Floating World Editions

Floating World Editions is a resource for those interested in Asian art and culture, producing books reflecting the highest standards of scholarship and production quality, as well as affordable art reference titles and monographs.

DISTRIBUTION RIGHTS: East and Southeast Asia

Chinese Art and Reference Books

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Cloud Gate Song
The Verse of Tang Poet Jhang Ji
translated by Jonathan Chaves
2006 176 pp., 12 line drawing & woodblock illus., 21 x 14 cm. Softcover.
ISBN 1-891640-44-5 $19.95
ISBN-13: 978-1-891640-44-5

In this first published translation in a Western language of the verse of major Tang poet Zhang Ji (c. 766-c. 830), 300 poems demonstrate the remarkable range of the poet's stylistic choices: from atmospheric landscape quatrains, evoking vast scenes with just a few brilliantly chosen words, to folk-style "Music Bureau" poems conjuring up the impact on ordinary people of great historical events, such as the Tibetan invasions of China that took place during Zhang's lifetime.
Particularly unusual is that for the first time, the works of a major Chinese poet are rendered in rhymed, or half-rhymed translations, tracking the original rhyme-schemes that play such an important role in Chinese poetics. An in-depth introduction by Professor Chaves analyzes the two reasons- linguistic and stylistic-previous translators have tended to avoid rhyme in their English versions, and shows why both barriers can and should be overcome. He further places his translations in the context of the important Neo-formalist movement in contemporary American poetry.

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Modern Chinese Scholars' Rocks
A Guide for Collectors
by Kemin Hu
2006 128 pp., 150 colour illus., bibliography, notes, 26 x 18 cm. Softcover.
ISBN 1-891640-34-8 $29.95
ISBN-13: 978-1-891640-34-6

Chinese scholar's stones, also called "viewing stones/' "spirit stones/' and "respect stones, (gongshi)" have been appreciated and written about in China for more than a millennium. The increasing popularity of these wonderful objects, both there and now in the West, has caused many more exciting stone types to become available, and at more modest prices. All the would-be collector needs is a good eye and the basic information about stone types and characteristics that this book provides.
Through descriptions and color photographs, the book introduces over 40 stone types, including their mineral compositions, typical colors, hardness on the Mohr scale, and where they are found or quarried. The qualities for which they are valued are explained, as are other features for the stone connoisseur to look for. Separate chapters explain how to display stones to their best advantage and how to make display stands. This modest, straightforward, and informative volume will engage readers in the exciting world of appreciating and collecting these natural art objects.

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Pacing the Void: T'ang Approaches to the Stars
by Edward H. Schafer
368 pp., softbound, 25 x 18 cm.
ISBN 1-891640-14-3 $50.00
ISBN-13: 978-1-891640-14-8

In the author's own words, this work attempts "to recreate, for the 20th-century reader, the sky and the apparitions that ornament it as they were conceived, imagined, and reacted to by the men of T'ang-dynasty China-that is, to suggest what the medieval Chinese . . . thought they saw in the night sky, and how they treated those magic lights in their active lives, their private commitments, and their literary fabrications. Inevitably, this enterprise meant the exploration of the borderlands where science, faith, tradition, invention, and fantasy overlap." Armed with the new awareness that this fascinating work provides, we can better understand the great legacy of art and literature of this important era in Chinese history.
Edward H. Schafer, until his untimely death in 1991, was Agassiz Professor of Oriental Languages at the University of California, Berkeley. His scholarship was devoted to the T'ang dynasty, from the 8th to the 10th centuries, which saw the greatest cultural flowering in Chinese history. With the reprinting of the title, Floating World Editions inaugurates the reissue of all the out-of-print works of this great sinologist. When possible, the reprinted works will incorporate the corrigenda compiled by Professor Schafer, and the series will include a complete bibliography of his published work.

