"George Mann has written an engaging memoir of his sixty-year infatuation with ukiyo-e. With details of famous sales (Gerli in 1971, Popper in 1972, the Vever sales in the 1970’s and 1997, Gaines in 1979, the Le Véel sales in the 1980’s, Stoclet in 2004 and others) and insights into private transactions, the reader will find himself back in the auction room in London or Paris or New York, in a dealer’s shop in New York or Kyoto, or in a private collector’s home in the Chicago area. Mann knew and associated with many of the great figures in ukiyo-e in the second half of the twentieth century, including Ray Lewis, Jack Hillier, Huguette Beres, David Caplan, Saiju Nishi, Felix Tikotin, Harold P. (Phil) Stern, Donald Jenkins, John Gaines, and scores of others. Information about their interactions is endlessly fascinating.
The world-renowned Mann collection of some 180 prints is presented in full color, with revealing insights into provenance and extensive translations of early poetry. The volume includes a complete bibliography and exhibition history as well."
(2021)