The author is an accomplished writer on photography with a number of books on East Asian photography to his name. For a publication that focuses primarily on presenting plates of numerous Japanese photographs, both in color and in black and white, the historical information here is in no way limited. Worswick first gives us a visual glimpse at works of Japanese photographers, grouped historically, and then sets out a summary of Japanese history and culture that is related to the influences on photographic artists. The book appeals to a wide readership because it is written in a quasi-academic fashion with basic references to other works while keeping to a keen summary of the historical scale but at the same time having few generalizations.

The visual element of the book is probably its strongest element. In addition, the selection of photographs in the book is excellent. This is because they cover artists who had a pivotal influence on the subsequent development of photographic style in the Japanese world. Worswick's mostly objective writing style and the depth of his probe into Japanese history are also very appropriate to providing the reader a personal insight into the works of photography that are displayed. The biggest shortcomings of the book are the introduction by Jan Morris and the few quotes of Basil Hall Chamberlain from his book, Things Japanese. These unfortunately present a western view to Japanese culture that I think negatively influence the reader in the way they interpret the photographs plates. The best way of reading this book would be to skip the introduction and to use Chamberlain's quotes purely for their historical context.

Kevin Immonje