Books by PIE Books

Kuniyoshi Utagawa (1797-1892) was one of the great masters of the Japanese ukiyo-e style of woodblock prints and painting. Born in 1797 to a silk-dyer, he helped his father's business as a pattern designer. His drawing talent from an early age attracted the attention of the famous print master Toyokuni Utagawa, and Kuniyoshi became one of his apprentices in 1811. The range of Kuniyoshi's preferred subjects included many genres: landscapes, beautiful women, Kabuki actors, mythical animals, and cats. More than any other Japanese artist, Kuniyoshi depicted cats humorously and satirically, with great accuracy and careful observation. This book is a collection of Kuniyoshi¿s works that featured cats. It will attract ukiyo-e lovers, cat lovers, and also provides valuable inspiration to designers or illustrators.

The influence of manga on international comics had grown considerably over the past two decades.The origins of manga can be traced back to the Edo Period (1600 to 1868) of Japanese history, specifically to popular type of books using ukiyo-e, Japanese woodblock prints. These books contained humorous content and featured humans, fantastical creatures and even references to celebrities of the period. As literacy rose in Japan throughout the 18th Century (part of the Edo Period) and into the 19th and early 20th Century (the Meiji Period), these kind of illustrated novels became popular and it is from here that we actually get the first recorded use of the term manga to describe a words-and-pictures based story.This book includes those kinds of origin works of manga dated from 17th to early 20th Century. It is a great source book for graphic designers as well as comic book artists, and also Japanese art lovers who can find some great works of well-known ukiyo-e artists such as Kuniyoshi Utagawa, Hokusai Katsushika, and Yoshitoshi Tsukioka. The book will present works in chronological order.* For your information, this book includes 3 spreads of Shunga, Japanese erotic art.

William Morris (1834 - 1896) was an English textile designer, artist, writer, and even a libertarian socialist. His flower patterns are well-known worldwide, but his other design works such as editorial and font design are also worth watching and appreciating.This book presents not only his textile patterns but also book design, font design, posters, stamps and various artworks including painting, all of which will become precious reference for desingers as well as for art lovers.