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	Japanese Prints Click picture to look inside This volume reproduces 139 Japanese woodblock colour prints by 43 famous masters of ukiyo-e, the popular art of the 17th to the 19th centuries. The originals are in the Riccar Art Museum in Tokyo, the world's largest and most celebrated collection of such prints. On account of their rarity and value, 87 of them have been designated Japanese National Treasures or Major National Cultural Heritage Items. The major section of the book consists of the 139 reproductions, grouped by artist, each accompanied by a detailed commentary. Street scenes, lovers' trysts, festivals, portraits of courtesans and actors, landscapes and travelogues - these are the motifs of the ukiyo-e print. The dominant theme, however, is woman's beauty, the grace of her posture and attitudes, and the decorative aesthetics of her flowing garments. Amongst the most celebrated of the artists featured here are Utamaro, with his beautiful courtesans and geishas; Sharaku, with his portraits of actors on the kabuki stage; Hokusai, with his landscapes, among them the '36 Views of Mount Fuji'; and Hiroshige, with his '53 Stations on the To-kaido' and his '100 Views of Famous Places in and around Edo'. Author: Gabriele Fahr-Becker Publisher: Taschen ISBN: 3822820598 Published: 2002 Flexicover: 196 x 245 mm, 208 pages Price: £9.99


	Things Japanese - Nicholas Bornoff, Michael Freeman This guide to Japanese life chronicles more than 60 native Japanese objects. Each object featured is accompanied by detailed text describing its historical significance and place in everyday Japanese life. You'll learn about the origins and uses of everything from folding paper fans to lacquerware combs to ceramic tea bowls. The perfect introduction to Japan, Things Japanese offers an innovative look into this diverse and fascinating culture. Publisher: Periplus Editions/Berkeley Books Pte Ltd ISBN: 962593782X Published: 2002 Hardback: 144 pages Price: £18.99


	Japanese Graphics Now Click picture to look inside Exploding with eye-popping originality and freshness, today's best Japanese graphics have been gathered together to make this must-have guide to contemporary aesthetics in Japan. With their unique perspective, the Japanese have a way of looking at the world that has long been a source of great interest to outsiders. Here, Japan's most talented creative professionals strut their stuff in the form of posters, advertisements, print media, visual identity, and print design. Divided into chapters by media type, this highly visual guide presents a diverse selection of graphics and includes an index of designers, complete with website addresses and contact information. The book also includes a free DVD, on which you'll find a video tour of the coolest places to visit in Tokyo, interviews with art directors, filmmakers, and designers, and the latest and greatest television commercials from Japan. Publisher: Taschen ISBN: 3822825891 Published: 2003 Flexicover: 608 pages, 196 x 249 mm + DVD Price: £19.99


	Manga Click picture to look inside Manga is a type of Japanese comic book published in anthologized series, hugely popular in Japan among adults and widely influential on advertising, visual arts, and particularly the Anime film genre. The influence of manga - a central figure in Japanese mainstream culture for decades - has begun to spread outside of Japan, making waves in the West and influencing not only comic designers, but also advertisers, filmmakers, and creative professionals in general. But why is manga so popular? Why do the Japanese obsess over it, pushing weekly distribution figures into the millions? Inside this mega-guide you'll get the skinny on the manga phenomenon and its superstars - both human and fictional - via 140 A to Z listings of the most talented and influential manga artists, from classic maestros - like Osamu Tezuka (creator of Astroboy) and Katsuhiro Otomo (creator of Akira) - to the hottest newcomers such as Reiko Okano and world famous artists like Hayao Miyazaki (creator of Princess Mononoke and Spirited Away). Each entry includes biographical and bibliographical information, descriptions of main characters, and of course plenty of examples of the artist's finest manga spreads and covers. Free DVD includes: - Three interviews with cutting-edge manga artists (one underground, one traditional, and one top artist) - Tokyo manga shop tour: inside Tokyo's coolest and biggest (up to 150,000 titles in one shop!) - 900 manga covers Author: Masanao Amano Publisher: Taschen ISBN: 3822825913 Published: 2004 Flexicover: 196 x 249 mm, 576 pages + DVD Price: £19.99


	Ikebana - A Fresh Look at Japanese Flower Arranging Ikebana is the ancient art of flower arranging. Each floral structure is a carefully balanced combination of form and space; it could be said that the elements an Ikebana artist chooses to leave out or cut away are given as much thought as those that remain. Contrary to Western flower arranging, no part of an Ikebana arrangement is random. Its carefully positioned leaves, stems and blooms echo the sculptural line of modern interiors. Indeed many concepts such as space, colour, material and form, which are an intrinsic part of interior design, are also at the heart of Ikebana. This practical guide shows how to arrange flowers according to the principles of the technique, with step-by-step instructions for a variety of designs aimed at novices and more experienced arrangers. Authors: Diane Norman and Michele Cornelle Publisher: Conran Octopus ISBN: 1840912472 Published: 2002 Hardback: 160 pages Price: £25.00


	Japanese Gardens Click picture to look inside The Japanese garden, like all gardens, is more than mere nature; it is nature crafted by man and woman. It needs the hands of the designer to give it meaning. The Japanese garden belongs to the realm of architecture; at its best, it is nature as art. Its changing forms respond both to socioeconomic developments and to religious and philosophical trends, and thereby reflect the spiritual climate in which its architecture was conceived. At the same time as detailing the characteristics distinguishing and differentiating each of the five major epochs in the history of the Japanese garden, the author identifies the common motif which underlies them all: the recurrent attempt to unite beauty as natural accident and beauty as human-perfected type, to achieve an aesthetic symbiosis between the seeming randomness of natural form and the strict geometry of the right angle. 'This book is itself a work of art, produced with sound insight and loving attention to detail and lavishly illustrated' - Japan Magazine Author: Günter Nitschke Publisher: Taschen ISBN: 3822820350 Published: 2003 Flexicover: 196 x 245 mm, 240 pages Price: £9.99


	World Music (vol. 2) - Latin and North America, Caribbean, India, Asia and Pacific The Rough Guide to World Music was published for the first time in 1994 and became the definitive reference source. Six years on, the subject has become too big for one book - hence World Music 2: Latin and North America, Caribbean, India, Asia and Pacific - on everything from salsa and merengue to qawwali and gamelan and biographies of artists from Juan Luis Guerra to the Klezmatics to Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan. Publisher: Rough Guides ISBN: 1858286360 Published: 2000 Paperback: 720 pages Price: £17.99


	Encyclopedia of Religion - Eyewitness Guide Click picture to look inside The Encyclopedia of Religion presents all the world faiths in a visually appealing way, taking a detailed look at the six main religions: Hinduism, Sikhism, Buddhism, Judaism, Christianity and Islam. This book provides answers about what the followers of different religions really believe and allows readers to learn about the ideals of each faith. An up-to-date reference section provides readers with a concise and illuminating insight into the common themes of religions and their spread throughout the world. Integration of words and pictures enables readers of different ages and abilities to access information. Includes more than 1,200 photographs and illustrations, many of them commissioned especially for this book. Explains the practices and teachings of each religion, while displaying the art and architecture associated with each faith. Suitable for children: 8 years and over Publisher: Dorling Kindersley ISBN: 1405303050 Published: 2004 Hardback: 304 pages, 216 x 280 mm Price: £19.99

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