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Pictures of the Floating World: An Introduction to Japanese Prints
In Edo-period Japan, woodblock prints known as ukiyo-e ("pictures of the floating world") captured the ephemeral fashions and entertainments of urban popular culture and eventually many other subjects as well, from landscape to fantasy. In this book, Sarah E. Thompson, curator of Japanese art at the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston, provides an overview of the cultural and artistic history of ukiyo-e, showcasing 120 exceptional prints from the museum's world-class collection.
191 pages, Slipcase
First published November 22, 2022
About the author
Sarah E. Thompson
17 books3 followersSarah E. Thompson Assistant Curator for Japanese Prints in Art of Asia, Oceania, and Africa Museum of Fine Arts, Boston
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Displaying 1 - 8 of 8 reviews
June 30, 2026
tldr: Good overview of ukiyo-e woodblock prints, but the pictures are too small.
I bought this book alongside Thompson’s Hokusai book as an introduction to ukiyo-e works in general. I was thoroughly impressed by her Hokusai book, so I had high expectations for this one too.
This book begins with a short history of Edo-period Japan and the evolution of its entertainment culture. Edo’s “floating world,” i.e. a pleasure-motivated, ephemeral world, gave rise to a new category of art dedicated to capturing these fleeting pleasures. This category was mostly produced through the woodblock-print medium. Thompson then provides us with a history of woodblock prints, starting with monochromatic prints, moving to hand-coloured prints, and finally to the full-colour prints that we associate with ukiyo-e today. Lastly, she provides an overview of common ukiyo-e subject matter: fashion, warrior tales, bird-and-flower pictures, landscapes, and folklore-inspired illustrations. The remaining bulk of the book follows a simple format of illustration and commentary. Each page features one print alongside Thompson’s discussion.
What I enjoyed
The commentary
Just like with her Hokusai book, Thompson provides excellent commentary and explanations for each of the prints. She discusses what is happening in the image, its historical context, and the artistic techniques being used. Her detailed insights are especially appreciated for the “people” prints (women, samurai, kabuki actors, etc.). To me, as someone who is just learning about ukiyo-e, many of these “people” prints look more or less the same. Thompson herself points out that they conform to certain ideals of beauty and recurring visual conventions. Nevertheless, she gives readers ways to distinguish them, whether through the use of brushstrokes, forehead proportions, or body shape.
I also greatly appreciated her selection of prints. She includes works by a wide range of artists, not just the familiar names like Kuniyoshi, Kunisada, Hokusai, and Hiroshige, though these four naturally appear the most.
What didn't work for me
The reproductions are too small
The major drawback of this book is its size. The compact format is certainly convenient, but it also means that many of the reproductions are tiny. Sometimes the book features an entire triptych, yet that triptych occupies only about one-third of a single page. It is an impossibly small reproduction of what is often a very large artwork, so much so that you cannot even read the Japanese writing in the cartouches. I would much rather have had another oversized book like Thompson’s Hokusai volume so that the details of the prints could actually be appreciated.
The binding
Another drawback is the binding. It uses a traditional Japanese-style binding: a series of holes are punched into the left margin and thread is used to bind the pages together. The novelty is charming... until it isn't. Because the pages are clamped together so tightly along the margin, the book never really lies flat. The pages are also folded so that only one side of each sheet is printed while the other side remains hidden inside the fold. It creates a neat visual effect, but it also feels like a rather wasteful use of paper.
Final remarks
I love Thompson’s writing, but the small size of this book makes it less than ideal for appreciating the prints themselves. The workaround is easy enough—just pull up a high-resolution image online and zoom in—but that solution is hardly ideal. I would happily keep this book for Thompson’s commentary alone, though it is not the best showcase for the artwork itself.
I bought this book alongside Thompson’s Hokusai book as an introduction to ukiyo-e works in general. I was thoroughly impressed by her Hokusai book, so I had high expectations for this one too.
This book begins with a short history of Edo-period Japan and the evolution of its entertainment culture. Edo’s “floating world,” i.e. a pleasure-motivated, ephemeral world, gave rise to a new category of art dedicated to capturing these fleeting pleasures. This category was mostly produced through the woodblock-print medium. Thompson then provides us with a history of woodblock prints, starting with monochromatic prints, moving to hand-coloured prints, and finally to the full-colour prints that we associate with ukiyo-e today. Lastly, she provides an overview of common ukiyo-e subject matter: fashion, warrior tales, bird-and-flower pictures, landscapes, and folklore-inspired illustrations. The remaining bulk of the book follows a simple format of illustration and commentary. Each page features one print alongside Thompson’s discussion.
What I enjoyed
The commentary
Just like with her Hokusai book, Thompson provides excellent commentary and explanations for each of the prints. She discusses what is happening in the image, its historical context, and the artistic techniques being used. Her detailed insights are especially appreciated for the “people” prints (women, samurai, kabuki actors, etc.). To me, as someone who is just learning about ukiyo-e, many of these “people” prints look more or less the same. Thompson herself points out that they conform to certain ideals of beauty and recurring visual conventions. Nevertheless, she gives readers ways to distinguish them, whether through the use of brushstrokes, forehead proportions, or body shape.
I also greatly appreciated her selection of prints. She includes works by a wide range of artists, not just the familiar names like Kuniyoshi, Kunisada, Hokusai, and Hiroshige, though these four naturally appear the most.