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Tu Wan's Stone Catalogue of Cloudy Forest:
a commentary and synopsis
by Edward H. Schafer
160 pp., softbound, 23 x 15 cm.
ISBN 1-891640-15-1 $40.00
ISBN-13: 978-1-891640-15-5

Although Chinese sources as early as the first millennium BCE had mentioned stones as objects of value or aesthetic merit, this 12th-century catalogue is the first whole work in Chinese literature devoted to the subject. By this date the appreciation of viewing stones in gardens and in the studios of scholars had ignited a craze, and Du Wan, a stone collector and descendent of the great T'ang poet Tu Fu, recorded his travels in search of interesting specimens and how and why he acquired them. Professor Schafer discusses the Chinese taste in stones, Tu Wan and the history and nature of his catalogue, and the technology and petrology of the 12th century. His synopsis of the Chinese text describes 144 types of stones with translated abstracts of each, material of great interest to modern collectors of "scholar's rocks."
Edward H. Schafer, until his untimely death in 1991, was Agassiz Professor of Oriental Languages at the University of California, Berkeley. His scholarship was devoted to the T'ang dynasty, from the 8th to the 10th centuries, which saw the greatest cultural flowering in Chinese history. With the reprinting of the title, Floating World Editions inaugurates the reissue of all the out-of-print works of this great sinologist. When possible, the reprinted works will incorporate the corrigenda compiled by Professor Schafer, and the series will include a complete bibliography of his published work.

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The Birth of Form: Early Chinese Ceramics at the Museum of Applied Arts, Frankfurt
by Stephan Graf von der Schulenburg and Rainald Simon
518 pp., 78 color and numerous b & w photos, 374 color images on CD-ROM, appendixes, maps, chronology, bibliography, Chinese word list, hardbound, 18 x 17 cm.
ISBN 3-88423-202-9 $50.00
ISBN-13: 978-3-88423-202-6

Although the Museum of Applied Arts, Frankfurt (MAK) holds one of the finest collections of Chinese ceramics in Europe, its early wares have remained mostly unpublished. This catalogue introduces a total 419 early Chinese ceramics, described in 374 catalogue entries covering a time span of more than 6000 years. Because of the large number of non-Germans among museum visitors (some 30%) and the international community of collectors, the catalogue is published in a bilingual edition (German and English) with brief entries and glossary in Chinese. Some 80 of the ceramics appear in color plates, while all 374 entries are included in an accompanying CD-ROM that provides detailed descriptions of all exhibits, including a brief Chinese description. The CD further includes details of designs and inscriptions whenever useful, and inter-active information on the geographical setting, historical sequence of cultures, and production centers in ancient China.
Dr. Stephan von der Schulenberg is curator for East Asian art at the MAK, Frankfurt; Dr. Rainald Simon is a Frankfurt-based Sinologist.

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Western Books on China Published up to 1850
by John Lust
352 pp., hardbound, 23 x 17 cm.
ISBN 1-891640-22-4 $50.00
ISBN-13: 978-1-891640-22-3

This catalogue describes some 900 works published from 1550 to 1850, as well as 300 additional items reprinted in collective works, all in the library of the School of Oriental and African Studies, University of London. It therefore covers the first great phase of Western involvement in China, ranging from reports of envoys to khans of the medieval period down to the writings of diplomats, merchants, military figures, missionaries, and so on of the early 19th century. As might be expected, many rare editions are included, for example, a handful of those rarest of prints, the xylographs published in Macao or Beijing in the 17th century. The catalogue is classified by subject area of publication, and includes indexes of authors and titles, as well as a supplementary subject index, and Chinese title index.
John Lust, now retired from the library at SOAS, is well known for his bibliographic compilations, including the Index Sinicus 1920-1955, a catalogue of periodical articles relating to China.

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An Index of Early Chinese Painters and Paintings: T'ang, Sung, Yuan
by James Cahill
402 pp., softbound, 25 x 18 cm.
ISBN 1-891640-10-0 $50.00
ISBN-13: 978-1-891640-10-0

First published in 1980, James Cahill's Index is the most comprehensive English-language compilation available on Chinese painters and their works from the late 6th through the mid-14th century. Incorporating the work of Ellen Johnston Laing and Osvald Siren, whom Professor Cahill studied under as a graduate student, the Index includes biographical details of the artists, their "style" and "studio" names, where their works are located or have been published, and information on materials, signatures, seals, and inscriptions. An extensive bibliography focuses on reproductions of the works in Chinese, Japanese, and Western publications, making the Index is an essential research tool for all students, collectors, and connoisseurs of Chinese art.
James Cahill, Professor Emeritus, University of California, Berkeley, has also held the positions of Charles Eliot Norton Professor of Poetry, Harvard University, and Curator of Chinese Art, Freer Gallery of Art, Washington. His publications include the widely read Chinese Painting (Skira, 1960), and numerous other books, exhibition catalogues, and articles on Chinese and Japanese painting.

