100,000+ Books, Games & Puzzles in-stock πŸ‡³πŸ‡Ώ

Overnight NZ-wide delivery on in-stock orders πŸš€

THE KWAIDAN COLLECTION

An Illuminated Edition
3.82 goodreads logo

Ratings/reviews counts are updated frequently.

Check link for latest rating.
( 6,242 ratings, 785 reviews)
Book Hero Magic crafted this summary to help describe this book. While it's new and still learning, it may not be perfect - your feedback is welcome! Summary
The Kwaidan Collection gathers the eerie and fascinating Japanese ghost stories and folk tales collected by Lafcadio Hearn during his late 19th-century travels in Japan. This volume combines tales from Hearn's celebrated books Kwaidan and Shadowings, unveiling worlds of spirits such as corpse brides, flesh-eating goblins, faceless mujina, and headless rokuro-kubi. Accompanied by over sixty vivid illustrations by acclaimed artist Kent Williams, the stories come alive in a visually stunning and unsettling presentation, capturing the imagination and chilling the senses.
Read More
Format: Hardback
$20500
AVAILABLE WITH SUPPLIER Ships from our Auckland warehouse within 4-6 weeks

Found a better price? Request a price match

Book Hero Magic created this recommendation. While it's new and still learning, it may not be perfect - your feedback is welcome! IS THIS YOUR NEXT READ?

The Kwaidan Collection is ideal for readers with an interest in Japanese culture, folklore, and the supernatural. Art lovers will also appreciate the multiple award-winning illustrations by Kent Williams. Suitable for those who enjoy classic ghost stories and atmospheric, richly illustrated volumes.

Book Hero thinking about your next read

Book Hero Magic formatted this description to make it easier to read. While it's new and still learning, it may not be perfect - your feedback is welcome! Description

Spirits surround us in the latest Illuminated Edition: a tome of all the Japanese ghost stories and strange tales collected and translated by author Lafcadio Hearn and depicted by the majestic brushwork of artist Kent Williams.

Brimming with over sixty illustrations, and featuring essays from Academy Award-winning filmmaker Darren Aronofsky, scholar Kyoko Yoshida, and Hearn's great-grandson and director of the Lafcadio Hearn Museum, Bon Koizumi, this oversized slipcase volume enraptures the imagination as it chills the blood.

Drawn from Hearn's two most celebrated books, Kwaidan and Shadowings, this new title constitutes a complete compendium of the otherworldly and macabre folk tales that Hearn collected and translated during his travels through Japan in the late 19th century.

Kent Williams is an accomplished and multiple award-winning painter, comics artist, and draftsman, known for his richly textured and expressionist paintings. His illustrations sweep worlds of spirits across the page in an unsettling vibrant tumble. Corpse brides; flesh-eating jikininki goblins; the faceless mujina who haunt forgotten places; the rokuro-kubi, who remove their heads at night: all are brought to life as never before under Williams' visionary brush.

A stunning and startling new entry in Beehive Books' celebrated, award-winning Illuminated Editions series.

The edition is housed in a shimmering die-cut, sculpturally embossed slipcase, printed on uncoated acid-free paper, and published in an oversized 9x12" trim format.

Book Details

INFORMATION

ISBN: 9781948886321

Publisher: Beehive Books

Format: Hardback

Date Published: 18 May 2023

Country: United States

Imprint: Beehive Books

Illustration: Illustrated throughout with over fifty drawings, as well as illuminated letters and other graphic textures and motifs.

Contributors:

  • Illustrated by Kent Williams
  • Epilogue by Bon Koizumi
  • Introduction by Kyoko Yoshida
  • Introduction by Darren Aronofsky

Audience: General / adult

DIMENSIONS

Width: 229.0mm

Height: 305.0mm

Weight: 250g

Pages: 168

About the Author

Lafcadio Hearn, also known as Koizumi Yakumo, was a Greek-Japanese writer, translator, and teacher who introduced the culture and literature of Japan to the West. His writings offered unprecedented insight into Japanese culture, especially his collections of legends and ghost stories, such as Kwaidan: Stories and Studies of Strange Things. A Greek national, he lived and worked as a journalist in the Unites Stated before before moving to Japan and becoming a Japanese citizen. In 1890, Hearn met and married Koizumi Setsuko, the daughter of a local samurai family, with whom he had four children. His writings about Japan offered a glimpse into a world that was largely unknown to Westerners of the time.

