Customer Reviews

Hiroshige, 100 Views of Edo

5 star:		(14)
4 star:		(0)
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1 star:		(1)

 

 

Yes, there are cropped images at the start of this huge and beautiful book to add illustrations to the informative introduction, but the main body of this publication is made up of full size, uncropped excellent reproductions of all 118 of the "100 Views". I give it the full 5 stars for the Japanese style binding, single sided printing and silk effect covered portfolio slipcase... and it's uncropped reproductions.

Gorgeous, stunning large-scale book, and an excellent addition to any art book collection - or for the coffee table. Perfect reference companion for reading with other in-depth Hiroshige books (I confess, yes! Art Historian. LOL). Softcover with traditional rope binding. Protected in a silk hardcover folding case fastened by faux ivory clasps. My pics hopefully show better than my description. The detailing - binding, paper quality, plates - is exquisite. Colors and images are precise.

Complete collection of FULL-PLATE UNCROPPED prints with museum-like blurbs, succinct but fairly informative, (and a wee bit snarky in places) on the opposite page in English, German, and French. Brief introductory overview with zoomed-in detailing of selected prints. Brings back nice memories for us, having seen some of these prints on display during our visit to the Ota Memorial Museum in Nov 2008.

In Typical Taschen Style, this book is excellently produced with amazing attention to Japanese details. I live in Japan and have seen many Ukiyo-e books. This XL version of Hiroshige's prints is a real pleasure to spend time with. High quality paper, beautiful binding and the traditional japanese slip cover are gorgeous. The enormous size of this book isn't for the average "browsing thumb -page flipper". Viewing this book requires clearing off your cluttered table, washing your grubby mitts and setting aside some time to appreciate Hiroshige's work and the Taschen craftsmanship. Make some tea, open the shoji, and be prepared to experience one of Japans amazing artists. Worth every penny. Thanks Taschen

This is a beautiful book with beautiful illustrations. I didn't know it when I ordered my copy because it looked like any other book in the picture on-screen, but the book is bound in silk in the traditional Japanese style, and it's then held in a traditional Japanese case which is also covered in silk. It's a heavy book with full size plates and it's a wonderful book just to own and have in your collection. This is one not to be missed because they really don't make many books like this anymore.

This is a stunning book. From the moment you feel its silk cover, undo the ivory-like closures, unwrap the book from its casing, I had the sense that this was something special and breathtaking. The detail and color of the prints are beautiful. You can see into the images that Hiroshige created right down to his technique.

Taschen produces books that are as brilliantly executed from a production point of view as the body of the book is brilliant from a content point of view.

The new Hiroshige tome is wonderful. The colors are bright and the images are focused even including the wood grain from the original woodblock. I have a few of the original prints in my collection and am impressed with the quality of the "new" images. I liked it so much that I gave a copy to friends who also value the artist and genre.

This is probably the nicest book I've bought, which is high praise from a book designer. It emulates the experience that the original viewers of these prints had, with carefully designed features like the luminous folding case and faux ivory fastener. Beautiful paper. The prints are the right size. Tastefully done, as you would expect from Taschen. A high caliber coffee table book.

Hiroshige is a very well known Japanese artist who worked in the style called, ukiyo-e, wood block prints whose name translates as pictures of the floating world. Floating, fleeting, ephemeral world, the world of transitory pleasures. Just as cherry blossoms last but for a brief time, so are our lifes. Since they are gone so quickly, they must be cherished all the more while they are still here.

This series of 100 shows Edo, which is the city now known as Tokyo. There are lots of pictures that depict the man-made dwellings and buildings of a thriving metropolis, but also, in virtually every print, there is also the natural world. The juxtapostion of the man-made and natural is what fascinates Hiroshige in this collection, and what will also fascinate the viewer. Though Hokusai is a more prolific and iconic artist in this genre, Hiroshige has his fans. This reprint is made from one of the finest complete original set of woodprints belonging to the Ota Memorial Museum of Art in Tokyo.

Other items of interest:

Hiroshige's Journey in the 60-Odd Provinces (Famous Japanese Print Series)

The Sixty-Nine Stations of the Kisokaido

Hiroshige's Views of Mt. Fuji

Hiroshige

Hokusai and Hiroshige: Great Japanese Prints from the James A. Michener Collection, Honolulu Academy of Arts

Hokusai

Hokusai's Mount Fuji: The Complete Views in Color

Hokusai, First Manga Master

Utamaro and the Spectacle of Beauty

The Narrow Road to the Deep North and Other Travel Sketches (Penguin Classics)

This is an amazing book for a number of reasons. Firstly, its presentation in a silk lined box is unique in my experience. Secondly the quality of the color reproductions are sensational and the paper they are printed on is of the highest standard. It is a sensual experience in itself just to feel the paper! The binding (in the traditional Japanese style) is also quite extraordinary.

Hiroshige was a master of his art and the views of old Tokyo (now replaced by modern buildings and transport routes) are unfailingly beautiful. This large volume, superbly printed in China, is a work of art in itself. Beware, it might not fit on your bookshelf! Treat yourself to one and get another for a special friend.

I was just thrilled with this book! It comes in a wooden box, with beautiful details and great paper quality. It also has a general review on the artist and individual descriptions on all the images. All in English, German and French. A must have!