming emperor. The omission of the fateful Chongzhen era (1627–1644) is possibly owing to the author’s health, as he sadly passed away in the same year that the book was published, or perhaps in his eyes the events in the dynasty’s last seventeen years are comparatively better known to scholars in the field of Ming studies. Second, the book addresses the relationship between the Ming and their northern neighbours primarily from the Chinese perspective. Dardess justi- fies his choice by stressing that previous studies on China’s relations with the northern nationalities in late imperial times tend to examine historical devel- opments from the non-Han perspectives. Accordingly, he relies heavily on the Chinese primary sources, particularly the 2,905-chapter Veritable Records of the Ming Dynasty (Ming Shilu) compiled by court historians and the monumental work Discourse of National Affairs (Guoque) authored by Tan Qian (1593–1657). Third, it is jam-packed with insights and convincing arguments. For instance, the northern border strategies of the Zhengtong court, negatively associated with the Tumubao debacle, have been unanimously criticized by historians, past and present. After carefully analyzing the peacemak- ing efforts of Zhengtong and his grand secretaries, Dardess argues cogently that the policies and practices of the Zhengtong reign were rational in prin- ciple and were definitely not unscrupulous, as many have claimed. On a dynastic scale, the book contends that despite many serious failings and several horrifying breakdowns, the Ming northern border defense system of alternating between “carrots” (rewards and title granting) and “sticks” (threats, assaults, and counterraids) worked overall. An indispensable reading for anyone who is interested in the history of Chi- na’s national defense and ethnic relations, this impressive book, a brilliant last act in the illustrious career of a great historian, could be more reader-friendly by adding maps, as it is loaded with unfamiliar place names, and more bal- anced by analyzing some of the relevant Mongolian and Manchu sources. Jun Fang, Huron University College at Western University  World, Transnational, and Miscellaneous Le monde, les sujets transnationaux et divers Rady Roldán-Figueroa, The Martyrs of Japan: Publication History and Catholic Missions in the Spanish World (Spain, New Spain, and the Philippines, 1597–1700). Boston: Brill, 2021. 306 pp. $179.00 US (cloth), $179.00 US (e-book). Jesuits and mendicants hailed a group of twenty-six European and Jap- anese Catholics as martyrs when they died in Nagasaki in 1597. They