Woodblock Print Book by Shokoku Benran: Ghost Story, E-hon Format

A green cover worn soft at the corners, and the title label still holding on.

This woodblock print book, Ghost Story, E-Hon Format, is from Japan, dated 1803, in ink on paper, titled Shokoku Benran. E-hon, or picture books, were a major part of Japanese woodblock publishing, combining text with printed illustration for a wide reading public. The cover is a mottled blue-green paper, sewn along the right edge with thread in the traditional fukuro-toji binding. A tall paper title slip runs down the left side, printed in bold characters, and a small library label sits at the upper right. It is 6 inches wide and 8.6 high.

Old books keep their secrets, and their covers keep them tidy.