Online collections are a wonderful resource, but a well-illustrated book is the next best thing to holding an actual print in your hands. These are ten great titles for collectors or anyone who enjoys Japanese ukiyo-e woodblock prints.
Japanese Woodblock Prints: Artists, Publishers, and Masterworks, 1680-1900
Andreas Marks – Organized by artist and publisher, and generously illustrated, this is a great quick reference. It is notable for discussing publishers as well as artists, adding an important element missing from many other general texts.
Ukiyo-e: The Art of the Japanese Print
Frederick Harris – After a brief history and background on the printmaking process, Harris divides the book into prints by subject matter, such as actors, birds and flowers, and erotic subjects. A final chapter covers the collecting and care of Japanese prints.
A Guide to Japanese Prints and Their Subject Matter
Basil Stewart – An early reference with illustrated examples from several popular print series along with variants, focusing especially on major artists like Hiroshige. The original 1922 hardback edition, long out of print but still available, included both black and white and color plates. A later paperback reprint by Dover has only black and white plates.
Japanese Woodblock Prints
Andreas Marks – A very engaging book with many large reproductions and detail images. From the well-regarded art book publisher Taschen, this is a book to return to if only to page through the remarkable pictures. Dr. Marks’ engaging text rewards a longer visit.
Dream Spectres: Extreme Ukiyo-e: Sex, Blood, Demons, Monsters, Ghosts, Tattoo
Jack Hunter – The darker side of Japanese print art is explored in this “adults only” collection. Part of the Ukiyo-e Master series that includes large-format paperback collections of prints based on central themes.
Pictures of the Floating World: An Introduction to Japanese Prints
Sarah E. Thompson – Bound in a traditional Japanese style and including three prints, this is a beautiful edition highlighting selections from one of the finest collections in the world at the Museum of Fine Arts Boston.
Hiroshige’s One Hundred Famous Views of Edo: The Definitive Collector’s Edition
Andreas Marks – A deep dive into one of the most famous series of prints from the Edo period – Hiroshige’s 100 famous views of Edo (Tokyo). An essential reference for anyone wishing to collect prints from the series but also a very informative resource demonstrating the wide variations between versions. In this book Dr. Marks has recreated a “complete” set from collections around the world, along with fascinating details about Hiroshige’s sources for each image and a map that places them in a modern context.
The Hotei Encyclopedia of Japanese Woodblock Prints
Amy Reigle Newland – Out of print and rather expensive, the Hotei Encyclopedia is nonetheless an indispensable resource for serious collectors. Includes an extensive directory of artists, with lineage trees and alternate names. Also illustrations of censor and publisher seals as well as facsimiles of artist signatures.
A Hidden Treasure: Japanese Prints from the Carnegie Museum of Art
Sandy Kita – The Carnegie Museum of Art houses the James B. Austin collection of Japanese Prints, from which many of the examples in this book are taken. A broad survey of examples from the Edo and Meiji periods, including several sosaku hanga from the 20th Century.
Masterpieces of Japanese Prints: Ukiyo-e from the Victoria and Albert Museum
Rupert Faulkner – Over 130 color plates from the museum’s collection spanning a wide variety of artists and styles.