Designed for Pleasure: The World of Edo Japan in Prints and Paintings, 1680-1860

This beautifully illustrated, oversize catalogue (9.5x12") was published to accompany an exhibition at the Asia Society and Japanese Art Society in New York City in 2008. Eight lengthy essays describe different issues and protagonists in Edo print culture by leading art historians. The artists Hishikawa Moronobu, Okumura Masanobu, Suzuki Harunobu, and Katsukawa Shunsho, and the publisher Tsutaya Juzaburo are each the subject of separate essays. The other essays examine ukiyo-e as material culture and private commissions. An exhibition checklist, with color plates of some of the works, a list of the works in Japanese, and an index conclude the volume. Annotation ©2008 Book News, Inc., Portland, OR (booknews.com)

Julia Meech is the author of Frank Lloyd Wright and the Art of Japan and the editor of Impressions, the journal of the Japanese Art Society of America. Jane Oliver is an editor and consultant in Asian art. Other contributors include John T. Carpenter, Timothy Clark, Julie Nelson Davis, Allen Hockley, Donald Jenkins, David Pollack, Sarah E. Thompson, and David Waterhouse.