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Europe Studies China
Papers from an International Conference on the History of European Sinology
edited by Ming Wilson & John Cayley
352 pp., 35 monochrome illustrations, bibliographies, hardbound, 25 x 18 cm.
ISBN 0-906610-16-8 $50.00
ISBN-13: 978-0-906610-16-9

This outstanding work reviews Sinological studies in most European nations from their inception through the late 20th century, reported by the most eminent Sinologists of that latter date. Although the conference was held in 1992, the work stands as the best single-volume history of European Sinology available, with reviews of the contributions of pioneers in the field from many countries, including Henri Maspero and Paul Demiéville in France, the Italian Jesuits, Schlegel and Duyvendak of the Dutch Replubic, V.M. Alekseev of Russia, Sirén and Karlgren of Sweden, and others. Additional articles review the history of China studies in specialized fields, including art, literature, Tun-Huang studies, Taoist studies, and so on. The book shows Sinology in Europe to be a rich tapestry of research initiated by various countries, institutions, and individuals, and is fascinating reading for anyone interested in Chinese studies.
Contributors include Herbert Franke, Jacque Gernet, Wilt L. Idema, Vladislov F. Sorokin, Lothar Ledderose, Cyril Birch, Edwin G. Pulleyblank, Kristofer Schipper, Jean-Pierre Drege, N. Goran D. Malmqvist, Roderick Whitfield, and many others.

Japanese Art and Reference Books:

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Japanese Names and How to Read Them:
A Manual for Art Collectors and Students
by Albert J. Koop and Hogitaro Inada
572 pp., softbound, 25 x 18 cm.
ISBN 1-891640-13-5 $75.00
ISBN-13: 978-1-891640-13-1

Long out of print, the pioneering work of Koop and Inada remains an important and fundamental reference for those wishing to master the pronunciation of Japanese names. The central feature of the 572-page work is a dictionary of kanji used in writing Japanese names, categorized by stroke count, with a complete index cross-referencing characters by pronunciation Also are included are useful auxiliary references such as the Genji symbols, reign periods and dates, personal names and titles, and typical signatures. With copies of the original 1923 edition commanding from $200 to $800, this essential tool for students, scholars, connoisseurs, and collectors is now available in a reasonably priced, soft-cover format.
Albert J. Koop was Keeper in the Department of Metalwork in the Victoria and Albert Museum, honorary editor of the journal Transactions of the Japan Society, London, and author of the seminal Early Chinese Bronzes. Sword scholar and translator Hogitaro Inada was co-author, with Henri Joly, of The Sword and Samé.

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A Dictionary of Japanese Artists:
Painting, Sculpture, Ceramics, Prints, Lacquer
by Laurance P. Roberts
312 pp., includes over 3000 artists born prior to 1900 softbound, 25 x 19 cm.
ISBN 1-891640-19-4 $50.00
ISBN-13: 978-1-891640-19-3

This is a limited-edition reprint of the most comprehensive and authoritative dictionary of Japanese artists yet published. The pertinent facts related to approx-imately 3000 painters, printmakers, sculptors, potters, and lacquerware makers born before 1900 are concisely listed, including their art names (in kanji and romanized), brief biographies, descriptions of their work, collections in which their work is included, and books and periodicals in which their work is discussed or illustrated. Extensive appendixes, glossary, bibliography and complete indexes-including artists by alternate names and Japanese characters-make this an essential reference for all those interested in Japanese and East Asian art.
Laurance P. Roberts, a specialist in the art of East Asia, held positions at the Philadelphia Museum of Art, the Brooklyn Museum of Art, and the American Academy in Rome.