Kent Williams is an accomplished painter, comics artist, and draftsman, known for his richly textured and expressionist paintings, his striking cover artwork for Marvel, DC, and Vertigo, as well as The Fountain, a graphic novel adaptation of Darren Aronofsky's 2006 epic film. In addition, he is a prolific multimedia artist with notable forays into printmaking, photography, and film. He has won multiple silver medals from the Society of Illustrators and a Gold Award from Spectrum, and was awarded a 2001 fellowship at the Sundance Filmmakers Lab.

Darren Aronofsky's directorial debut won the Director's Award at the 1998 Sundance Film Festival, as well as the Independent Spirit award and the Open Palm. The Wrestler (2008) and Black Swan (2010) earned countless accolades and multiple nominations; Black Swan won an Academy Award. His biblically inspired epic Noah (2014) was his first film to open at #1 at the US box office.

Kyoko Yoshda is a fiction writer, translator, and professor of American Literature at Ritsumeikan University in Kyoto. Her debut short fiction collection Disorientalism came out in 2014. She has translated books by Masataka Matsua, Ai Nagai and Dave Eggers.

Bon Koizumi is the great-grandson of Lafcadio Hearn and director of the Lafcadio Hearn Memorial Museum, and a specialist in folklore studies. In 2017, he was awarded the Japanese Foreign Minister's Commendation in 2017 for his contributions to cultural exchange between Japan and Ireland.

Also by Lafcadio Hearn

View all
  • Japanese Ghost Stories
    A selection of Lafcadio Hearn's brilliantly entertaining and eerie ghost stories, regarded as major classics in Japan. In this collection of classic ghost stories from Japan, beautiful princesses turn out to be frogs, paintings come alive, deadly spectral brides haunt the living, and a samurai delivers the baby of a Shinto goddess with mystical help. Here are all the phantoms...
    Paperback
    $2400
    Elsewhere:
    $2600
    In Stock
    Ships today
  • Japanese Ghost Stories
    New in Penguin Japanese Classics - ghost stories from a master recounter of the macabre. Introducing Penguin Japanese Classics - a collection of some of Japan's most celebrated and ground-breaking 20th-century writers, with covers inspired by Japanese art and design. Taking us from a sun-drenched affair in a seaside town to an underground 'ark' full of shadows and eccentrics, with...
    Paperback
    $2400
    Elsewhere:
    $2600
    Available
    Ships in 4-6 weeks
  • Some Japanese Ghosts
    90 classic titles celebrating 90 years of Penguin Books The body was cold as ice; the heart had long ceased to beatβ€”yet there were no other signs of death. The phantoms and ghouls of Japanese folklore in Some Japanese Ghosts are driven back into the world of the living. Mysterious brides melt into mist, paintings come alive, and man-eating goblins...
    Paperback
    $1799
    Available
    Ships in 4-6 weeks
  • Of Ghosts and Goblins
    Introducing Little Clothbound Classics β€” irresistible, mini editions of short works by the world's greatest writers, designed by the award-winning Coralie Bickford-Smith. In this haunting collection, the phantoms and ghouls of Japanese folklore stalk the page. Of Ghosts and Goblins by Lafcadio Hearn, a master storyteller, draws on traditional Japanese folklore, infused with memories of his own haunted childhood in...
    Hardback
    $2400
    Elsewhere:
    $2600
    In Stock
    Ships today
  • Supernatural Tales from Japan
    Supernatural Tales from Japan by Yei Theodora Ozaki and Lafcadio Hearn offers eerie tales of Japanese goblins, ghosts, and magic, beautifully illustrated in a deluxe collector's edition! This collection of fifteen chilling tales brings to life a world where the supernatural and earthly realms are seamlessly intertwined. The ghosts, goblins, and magical creatures in its pages are by turns mischievous,...
    Hardback
    $5500
    Available
    Ships in 2-3 weeks
  • Japanese Tales of Lafcadio Hearn
    A collection of twenty-eight brilliant and strange stories, inspired by Japanese folk tales and written by renowned Western expatriate Lafcadio Hearn. Lafcadio Hearn (1850-1904) was one of the nineteenth century's best-known writers, his name celebrated alongside those of Mark Twain and Robert Louis Stevenson. Born in Greece and raised in Ireland, Hearn was a true prodigy and world traveller. He...
    Paperback
    $6499
    Available
    Ships in 4-6 weeks
  • Manga Yokai Stories
    This thrilling collection of seven Japanese ghost stories will captivate lovers of yokai stories! Manga Yokai Stories includes: Nuke-kubi: A masterless samurai is trapped in a house haunted by headless goblins. The Screen Maiden: A young man develops an obsession with a woman in a painting that almost kills him. Corpse Rider: A woman's unburied corpse cannot rest until she...
    Paperback
    $2999
    Available
    Ships in 1 week
  • In a Japanese Garden Coloring Book
    Featuring elegant designs, In a Japanese Garden Coloring Book is the perfect stress-reliever for fans of classical Japanese art and literature. For centuries, Japanese artists have honoured simple beauty in prints, paintings, and books. This adult colouring book recreates 23 artworks for you to colour, with images of flowers and trees, garden residents such as the bird and the butterfly,...
    Paperback
    $3499
    Available
    Ships in 1 week
  • The Necronomicon
    This luxurious hardback compendium showcases the very best of the cosmic horror genre through 10 classic tales, beautifully presented with gilded page edges, patterned endpapers, and cover embossing. The Necronomicon is a fictional book of dark magic that appears in several of H. P. Lovecraft's stories. With its ancient evils and long-forgotten secrets, it symbolises the essence of cosmic horror...
    Hardback
    $5499
    Available
    Ships in 1 week

