Featuring dozens of Japanese netsuke masterpieces and extensive commentary, this Japanese art book is a treasured collector's item. Netsuke are superb miniature carvings, usually less than two inches high, that have been created by Japanese artists for over three hundred years. During that time, they have portrayed almost every aspect of life and culture in Japan. These tiny carvings were traditionally used to prevent the cord attached to a gentleman's medicine box or tobacco pouch from slipping through the belt of his kimono. Today they are highly collectible works of art. Netsuke: Japanese Life and Legend in Miniature presents over seventy full-page color photographs of netsuke in enchanting settings. The accompanying text gives technical details about the netsuke as well as interesting commentaries relating the pieces to Japanese life and legend. Information on the carvers has also been provided whenever possible.

The Grove Encyclopedia of Decorative Arts covers thousands of years of decorative arts production throughout western and non-western culture. With over 1,000 entries, as well as hundreds drawn from the 34-volume Dictionary of Art, this topical collection is a valuable resource for those interested in the history, practice, and mechanics of the decorative arts. Accompanied by almost 100 color and more than 500 black and white illustrations, the 1,290 pages of this title include hundreds of entries on artists and craftsmen, the qualities and historic uses of materials, as well as concise definitions on art forms and style. Explore the works of Alvar Aalto, Charles and Ray Eames, and the Wiener Wekstatte, or delve into the history of Navajo blankets and wing chairs in thousands of entries on artists, craftsmen, designers, workshops, and decorative art forms.

Collecting Japanese Antiques is an excellent overview of the uniquely Japanese aesthetic and how it relates to Japanese culture. From the time Japan started trading with the West in the sixteenth century, Japanese arts and crafts have intrigued and delighted Westerners, especially lacquer, screens, swords and porcelain. Antique hunters will benefit from the practical and cautionary advice in this book; newcomers will appreciate information on the basics of collecting Japanese antiques; while other sections might reawaken interest in experienced collectors. Striking photographs throughout make this art and antiques book a must for collectors and lovers of Japanese art. Chapters include: Japan's Art Heritage Collecting for Fun and with Wisdom Screens and Scrolls Ukiyo-e and Other Prints Sagemono Ceramics Furniture Textiles Lacquerware Cloisonne Sculpture and Metalwork Swords and Armor Tea Ceremony Utensils Dolls Flower Baskets

This special volume is dedicated to the contributions of women ichthyologists. Three colleagues were selected to represent all women ichthyologists, Ethelwynn Trewavas (ET), Rosemary Lowe-McConnell (Ro) and Eugenie Clark (Genie). All have had distinguished professional careers and have contributed in their own ways to their science. The career of each is highlighted by a personal interview with one of the editors of the volume, a bibliography of their lifetime publications, and a biography of their careers. Questions of historical inequities and current controversies in the treatment of women ichthyologists by their peers are raised and addressed by the women themselves. The personal and professional influences of these three women, and other women ichthyologists, are highlighted. A survey article by Pat Brown brings a number of women ichthyologists to the attention of a broader audience, and points the way for a more comprehensive historical consideration of the accomplishments and contributions of women ichthyologists. The volume continues with 16 solicited and contributed papers. ET's studies of taxonomy and life history are echoed in papers on the taxonomy and systematics of marine angelfishes, and of freshwater bitterlings, a review of reproduction in the North Atlantic ichthyofauna, and a comparison of reproductive styles and systematics of African minnows. Ro's studies on ecology, life history and behaviour are paralleled by papers on growth and metabolism in piranha, the community structure in tide pool fishes, and the social system and reproductive patterns in groupers. Genie's pioneering work on sexual roles and sex change, and her field studies of the behaviour of marine fishes are reflected in papers on gonadal structure and environmental sex determination in brook lamprey, sexual patterns in hawkfish, reproduction and systematics in phallostethids, gonadal structure and systematics in gobiids, reproductive and predator avoidance behaviour in razorfish, early ontogeny of an African mouth brooder, and alternative life histories in killifish.

The Tokyo New City Guide goes far beyond the well-worn tourist itineraries and deep into the complex, highly contrasted heart of one of the world's largest and most exciting cities. This lively, up-to-the-minute Japan travel guide covers modern Tokyo like no other. Here's where you will find the ideal balance between the still-extant traditional Japan with its temples, way of life, arts and crafts, kimono, festivals, customs and cuisine and the crowded futuristic technopolis of electronics, high fashion, contemporary art and architecture, and gastronomic experiences from the four corners of the globe. Bewildering at times, the coexistence of such contrasts is precisely what makes Tokyo tick. More than just a perfunctory Tokyo guide, this is a handbook for life in contemporary Tokyo. The style is informative, absorbing and witty and, where due, refreshingly frank and critical. Bursting at the seams with information, it is not only invaluable for the short term visitor or the newcomer, but likely to send even the most jaded long-term residents off to explore some new horizons of their many-faceted adopted home.