A Guide to Japanese Prints and Their Subject Matter

I just received this volume in the mail, so I haven't had an opportunity to read it. But I am very disappointed with the illustrations. The cover was printed in color, but all of the illustrations within the book are greyscale. I was also charged nearly $6 for this volume and it actually has a price tag on the cover for $2.99! There is nothing satisfactory about this transaction.

If you are looking for a sourcebook to the facts about ukiyo-e and the artists who made them, I would recommend something a little more modern. But Stewart's discussion of Japanese prints has much to recommend it. First and most importantly, he concentrates on nineteenth century prints, and describes series and works within series in great detail. As these are the works that dominate the print market these days, this information is of much help to the collector. Moreover, Stewart describes artists and their work with highly personal but entertaining aesthetic judgements, taking the risks of saying "the first Chushingura series of Eisen is superior to the second" as few works after him have done so baldly. Wonderful for the print collector to curl up with on a late night and dream of the days when Hiroshiges still went for shillings! The guide to artists and dating in the rear is also helpful, though it must take a second place to Richard Lane's guide in Images from the Floating World and other, more recent sources. Still, this work has a flavor all of its own, and is recommended to the novice (who shouldn't always accept everything Stewart says as fact) and the expert (who can read between the lines and sometimes get a good laugh.)