More from Arts & Culture

View all
  • Dylan's Pick
    Bold Types
    A tribute to 32 truly independent bookshops throughout Aotearoa New Zealand, from north of Auckland down to Dunedin, and coast to coast. Jane Ussher's photographs show every bookstore in its unique nature - including behind the counter, smoko rooms, the mess which tells the hardworking story behind the joy of matching books with customers. Jemma Moreira's careful editing has crafted...
    Hardback
    $5500
    Elsewhere:
    $7000
    Available
    Ships in 1 week
  • Disney Moana: The Official Cookbook
    New Release
    Disney Moana: The Official Cookbook
    Embark on a culinary adventure with Moana of Motunui with Pacific recipes inspired by Moana and Moana 2! After a long day of sailing to see how far you’ll go or keeping the demigod Maui out of trouble with Te Fiti, catch a break with the delicious dishes in Moana: The Official Cookbook! Featuring more than 50 recipes spanning the...
    Hardback
    $4499
    Elsewhere:
    $5299
    In Stock
    Ships today
  • This Angry Pen of Mine
    This Angry Pen of Mine by Layne Staley invites you to dive into the untold creative world of Layne Staley, the legendary voice behind Alice in Chains. This extraordinary collection showcases his handwritten lyrics, deeply personal poetry, stunning original artwork, rare photos, fan tributes, and so much more. Step into the world of Layne Staley like never before. For the...
    Hardback
    $7299
    Elsewhere:
    $8999
    In Stock
    Ships today
  • They Bloom Because of You
    Bestselling author and Instagram sensation Jessica Urlichs returns with a new collection of beautifully observed poems about the ever-evolving journey of motherhood - the hard, the magic and the fleeting. β€˜A raw and honest read that makes you feel seen and understood in a way that will bring you to tears.’ - Hilary Swank β€˜A book to keep close and...
    Paperback
    $3000
    Elsewhere:
    $3600
    (1)
    In Stock
    Ships today
  • Leaves of Grass
    A collectible new Penguin Classics series offers beautiful, slim, clothbound editions of ten favourite poets. In 1855, Walt Whitman published his first collection of poetry, Leaves of Grass. The volume received great praise from leading Transcendentalist poet Ralph Waldo Emerson. This encouragement led to what would become a lifelong project, as Whitman expanded and rewrote the volume until his death...
    Hardback
    $2200
    Elsewhere:
    $2400
    In Stock
    Ships today
  • Great Writers and the Cats who Owned Them
    Throughout history, cats and writers have bonded together in a magical combination of comfort, companionship and inspiration. The famous authors featured here range from Samuel Johnson, whose cat Hodge dined on oysters, and Edward Lear, whose charismatic cat Foss was missing half his tail, to Margaret Mitchell, L. M. Montgomery and Dorothy L. Sayers, who rescued her kitten Blitz from...
    Hardback
    $3999
    In Stock
    Ships today
  • Beautiful Chaos
    The Instant Sunday Times Bestseller Selected poems from bestselling author and Instagram poet, Jessica Urlichs. 'These words awaken the magic of life by celebrating the ordinary.' - Giovanna Fletcher Motherhood is messy and beautiful, and hard and humbling. We adore our children and sometimes we miss ourselves. Beautiful Chaos is a collection of raw, honest poems about motherhood, capturing everything...
