The Ultimate Netsuke Bibliography: An Annotated Guide to Miniature Japanese Carvings (Hardcover)

~ (Author) "1. Aichele, Frieder and Gert Nagel, Netsuke, Translated by Catherine Hutter..." (more)
Key Phrases: New York, Netsuke Kenkyukai Study Journal, Netsuke Collectors Society (more...)

Editorial Reviews

Product Description

The Ultimate Netsuke Bibliography is a comprehensive bibliography of more than 4,400 bibliographic print and non-print entries covering all aspects of Japanese netsuke, the miniature carvings which Japanese men used to suspend various items from the sash belt that fastened their kimono. It is organized into 15 major and 5 minor categories. Each category is further divided into 11 subcategories. Additional features include four indices (Author, Journal, Place, and Subject), and a variety of appendices.

It contains 2,196 books, 1,861 journal articles (457 from the Netsuke Kenkyukai Study Journal), 367 from the Journal of the International Netsuke Collectors Society 1,494 auction catalogs, 431 items in French, 254 items in Japanese, 60 items prior to 1900, including 9 auction catalogs.

Includes most materials published through the end of 1998. A section of 'Late Arrivals', including last minute submissions and items in early 1999, will be listed as well. This volume is a necessity for every netsuke collector, bibliophile, art library and museum.

Product Details

• Hardcover: 384 pages
• Publisher: Art Media Resources; 1st. ed edition (July 1999)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1878529560
• ISBN-13: 978-1878529565
• Product Dimensions: 10.3 x 7.3 x 1.4 inches
• Shipping Weight: 2.4 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 3.7 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (3 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #2,243,275 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

28 of 29 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Excellent research source, September 22, 2000

By	L. M. Crane (Durham, NC USA) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

This review is from: The Ultimate Netsuke Bibliography: An Annotated Guide to Miniature Japanese Carvings (Paperback)

Norman Sandfield has saved everyone a lot of time and effort with this excellent annotated guide to the world of these miniature Japanese carvings. References abound on netsuke types, specific pieces, inro, ojime, sagemono, and toggles in addition to those on legends, subject matter, techniques, materials, and various artist's schools.

Not content to confine himself to the English literature, outstanding foreign references have been included. Any serious collector of netsuke, okimono, or sagemono must consider this book.

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars An incredible source of information, now partly available online as well, October 2, 2008

By	Robert C. Ross (New Jersey) - See all my reviews (TOP 50 REVIEWER)    (REAL NAME)

Norman Sandfield spent many years collecting information on netsuke from a variety of formats and languages, including books, articles in newspapers, magazines and newsletters, convention programs, auction catalogs, dealers brochures, and more. This collection was listed in this volume in 1999, and updated in 2001. It has to be emphasized that many of these materials are not online in any format, and no search engine, Google included, can find them all.

Mr. Sandfield has now donated over 3,000 of the over 4,400 items to the Norman L. Sandfield Library of Netsuke and Oriental Art at the Toledo Museum of Art Reference Library. Additional items will be contributed to the collection over time.

You can search the entire collection by going to the Reference Library section of the Toledo Museum of Art. Mr. Sandfield is donating his collection to Toledo for the following reasons:

"According to Mr. Sandfield, the Toledo Museum of Art is one of only two museums in the U.S. to show a serious, active, and continuing interest in netsuke. This is primarily due to the work of his long-time friend and collector, Richard S. Silverman, whose efforts have helped to strengthen the holdings of netsuke at the Toledo Museum of Art. The other museum is the Los Angeles County Museum of Art, which has a fine netsuke collection from Raymond Bushell and the important Cornelius Van S. Roosevelt Netsuke Library."

The Ultimate Netsuke Bibliography will continue to have great value to serious netsuke collectors for the foreseeable future, according to the Library:

"Sandfield's bibliography contains records for over 4400 items and includes not only the categories of titles mentioned above, but has citations for articles in netsuke journals, general periodicals, convention and seminar programs, and non-print format, and ephemera. Eleven appendices and four indices to the 24 chapters and 211 sub-chapters offer guidance to accessing the worldwide wealth of information available. Particularly interesting are Appendix A (Basic netsuke glossary), Appendix C (Building your own netsuke libraries), and Appendix I (Some statistics). The supplement brings in-print access to 2001. It is hoped that Mr. Sandfield's complete database will be available to interested users sometime in the future."

Eventually all these netsuke riches may be available online; in the meantime this volume remains an essential resource.

Robert C. Ross 2008

0 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

1.0 out of 5 stars Obsolete book for bibliophiles, September 16, 2008

By	Mircea Veleanu "Bad review reviewer" (Fishkill, NY , USA) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

I don't recommend this book, obviously written for bibliophiles prior the discovery of computer's search engines.
This book is a compilation of bibliography written on a subject that anybody can obtain from Google search engine for free. The book is expensive and completely obsolete.