Auhtors Evans and Evans present a clear and wide-ranging, if perhaps a bit biased, view of Japan. It covers the mid-1600s to Japan's late 1800s, including the time of its introverted isolation from the West. They address the culture, lives and livelihoods, and the changing spirit of the time.

That is the context in which they place the Shunga, the erotic "pictures of spring" that made up so many of the woodcut prints of the time. After a chapter or two of history, they present the artwork in vaguely chronological order. Since the pictures are drawn from so many times and social strata, they capture the full range social fashions, artistic styles, and sexual practices. The latter include fantasy and solo activity, couples of mixed or same sex, groups of various kinds, and voyeurs who may represent the image's viewer. Activities start with manual and oral stimulation, and range in intensity up to eager or improbable postures for coition. The most charming, though, may be the woman with a sleeping male partner, gently arousing him. And, although it's a minor thread and minuscule to a Western eye, this collection is unusual in emphasizing breasts. In any case, all images are gently consensual, and many show gentle humor.

Most of the reproductions are black & white. The 16 color images are full-page sized and enjoyable. The strength of this collection is its emphasis on the 17th and 18th century works and in its historical progression. Readers with a historical bent will like this, but also the readers, looking for visual and remarkable spectacle.