The Lineage of Eccentricity
From Matabei to Kuniyoshi
Original text by Tsuji Nobuo published 1969
Translation by Stephen Salel completed 2010
Ebook design by Stephen Salel completed 2011
http://stephensalel.com/ebook/lineageOfEccentricity
Original text by Tsuji Nobuo published 1969
Translation by Stephen Salel completed 2010
Ebook design by Stephen Salel completed 2011
http://stephensalel.com/ebook/lineageOfEccentricity
Image 1. Title page of the ebook The Lineage of Eccentricity. The typeface (ironically called 'Eccentric Standard') and the ornate, Art Deco frame are obvious references to unconventional European aesthetics; the background image of a contorted tree is by Kano Sansetsu, one of the six artists discussed in the book.
The Lineage of Eccentricity: From Matabei to Kuniyoshi is an English translation of the famous Japanese art history text Kiso no Keifu by Professor Tsuji Nobuo. This 644-page annotated edition includes an introduction by the translator describing how the concept of eccentricity evolved over several centuries in East Asian literature and visual art. The body of the text discusses the lifestyles and works of six individuals from the Edo period (1600-1868 CE) whose reputations as social misfits and iconoclastic artists have immortalized them: Iwasa Matabei (1578-1650), Kano Sansetsu (1590-1651), Ito Jakuchu (1716-1800), Soga Shohaku (1730-81), Nagasawa Rosetsu (1754-99), and Utagawa Kuniyoshi (1797-1861). The text concludes with a translation of the three afterwords that originally accompanied each of the Japanese editions, a topical bibliography, and a list of the artworks illustrated in the text.
Image 2. The ebook format makes reading surprisingly comfortable and convenient. Features include a table of contents (each entry serving as a hyperlink to the designated page), a bookmarking function, thumbnail images of all pages (each with a hyperlink to that page), a search bar, and a zoom function.
Image 3. The Flash-based software used to compile this ebook incorporates subtle animation, and at the click of a button, the pages flip over by themselves, making a delightful rustling sound.
Image 4. Careful attention has been paid to the layout of each page so as to use the available space as efficiently as possible. The overall dimensions of the book may seem unusual when two facing pages are seen side by side (as shown here), but when the reader clicks on one of those pages...
Image 5. ... in the same way, the page enlarges to fit the reader's browser window elegantly.
