Yoshitoshi's Strange Tales

Readers who don't already dream about ghosts and spirits might begin do so after spending time with this extraordinary book now available in the US. The myths and folklore of pre-modern Japan held a fascination for Taiso Yoshitoshi (1839-1892), who was an incredibly prolific and popular woodblock artist. His powerful images are presented full-page in this oversize volume (10x12"), with the stories told and interpreted on facing pages. Stevenson is an Oxford-educated writer who lived in Asia for 20 years. He provides a thorough, extended introductory essay explaining Yoshitoshi's series of works on supernatural creatures and stories at the beginning of his career and the series he created toward the end of his life titled New Forms of Thirty-Six Strange Things. Annotation ©2011 Book News, Inc., Portland, OR (booknews.com)