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Fairies
Yoshitaka Amano's lush ethereal paintings of magical creatures, spirits, goblins and apparitions have been praised and admired all over the world. In Fairies, he turns his considerable talent to capturing in breathtaking images characters from such beloved stories as Shakespeare's A Midsummer Night's Dream, the wizard Merlin and his muse the intoxicating Nimue, mermaids of the deep as well as his interpretation of fairies from Celtic and Japanese mythology.
80 pages, Hardcover
First published December 1, 1996
8 people are currently reading
1306 people want to read
About the author
Yoshitaka Amano
225 books292 followersYoshitaka Amano (Japanese: 天野 喜孝) is a celebrated Japanese visual artist, illustrator, and character designer known for his ethereal style and cross-genre influence in anime, video games, literature, and fine art. He began his career in 1967 at the age of 15 with Tatsunoko Production, where he contributed to iconic anime series such as Speed Racer, Gatchaman, and Tekkaman. In 1982, he became an independent artist, illustrating acclaimed fantasy novels including Vampire Hunter D and The Guin Saga, and later provided character and logo designs for the globally popular Final Fantasy video game franchise, which brought him international recognition.
Amano’s distinctive aesthetic combines intricate linework with vivid colors, drawing on Western comic books, Art Nouveau, Orientalist painters, and traditional Japanese ukiyo-e. He has published numerous art books and illustrated graphic novels, including The Sandman: The Dream Hunters with Neil Gaiman, which won the Bram Stoker Award.
In addition to his work in illustration and design, Amano has contributed to stage and film productions, created album art for musical artists, and exhibited paintings in galleries worldwide. In 2010, he founded Studio Devaloka to develop animated and multimedia projects, including the illustrated novel Deva Zan. With a career spanning over five decades, Amano remains one of Japan’s most influential and visionary contemporary artists.
Amano’s distinctive aesthetic combines intricate linework with vivid colors, drawing on Western comic books, Art Nouveau, Orientalist painters, and traditional Japanese ukiyo-e. He has published numerous art books and illustrated graphic novels, including The Sandman: The Dream Hunters with Neil Gaiman, which won the Bram Stoker Award.
In addition to his work in illustration and design, Amano has contributed to stage and film productions, created album art for musical artists, and exhibited paintings in galleries worldwide. In 2010, he founded Studio Devaloka to develop animated and multimedia projects, including the illustrated novel Deva Zan. With a career spanning over five decades, Amano remains one of Japan’s most influential and visionary contemporary artists.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 34 reviews
August 19, 2018
The main attraction here is Amano's dreamy illustration; the folkloric material is selected haphazardly and will largely be familiar to readers with any interest in the subject. Although I admit I had never heard of the "habetrot" before.
(This isn't the habetrot, this is a pretty girl resting while the habetrot weaves for her.)
I may try to track down this 1902 publication by Uwada Toshi explaining how western fairies are like sennyu or possibly yosei.
(This isn't the habetrot, this is a pretty girl resting while the habetrot weaves for her.)
I may try to track down this 1902 publication by Uwada Toshi explaining how western fairies are like sennyu or possibly yosei.
August 31, 2025
wispy and strange, as to be expected from amano. he draws on irish folklore, celtic myth, shakespeare’s midsummer night’s dream, and the arthurian cycle as subject matter and changes his style according to creature. each illustration is accompanied by one page (or less than) of sonnet verse/story description. i loved his arthurian cycle best (i learned from this book that marie de france’s fairy princess is not nameless); his triamour is golden and lovely on her steed, his merlin is ominous and blind in a tenebrous space. the narrative of merlin’s poem: merlin deceived nimüe with magic, claiming her heart for himself. days went by, years went by, merlin slept in the shade of a tree. softly, nimüe cast a spell. merlin, who loved nimüe so, lost his powers to her and became her prisoner in an invisible dungeon. you deceived me, i know, but do not ever leave my side.
October 15, 2018
I'm most familiar with Yoshitaka Amano's work from the Final Fantasy series. I didn't realize how famous of an artist he was, or that he had published books that were unrelated to the Final Fantasy series.
The artwork in this book is romantic and lithe. You'll find many images of dreamy women with swirling locks of hair scrawled across the page. You'll also find not so attractive images of male fairies.
The text in this book is not very interesting. It's mostly excerpts from folk tales and plays that spoke of fairies. Sometimes only a few sentences would be quoted, other excerpts would be a tad longer but it never quite felt like enough of the story was being expressed.
Fairies would make a beautiful gift to someone who's interested in the subject matter. I don't think I'd recommend it for young children as the language is a bit tough to process at times.
The artwork in this book is romantic and lithe. You'll find many images of dreamy women with swirling locks of hair scrawled across the page. You'll also find not so attractive images of male fairies.
The text in this book is not very interesting. It's mostly excerpts from folk tales and plays that spoke of fairies. Sometimes only a few sentences would be quoted, other excerpts would be a tad longer but it never quite felt like enough of the story was being expressed.
