KATSUSHIKA HOKUSAI. Manga, one volume of a 15-book series, Japan: Naosaburo Yamada, early 1900s.

Octavo slightly larger than 9x6 inches, unpaginated with 29 woodblock-printed leaves, stab binding, paper label on front. Part of a series that was done between 1900 and 1915 (the artist died in 1849), with light coloring. Hokusai, best known for his "Great Wave" image, is a sort of patron saint of manga. Wikipedia: "The first volume of Manga (meaning random drawings) was published in 1814 and was an immediate success. By 1820, he had produced twelve volumes (with three more published posthumously) which include thousands of drawings of objects, plants, animals, religious figures, and everyday people, often with humorous overtones."