Vivid portraits of Kabuki actors on and off stage, warriors, legendary heroes and heroines; depictions of courage, loyalty, romance, passion, ghosts, dreams, and the beauty of the natural world -- all are encompassed by the prints included in Masterful Illusions . The richly illustrated book includes essays by an international group of scholars that elucidate the historic, economic, and cultural environment of Edo period Japan. Beginning in the early nineteenth century, European collections of Japanese prints were gathered and transported far from the vibrant urban centers of Edo period (1615-1868) Japan, and today foreign collectors continue to be fascinated by Japanese prints. The collection of Anne van Biema, one of few women to become a serious collector of Japanese prints, reveals her fascination with the vigorous imagery from the Kabuki theater in the urban metropolises of Edo (now Tokyo) and Osaka, in heroic feats from Japanese history and legend, magic, dreams, and the supernatural. A less numerous but important group of prints express the beauty of nature, landscape, and poetic themes. The collection is noteworthy for its inclusion of early Kabuki actor prints, substantial holdings of prints by the artists Toyokuni (1769-1825) and Kuniyoshi (1797-1861), and of Osaka actor prints. Among the works by Kuniyoshi is a complete set of his series of fantastic stories associated with the twelve animals of the annual cycle. The 332 prints in this exhibition catalog are not the standard repertoire of Japanese prints-simpering maidens and stylized views of Mt. Fuji. Dramatic and unfamiliar, they are mostly bold, vigorous depictions of kabuki actors playing the roles of the great villains and heroes of Japanese myth. In fact, the simpering maidens here are all male actors playing female roles. Since the 1960s, noted collector Anne van Biema has assembled a group of prints from Kyoto, Osaka, and Edo (old Tokyo) by a rich variety of artists both noted and obscure. The common thread is inventive graphic design coupled with rich coloration and dramatic action. The 133 superb, full-page illustrations each face a page of explanatory text that translates the Japanese script and sets the action in the print into the context of the play. Yonemura, senior associate curator of Japanese art at the Freer Gallery of Art and the Arthur M. Sackler Gallery, contributes an introductory essay and some of the catalog text. There are also five longer essays by scholars who discuss kabuki and the role of prints in Japanese society, as well as the inspiration behind some of the prints. This unusual, high-quality selection is recommended for art, academic, and larger public libraries. David McClelland, Philadelphia Copyright 2002 Reed Business Information, Inc. A thorough study of a body of prints, which scholars, students, and general readers will value highly. ( Choice ) Includes vivid portraits of Kabuki actors, warriors, legendary heroes, and depictions of courage, passion, ghosts, and dreams. Ann Yonemura is senior associate curator of Japanese art at the Freer Gallery of Art and the Arthur M. Sackler Gallery, Smithsonian Institution. Other contributors include Donald Keene, Columbia University; Elizabeth de Sabato Swinton, Harvard University; and Joshua Scott Mostow, University of British Columbia.