22 AUGUST 1958, Page 25

Peter Swann's An Introduction to the Arts of Japan (Cassirer,

45s.) is exactly the book for Which many visitors to the recent Japanese ex- hibition will be looking. It is lucid and thorough, and of general appeal—not unlike Gombrich's exemplary Story of Art. Mr. Swann discusses not only painting and sculpture, but also the wider field of decoration.