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English text.; Hardcover (with dust jacket).; 20.5 x 26.5 cm.; 1.3 kg.; 260 pages with colour illustrations.; Used with signs of wear on the exterior and interior. The exterior shows minor edge wear, scuffs and scratches on the front cover, spine and back cover. The spine is slightly faded. Interior with minor signs of wear. The outside text block shows minor yellowing. The hinge is slightly loose but still firmly attached to the binding.; In this, his latest and no doubt most eagerly awaited book, Raymond Bushell once again displays his authority and skill as a writer on the endlessly fascinating subject of netsuke. Intended specifically for the collector, whether newcomer or old hand, Netsuke Familiar and Unfamiliar breaks new ground in its candid appraisal of the present state of netsuke collecting and the netsuke market. Of particularly timely value, given the soaring cost of netsuke, are its concrete suggestions for building worthy collections without inordinate expenditures-collections that will be individual in character, will add to the sum of netsuke knowledge, and will express the tastes and interests of the collectors. "What I have written here," says Mr. Bushell in his introductory remarks, "is directed toward collecting effectively, satisfyingly, and economically. It is a series of specific suggestions, policies, and principles, with a backdrop of related observation and comment. Netsuke collecting is still in its infancy. New directions and new goals beckon the individualists among collectors. . My purpose is to probe the problem of the increasing cost of collecting netsuke, to seek explanations, and to search for solutions.". Mr. Bushell's conviction that it is still possible to collect netsuke without emptying one's pocketbook is substantiated by his detailed descriptions of 45 different categories of collections and his in-depth discussion of the criteria for a good collection. The emphasis throughout is on collecting for aesthetic quality without undue regard for pieces that happen to be currently popular, or have distinguished provenance, or bear coveted signatures. Among the outstanding features of the book is its wealth of new and fresh illustrations: more than 800 full-color, actual-size photographs of fine netsuke from roughly 50 collections-some famous and some little known-together with more than 300 photographs of carvers' signatures. The netsuke shown here represent the work of hundreds of different carvers, both identified and anonymous; they are of many types and styles, both sought after and over- looked. It is of interest to note that a Japanese-language version of the book is being published by the Kyoto publisher Tankosha-the first instance of the appearance in Japanese of a book on netsuke by a Western writer.
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