Ukiyo-e are paintings and prints of 'the floating world' of Edo (Tokyo), which had transformed itself in just a century from a swampy village to a metropolis of about a million people. This book offers a glimpse of a vanished world that is fresh and visually rewarding to modern eyes.
The passages in this book are surprisingly well thought out, providing context and literary quotations that are both relevant and interesting. It was a great intro to the world of ukiyoe for a beginner such as myself, and I've finished this book wanting to know more.
Not a history book as much as a collection of beautiful pictures from the Japanese Edo period with informative explanations (but read it from cover to cover and you will learn surprisingly much)!