The Japanese Art of Love: Pillow Book, A (A Pillow Book) [Hardcover]

Reed (Author)

Book Description

Series: A Pillow Book | Publication Date: April 22, 1994

A sampling of a centuries-old erotic legacy, this text is excerpted from novels, sex manuals, Zen poems and Geisha songs, and is accompanied by a collection of "shunga" - coloured wood block prints that represent some of the most extraordinary sexual art any culture has ever produced. Pillow books, which take their name from the lacquered wooden "pillows" of Japan in which these conveniently small works of instruction and amusement were mainly kept, have long been a traditional gift for lovers in India, China and Japan.

Editorial Reviews

Language Notes

Text: English, Japanese

Product Details

• Hardcover: 64 pages
• Publisher: HarperOne (April 22, 1994)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0062510819
• ISBN-13: 978-0062510815
• Product Dimensions: 5.6 x 4.3 x 0.5 inches
• Shipping Weight: 2.4 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 3.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (1 customer review)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #2,723,031 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

3.0 out of 5 stars Charming, but very small, July 22, 2008

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wiredweird "wiredweird" (Earth, or somewhere nearby) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: The Japanese Art of Love: Pillow Book, A (A Pillow Book) (Hardcover)

This undersized book (about 6" x 4-1/2" and 64 pages) offers a delightful assortment of visual and written art about physical love. The artwork comes from Japan's tradition of "shunga" - gorgeous woodcut prints, some B&W and some richly colored. Text comes from the poet Ikkyu, traditional geisha songs, and other sources, only occasionally more than four lines.

Unfortunately, the small size makes the imagery hard to read and to appreciate properly. None of the artwork or text has attribution - if you want to see more from any source, you're stuck. It's cute as a stocking stuffer for Valentine's day, but really not for serious students of erotic art or Japanese culture.

-- wiredweird