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Japanese Marks and Seals:
In Literature and the Arts
by James Lord Bowes
380 pp., softbound, 25 x 18 cm.
ISBN 1-891640-11-9 $50.00
ISBN-13: 978-1-891640-11-7

This extremely valuable reference work remains a fundamental resource for all students, scholars, connoisseurs, and collectors of Japanese art and literature. First published in London in 1882, it is divided into three parts: 1) pottery; 2) illuminated manuscripts and printed books; and 3) lacquer, cloisonné enamels, metal, wood, and ivory. Containing over one thousand illustrations of marks and seals in its 380 pages, it includes charts of both zodiacal cycles and reign periods. With original copies commanding from $400 to $1200, this essential tool for collectors and specialists is now available in a reasonably priced, soft-cover format.
James Lord Bowes was a noted Japan scholar and art collector, President of the Liverpool Art Society, and co-author, with architect George A. Audsley, of Keramic Art of Japan.

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The Noh Theater:
Principles and Perspectives
by Komparu, translated by Jane Corddry and Stephen B. Comee
400 pp., 60 monochrome photos, numerous charts and diagrams, glossary-index, softbound, 23 x 15 cm.
ISBN 1-891640-17-8 $50.00
ISBN-13: 978-1-891640-17-9

The Noh theater of Japan is without question one of the most refined dramatic arts in the world. Originating in dance and music performed at sacred rituals and festivals, it was developed and brought to maturity in the 14th and 15th centuries by Kan'ami Kiyotsugu and his son, Zeami Motokiyo, two great dramatists who distilled the crude entertainments of the open fields into a predominately tragic drama of illusion played upon an empty stage.
This volume, first published in 1983 and long out of print, is the first work in either English or Japanese to offer a comprehensive explanation and analysis of the principles of the Noh theater. The author was an active practitioner of the art, representing the 22nd generation in a direct line of Noh performers. His book painstakingly outlines both physical and intellectual aspects of Noh-its technical principles and its philosophical perspectives-on a scope hitherto unknown. An invaluable tool for the student of any aspect of drama, it offers as well deeper insights into Japanese history and culture.
Kunio Komparu (1926-83), a direct successor of Zeami, graduated from Tokyo University of Art. A professional performer of the Komparu school of taiko payers, he was also director of the Noh Research Center

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The Traditional Theater of Japan
by Yosunobu Inoura and Toshio Kawatake
2006 272 pp., 130 b & w photos, appendices, index, 23 x 15 cm. Softcover.
ISBN 1-891640-40-2 $50.00
ISBN-13: 978-1-891640-40-7

This is the first book in English to present a comprehensive history of Japanese theater. Beginning with ritualistic Kagura, a theatrical art developed around Shinto shrines well before the 6th century, the discussion proceeds to Gigaku, which originated in China and had Buddhist associations, moves on to Gagaku and Bugaku (court music and dance), and then to Sarugaku and other prototypes of Noh. Due attention is given the several early phases of Noh, as well as its emergence as a true classical theater and its comic interludes of Kyogen. The discussion continues with the origins and history of the puppet theater Bunraku and the popular theater Kabuki. Each dramatic art is thoroughly explained and copiously illustrated with monochrome photographs of performances, costumes, masks, and implements. The result is an absorbing panorama in which the history of the Japanese theater comes to life.

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Japanese Papermaking:
Traditions, Tools, and Techniques
by Timothy Barrett
328 pp., 91 monochrome photos, 75 line drawings, appendixes, glossary, bibliography, softbound, 25 x 18 cm.
ISBN 1-891640-26-7 $50.00

This most comprehensive book on the subject sheds light on every facet of a time-honored craft and offers complete instructions on how to duplicate its exquisite results in the West. Part 1, "The Craft in Japan," draws on the author's experience learning to make paper in Japan and documents Japanese papermaking as it has been practiced for centuries. Part 2, "The Craft in the West," gives step-by-step instructions for the two methods of Japanese papermaking.
Every aspect of papermaking is explained in depth, including cultivation of paper mulberry in the West, weaving the flexible mold surface (su), and evaluation of the finished paper. A chapter on variations answers many common questions asked about the process, covering watermarking, making laminations with leaves and other natural materials, using Western equipment in Japanese processes, and making paper for printmaking, book conservation, and other specific uses. A substantial bibliography and glossary further supplement the text.
Timothy Barrett is a paper specialist and research scientist at the University of Iowa Center for the Book, and an internationally recognized scholar, lecturer, and practitioner in the field of Japanese handmade paper. He is author also of Nagashizuki: The Japanese Craft of Hand Papermaking.