    Paperback
    $2900
    Elsewhere:
    $3500
    In Stock
    Ships today
  • The Odyssey
    Composed at the rosy-fingered dawn of world literature almost three millennia ago, The Odyssey is a poem about violence and the aftermath of war; about wealth, poverty and power; about marriage and family; about travellers, hospitality, and the yearning for home. This fresh, authoritative translation captures the beauty of this ancient poem as well as the drama of its narrative....
    By Homer
    Paperback
    Sold Out
  • To the Women - The New Collection of Wise Words Every Woman Needs
    THE COMPLETELY UPDATED COLLECTION WITH OVER 70 BRAND NEW POEMS, FROM THE SUNDAY TIMES NO.1 BESTSELLING AUTHOR OF WILD HOPE AND WORDS TO LIVE BY 'Amazing . . . Donna's words speak to my heart' Davina McCall To the Women is a celebration of the beauty, strength, and joy of being a woman. A love letter to our deep capacity...
    Hardback
    $2999
    In Stock
    Ships today
  • Wreck This Journal: Now in Colour
    The creative journey continues with Wreck This Journal: Now in Colour by Keri Smith, the latest and most vibrant edition of the groundbreaking series that redefined journaling. Celebrating its 10th anniversary, this edition brings the playful destructiveness of the original to life in dazzling full colour, adding a dynamic new dimension to the beloved prompts. Whether you're a seasoned Wreck-er,...
    Paperback
    $2500
    Elsewhere:
    $2800
    In Stock
    Ships today
  • A Thousand Feasts
    THE INSTANT #1 SUNDAY TIMES BESTSELLER From award-winning writer Nigel Slater, comes a new and exquisitely written collection of notes, memoir, stories and small moments of joy. 'Nigel Slater’s prose is the rarest delicacy of all: exquisite yet effortless, filled with heart, tenderness, yearning and humour' ELIZABETH DAY For years, Nigel Slater has kept notebooks of curiosities and wonderings, penned...
    Paperback
    $2999
    In Stock
    Ships today
  • Did I Ever Tell You This?
    In this unexpected memoir, written in a creative burst of just a few months in 2022, Sam Neill tells the story of how he became one of the world’s most celebrated actors, who has worked with everyone from Meryl Streep to Isabel Adjani, from Jeff Goldblum to Sean Connery, from Steven Spielberg to Jane Campion. By his own account, his...
    Paperback
    Sold Out

Why buy from us?

Book Hero is not a chain store or big box retailer. We're an independent 100% NZ-owned business on a mission to help more Kiwis rediscover a love of books and reading!

Service & Delivery

Service & Delivery

Our warehouse in Auckland holds over 100,000 books, toys, board games and puzzles in-stock so you're not waiting for your order to arrive from overseas.

Auckland Bookstore

Auckland Bookstore

We're primarily an online store, but for your convenience you can pick up your order for free from our bookstore, which is right next door to our warehouse in Hobsonville.

Our Gifting Service

Our Gifting Service

Books make wonderful thoughtful gifts and we're here to help with gift-wrapping and cards. We can even send your gift directly to your loved one.