They are astonishing not only for their beauty and the quality of their printing, but also for the insight they provide into contemporary Japanese artistic practices - insights not relayed in standard histories that focus on painting and sculpture - as well as for the fluid interplay of European and Japanese modes. Authoritative essays by leading scholars of Japanese art and culture, plus a statement by the collector himself, highlight the design, development, and cultural function of these rarely studied, but highly influential and visually exciting, expressions of graphic genius.

Director's Foreword
Collector's Preface
The Art of the Japanese Postcard
An Opening into a Wider World
Postcards, Commerce, and Creativity in Japan 1904-1940
Catalogue - Postcard History, The Russo-Japanese War, Artist Cards, Art Nouveau, Art Deco, The World of Humor, Advertising, New Year's Greetings
Postcards Observed: Notes on Printing Techniques
List of Illustrations
Artists Biographies
Acknowledgments.