A History of Haiku Vol 1: from the Beginnings Up to Issa; Vol 2: from Issa Up to the Present

E-333: Hokuseido Press. Very Good. 1977. Hardcover. Hardcover. 8vo. Published by The Hokuseido Press, Tokyo, Japan. 1963. Two Volumes. Ix, 427 pgs; 375 pgs. Illustrated. First Edition/First Printing. DJs have light shelf-wear present to the extremities. Bound in matching rough tan cloth hardcovers with titles present to the spine and the front board. Previous owner's notes present to the half-title page (apparently this set was bought at Peter Howard's Seredipity Books). Text is clean and free of marks. Binding tight and solid. Of all forms of poetry and literature, haiku is likely the least amenable to chronological treatment. Haiku comprises moments of vision, and a “history of moments” is hardly achievable. If we were to choose one for such a task, however, a strong case could be made for Reginald Horace Blyth (1898–1964). Best known for his acclaimed four-volume haiku anthology, Blyth’s appreciation and understanding of haiku and its motives are perhaps unequaled by any Westerner. In selecting the outstanding works of as many poets as possible, Blyth presents readers with a true vision of the history of haiku, taking care to highlight its ups and downs, its masters and its failures, but more than anything, its unique ability to communicate the incommunicable. EB; 2 Vols; 8vo 8" - 9" tall .