Fairies would make a beautiful gift to someone who's interested in the subject matter. I don't think I'd recommend it for young children as the language is a bit tough to process at times.
Want to read
September 26, 2015Bought a copy of this book last year. Was excited when it arrived but was in the middle of packing, getting ready for a big house move. Had a quick look, but decided to pack it and enjoy it later. Ironically, given the subject matter, I haven't been able to find it since. No matter how hard I look it remains hidden. Apt, but frustrating. One day...
October 20, 2011
"Fairies" is a breath-taking hommage to European fairy-art from one of Japan's greatest contemporary illustrators. Both literary (Shakespearean), as well as traditional folk fairies appear in this gorgeous book. Amano's illustrations range from the luminous to the crepuscular, and the nocturnal, often balancing the brightest colours with stark shades of black, while every section is accompanied/complemented by folk tales and quotes from Shakespeare. There are obvious echoes of Klimt and Rackham, but they are fully integrated into Amano's characteristic ethereal thones and sharp lines. A must have for anyone who loves contemporary fairy art.
December 29, 2015
Gorgeous, and at times slightly grotesque, illustrations. Most of them did possess a dream-like quality that I enjoyed.
The text consisted of tidbits of poetry and short stories about the fairy creature featured in the illustration. Not particularly remarkable.
The text consisted of tidbits of poetry and short stories about the fairy creature featured in the illustration. Not particularly remarkable.
October 10, 2021
Gorgeous art and lovely collection of fairy tales, superstitions, and Shakespeare references
December 22, 2019
Gorgeous art.
December 21, 2014
Beautiful and strange. I mostly requested this because the cover art looked Kay Nielsen-esque; looking at the inside I found that but also saw a lot of Arthur Rackham in the artist's style. (A compliment as those are a couple of my favorite fairy tale illustraters.) I was not at all familiar with Yoshitaka Amano's artwork, so this was a pleasant discovery. There was good variety. I loved the texture and the use of color--sometimes chaotically vibrant, other times soft and sensitive--and how suitable the style was for depicting fey. My biggest complaint was the fairies' tendency to forgo clothing. Thankfully it wasn't too detailed in that area.
As for the writing itself: it was a very quick read. Most pages had only short paragraphs or poems--describing the different types of fairies or possibly telling a quick tale about them--with a longer discussion at the very end. Quite fairy tale reminiscent. This book combines two of my favorite things--art and fairy tales.
As for the writing itself: it was a very quick read. Most pages had only short paragraphs or poems--describing the different types of fairies or possibly telling a quick tale about them--with a longer discussion at the very end. Quite fairy tale reminiscent. This book combines two of my favorite things--art and fairy tales.
October 13, 2014
Fairies depicted in Amano's unique unimitable style, complete with the odd quote and story. The art work is incredible and beautiful and shows an interesting take on the fairy folk of the UK and Ireland.
September 30, 2015
Great art and it pulls a lot of little stories about various kinds of fairies from the British Isles.
If you dig Amano's art, it's certainly worth checking out. I think I prefer the Final Fantasy books and the Tale of Genji, but this is solid.
If you dig Amano's art, it's certainly worth checking out. I think I prefer the Final Fantasy books and the Tale of Genji, but this is solid.
August 26, 2016
My second art-book by Yoshitaka Amano. It's a little short, but ... the art is great.
November 30, 2020
This is a beautiful collection of artistic renderings of fairies/faeries/fae folk from the British Isles. Amano's art captures the wispy, playful, and at times uncomfortable nature of the fey creatures that seem to inhabit the Isles.
I do think that this book has too many pages that for Shakespeare's A Midsummer Night's Dream --it gets its own literary section in the book structure. I won't argue that it is not a pivotal piece of the fairy literary canon because it was just so wildly influential, but did it deserve that many pages of a relatively short collection? No.
Also, I know that Shakespeare is public domain, but I did not feel comfortable with the copy/paste of words in those sections. Sure, they are recognizable and most people know the author, but what about the other pieces? How many of these other pieces don't have the author/creator's information included. I would have really been happier with this book if the back matter delved more into each faerie's background and origin --or at least the author's sources. I felt concerned that some of these sections were just lightly paraphrased or wholesale plagiarized because the sources weren't included. That is sloppy editorial work. Particularly sloppy when one considers that there essays in the back matter that address the themes, chosen creatures, and author's inspiration. That would have been a good place to include sources --at the very a least a bibliography. Even if most of the folklore used here is public domain, it is a common courtesy to cite the authors (and likely translators) that the material was inspired by/borrowed from.
This is not exactly a comic, but I have included it there because it has a high brow comic feel.
I do think that this book has too many pages that for Shakespeare's A Midsummer Night's Dream --it gets its own literary section in the book structure. I won't argue that it is not a pivotal piece of the fairy literary canon because it was just so wildly influential, but did it deserve that many pages of a relatively short collection? No.
