Hokusai manga. Volume 14

Rare first edition, translated as "Croquis de Hokusaï", volume 14. 15 volumes were actually published covering Hokusaï's work. The first was published in 1815 and the last posthumously in 1878. The final volume is considered apocryphal by some art historians. The 30 double-leaf volume contains around 39 engravings, 12 of which are double-page spreads, including many animated landscapes, real and mythological animals. There are 3 colors: beige, gray and black. It is difficult to determine wether it is a first or a later print run, as this detail made no difference in Japanese book collecting. The publisher reprinted volumes as needed. We do know, however, that the publisher produced several issues of this book between 1849 and 1878.
Volume in acordeon, bound by a seam. Bronze-green cover, with title label. Rubbing to front cover. Interior very fresh and clean. Printed on mulberry paper. A brown stain on the first 2 leaves. A good copy.
Hokusai manga deal with a variety of subjects, from scenes of everyday life to war scenes, as well as typical Japanese legends, animals and flowers. "It is generally considered that, after a period of intense production, Hokusai selected his sketches very carefully, and even redrew a number of them, arranging them in the order we know today. However, Michener maintains that the layout of the various sketches on a given plate was actually decided by the engravers and editors, not by Hokusai himself." Japanese printmaking technique remains very close to the original drawing's aesthetic, since the ink drawing was affixed to a piece of wood that the engraver carved out, precisely following the lines of the drawing, which was itself destroyed in the process. It was these volumes of drawings that made Hokusai's reputation in the Western world.

Hokusai Katsushika was a prolific and well-known Edo period printmaker, whose prints (among others) inspired the French avantgarde at the end of the 19th century.