What didn't work for me
The reproductions are too small
The major drawback of this book is its size. The compact format is certainly convenient, but it also means that many of the reproductions are tiny. Sometimes the book features an entire triptych, yet that triptych occupies only about one-third of a single page. It is an impossibly small reproduction of what is often a very large artwork, so much so that you cannot even read the Japanese writing in the cartouches. I would much rather have had another oversized book like Thompson’s Hokusai volume so that the details of the prints could actually be appreciated.
The binding
Another drawback is the binding. It uses a traditional Japanese-style binding: a series of holes are punched into the left margin and thread is used to bind the pages together. The novelty is charming... until it isn't. Because the pages are clamped together so tightly along the margin, the book never really lies flat. The pages are also folded so that only one side of each sheet is printed while the other side remains hidden inside the fold. It creates a neat visual effect, but it also feels like a rather wasteful use of paper.
Final remarks
I love Thompson’s writing, but the small size of this book makes it less than ideal for appreciating the prints themselves. The workaround is easy enough—just pull up a high-resolution image online and zoom in—but that solution is hardly ideal. I would happily keep this book for Thompson’s commentary alone, though it is not the best showcase for the artwork itself.
April 26, 2023
Four stars because I just don't like the format. I prefer a hardcover book, and while this comes in a slip case that makes preservation easy, the strung-together spine makes it more difficult to slip the book in-and-out, especially if you keep the sample of prints there. No doubt this gives the book a kind of "Japanese" authenticity but, as a Westerner, I'm more comfortable with an actual hardcover.
That said, the prints that come with the book are great - they aren't woodblocks, but quality, glossy prints of some beautiful works like Hokusai's kacho-e (birds and flowers). Thompson, a curator with the famous collection of woodblock prints at the Boston Museum of Fine Arts, certainly knows her stuff, and she walks readers through the various aspects of ukiyo-e quickly and succinctly. Then it's on to the prints in each section - e.g., "landscapes and cityscapes," "history," or "birds and flowers." A great book to leaf through and jump around, probably even better than Harris's book for that purpose, although Harris's "Ukiyo-e" has a lot more information. "Pictures of a Floating World" isn't a coffee table art book, it's one for people who want to learn more about the prints and the process.
That said, the prints that come with the book are great - they aren't woodblocks, but quality, glossy prints of some beautiful works like Hokusai's kacho-e (birds and flowers). Thompson, a curator with the famous collection of woodblock prints at the Boston Museum of Fine Arts, certainly knows her stuff, and she walks readers through the various aspects of ukiyo-e quickly and succinctly. Then it's on to the prints in each section - e.g., "landscapes and cityscapes," "history," or "birds and flowers." A great book to leaf through and jump around, probably even better than Harris's book for that purpose, although Harris's "Ukiyo-e" has a lot more information. "Pictures of a Floating World" isn't a coffee table art book, it's one for people who want to learn more about the prints and the process.
July 27, 2024
يحتوي الكتاب ستة فصول تتحدث عن أشهر أقسام الفن الياباني، الجمال والموضة، مشاهد المدينة والطبيعة وغيرها، كما يحتوي على ملحقات تتضمن سّير الفنانين، بعض معاني الكلمات اليابانية ومراجع للاستزادة وثلاث رسمات خارجية. تصميم الكتاب رائع جدًا وأعتبره كنز ثمين ⭐️!
The book includes six chapters: Beauty and Fashion, The Kabuki Theater, Landscapes and Cityscapes, The Natural World, History and Literature, and Fantasy. I wish that every chapter has its own book. It also includes a useful appendix, artists' biographies, Japanese words' meanings, and references for further reading. The book's format was wonderful, and there were three beautiful posters. As someone who considers Japanese prints as the best and most beautiful type of art, this book is a treasure ⭐️!
The book includes six chapters: Beauty and Fashion, The Kabuki Theater, Landscapes and Cityscapes, The Natural World, History and Literature, and Fantasy. I wish that every chapter has its own book. It also includes a useful appendix, artists' biographies, Japanese words' meanings, and references for further reading. The book's format was wonderful, and there were three beautiful posters. As someone who considers Japanese prints as the best and most beautiful type of art, this book is a treasure ⭐️!
March 3, 2023
Gorgeous images, though some are quite small. I used a magnifying glass for much of it. Highlighted prints are blown up to full page for better appreciation though. The book left me really wanting more - in a great way. That's what introductions should do. The glossary in the back and biographical index were also very helpful components.
November 21, 2025
Nice little survey printed in a novelty format that is a pleasure to page through. Captions for the prints are often amusing. Just wish I had about fifty to a hundred more pages of scholarly essays so I knew more of what I was looking at
August 22, 2023
A good, small introduction to the subject. It's a quirky quasi Japanese format. The illustrations are a little small. The text and commentary is excellent.
August 17, 2024
Beautiful, awe inspiring art.
Want to Read
September 11, 20253 Prints
Introduction
--Pictures of the Floating World: An Introduction to Japanese Prints
Artist Biographies
Glossary
Further Reading
Index of Artists and Titles
Image Credits
Introduction
--Pictures of the Floating World: An Introduction to Japanese Prints
Artist Biographies
Glossary
Further Reading
Index of Artists and Titles
Image Credits
Displaying 1 - 8 of 8 reviews