Also, I know that Shakespeare is public domain, but I did not feel comfortable with the copy/paste of words in those sections. Sure, they are recognizable and most people know the author, but what about the other pieces? How many of these other pieces don't have the author/creator's information included. I would have really been happier with this book if the back matter delved more into each faerie's background and origin --or at least the author's sources. I felt concerned that some of these sections were just lightly paraphrased or wholesale plagiarized because the sources weren't included. That is sloppy editorial work. Particularly sloppy when one considers that there essays in the back matter that address the themes, chosen creatures, and author's inspiration. That would have been a good place to include sources --at the very a least a bibliography. Even if most of the folklore used here is public domain, it is a common courtesy to cite the authors (and likely translators) that the material was inspired by/borrowed from.
This is not exactly a comic, but I have included it there because it has a high brow comic feel.
January 17, 2022
It's a great day when I have not one, but two gorgeous Amano art books to review!
Fairies is a book I'd been looking for, for quite some time; I managed to get lucky at a second hand bookstore, and snatched it quickly... and gods, am I glad I did!
Unlike some of his other books, Fairies is almost a 1:1 ratio of artwork to text. Yoshitaka Amano's gorgeous illustrations are accompanied by poems, excerpts, and stories that make the journey through this book an immensely enjoyable one. This is a great book for anyone who enjoys the concept of Fairies as a whole- just know that it's more of a collectible piece than it is a textbook guide.
Fairies is a book I'd been looking for, for quite some time; I managed to get lucky at a second hand bookstore, and snatched it quickly... and gods, am I glad I did!
Unlike some of his other books, Fairies is almost a 1:1 ratio of artwork to text. Yoshitaka Amano's gorgeous illustrations are accompanied by poems, excerpts, and stories that make the journey through this book an immensely enjoyable one. This is a great book for anyone who enjoys the concept of Fairies as a whole- just know that it's more of a collectible piece than it is a textbook guide.
May 15, 2019
I honestly could have done without all the little stories, I just wanted to look at the photos. For some reason I felt obligated to read them so I did.
I think I would much prefer just snidbits of inspiration and technique discussion rather than full on mythology and folklore sections/chapters.
Beautiful, beautiful magical art. He is a true talent and next time I find one of his books online I’ll make sure I won’t get partial stories.
I think I would much prefer just snidbits of inspiration and technique discussion rather than full on mythology and folklore sections/chapters.
Beautiful, beautiful magical art. He is a true talent and next time I find one of his books online I’ll make sure I won’t get partial stories.
September 7, 2020
I borrowed the E book from my local library. This is the ONLY time I will tell you lovers of the Wee folk and Goblins, don't do that. Buy it instead. The illustrations are frame worthy. The tid bits chosen from old Fairy tales are worth the price and the descriptions of Fairy varieties is grand. Love this e book, got to buy a copy if I can.
March 14, 2024
An absolutely stunning anthology of illustrated fairytales. The midsummer’s night dream fairies are my favourite, where they are almost translucent in erotic dreamlike draped forms. Headley Kow was my favourite story, but the spookiest little creature 🐨🐗🦇🦟
September 27, 2018
Beautiful!
March 1, 2019
The story is hands down compelling.
April 10, 2020
The art in this book is absolutely stunning, and I loved the little pieces of text, it all just felt magical!
October 13, 2020
Worth a gander for the illustrations (which are basically the whole point of the book), but the folkloric information is speculation at best.
August 14, 2021
Beautiful art!!
December 5, 2021
Amano is so devastatingly talented.
Didn't much care for the stories, but the art is absolutely breathtaking.
Didn't much care for the stories, but the art is absolutely breathtaking.
August 26, 2024
Will review the big boy when I read it, dis good tho
March 17, 2020
This art was absolutely beautiful! I learned a lot about classic folklore and I think I may look into reading more classic folklore fiction. This art was very aesthetically pleasing and just gorgeous. I enjoyed it a lot. If you like class folklore or fantasy and art, you will love this art book!
December 9, 2012
Fairies are often seen as a uniquely British Isles phenonenon, so they often hold much interest in cultures around the world regardless of the fact that mythical beings exist in varying forms in every culture. Amano interprets some of the traditional Isles "little people" using his own style of artwork which blends Japanese woodcut print techniques with the line-heavy style of lithography to create beings with are recognizable but original. His emphasis on quality of line with pale washes of watercolour is actually quite synontmous with some of the great illustrators of the past as they they focused produced works with similar features. Rackham, Dulac, Kaye, and Neilson come to mind, and Amano has unwittingly become part of the artistic tradition through his attention to their cultural heritage.
August 7, 2008
Interesting connections between Japanese and British lore.
March 17, 2009
This is a gorgeous book: beautiful illustrations and great stories. I love it!
December 5, 2011
I love Amano's work!
April 24, 2012
~ As a read it was pretty cut and dry...it's the art that's really amazing here.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 34 reviews