AUTHOR: Adam Kern
There are few Sinophiles out there without a healthy respect, even envy, for the vibrancy of Japanese culture, especially its all-powerful manga comics which have permanently emblazoned the Barbie Doll sex babe and the unstoppable ninja warrior on the popular imagination. These constructs have antecedents and Adam Kern’s book traces one thread in the tangled skein of influences back to a type of Edo era comic book called "kibyoshi." Okay, they are really simple wood block printings, but Kern argues their adult themes, satirical thrusts and bawdy humor paved the way for the later efflorescence of visual popular culture in Japan.

Now Kern is a Harvard professor which means he doesn’t skimp on the socio-political context for the 18th century comic insurgence. This is less important, though, than other scholarly aspect, namely the wealth of rare prints gathered for your visual pleasure. They are all beautifully presented and carefully translated and make for some very high-brow discussion of an essentially low-brow phenomenon. At 600 pages, this is a massive tome, but having it conspicuously placed on your coffee table will make you the coolest intellectual on your block.