In this acclaimed play, Naomi Iizuka has created a carefully textured exploration of the meaning of truth--not just in the art world but in the human... heart as well. Taking its title from the series of woodblock prints by nineteenth-century Japanese artist Hokusai (which, contrary to their label, consists of 46 images of Mount Fuji), 36 Views unfolds in a series of 36 scenes and moments. The story has several threads, but at its heart is fairly simple. An art dealer and an art historian discover what they think is an ancient manuscript--a priceless Japanese pillow book--and try to learn whether it's authentic. Their search becomes an erotic game of greed, love, and mental hide-and-seek as the play explores the relationships between feelings and words, objects and photographs of objects, antiques and perfect copies, and a woman's heritage and her physical features. When first performed--at the Berkeley Repertory Theatre in California--the play was hailed by the San Francisco Chronicle as thoughtful, humane, poetically phrased and staged with intricate, shimmering beauty … it spun a multi-textured web that became completely engrossing…. As Iizuka weaves her magical blend of old-fashioned orientalism and modern realism, art-speak and academic jargon, pillow-book poetry and punk rhetoric, she probes the nature of truth and authenticity. Each facet of her 36 Views offers another perspective on the art and artifice of our lives.

In 1980 Cathy N. Davidson traveled to Japan to teach English at a leading all-women’s university. It was the first of many journeys and the beginning... of a deep and abiding fascination. In this extraordinary book, Davidson depicts a series of intimate moments and small epiphanies that together make up a panoramic view of Japan. With wit, candor, and a lover’s keen eye, she tells captivating stories—from that of a Buddhist funeral laden with ritual to an exhilarating evening spent touring the “Floating World,” the sensual demimonde in which salaryman meets geisha and the normal rules are suspended. On a remote island inhabited by one of the last matriarchal societies in the world, a disconcertingly down-to-earth priestess leads her to the heart of a sacred grove. And she spends a few unforgettable weeks in a quasi-Victorian residence called the Practice House, where, until recently, Japanese women were taught American customs so that they would make proper wives for husbands who might be stationed abroad. In an afterword new to this edition, Davidson tells of a poignant trip back to Japan in 2005 to visit friends who had remade their lives after the Great Hanshin Earthquake of 1995, which had devastated the city of Kobe, as well as the small town where Davidson had lived and the university where she taught.36 Views of Mount Fuji not only transforms our image of Japan, it offers a stirring look at the very nature of culture and identity. Often funny, sometimes liltingly sad, it is as intimate and irresistible as a long-awaited letter from a good friend.

(Piano Method). The great Baroque master composer Johann Sebastian Bach (1685-1750) wrote music for every combination of instruments and voices. His... simplest and purest work are four-part chorale compositions and settings, so perfectly constructed that they evoke meditative spirituality. "Figured bass" was a Baroque system of notating harmony. In addition 371 chorales, this collection includes 69 melodies with figured bass. This classic Schirmer edition, edited by Albert Riemenschneider, has sold over 1,000,000 copies since its release in the early 20th century. Primarily for keyboard, the chorales can also be played by other instruments.

From the Movie by Alfred Hitchcock, Licensed by ITV Global Entertainment Limited and an original concept by Simon Corble and Nobby Dimon Characters: 3m,... 1f Comedy WINNER! 2 Tony® and Drama Desk Awards, 2008 WINNER! BEST NEW COMEDY Laurence Olivier Award, 2007 The 39 Steps, is Broadway's longest running comedy, playing its 500th performance on Broadway, May 19th, 2009! Mix a Hitchcock masterpiece with a juicy spy novel, add a dash of Monty Python and you have The 39 Steps, a fast-paced whodunit for anyone who loves the magic of theatre! This 2-time Tony® and Drama Desk Award-winning treat is packed with nonstop laughs, over 150 zany characters (played by a ridiculously talented cast of 4), an on-stage plane crash, handcuffs, missing fingers and some good old-fashioned romance! In The 39 Steps, a man with a boring life meets a woman with a thick accent who says she's a spy. When he takes her home, she is murdered. Soon, a mysterious organization called "The 39 Steps" is hot on the man's trail in a nationwide manhunt that climaxes in a death-defying finale! A riotous blend of virtuoso performances and wildly inventive stagecraft, The 39 Steps amounts to an unforgettable evening of pure pleasure! "A wonderful triumph of theatre!" -BBC Radio 4 "It's really not so much about a spoof of Hitchcock, which it is, of course; it's really an homage to the theater. Not the contemporary theater, where mermaids traverse the stage on wheels and gargantuan mechanical sets get bigger applause than the actors, but the nostalgic version that survives on greasepaint and hammy actors. It's a valentine to that kind of creativity and imagination, of doing so much with so little..." -The New York Times "THEATER AT ITS FINEST... Absurdly enjoyable! This gleefully theatrical riff on Hitchcock's film is fast and frothy, performed by a cast of four that seems like a cast of thousands." -Ben Brantley, The New York Times "The most entertaining show on Broadway!" -Liz Smith, The New York Post "INGENIOUS! A DIZZY DELIGHT!" -Joe Dziemianowicz, Daily News "RIOTOUS & MARVELOUS!" -Clive Barnes, The New York Post "Whirlwind funny business!" -Michael Sommers, The Star-Ledger "a giddy display of theatrical invention!" -David Rooney, Variety "comedy of the highest order!" -Roma Torre, NY1 "About the cleverest show on Broadway in a long time!" -David Richardson, WOR Radio "Rollicking Fun! Hugely Entertaining!" -Sunday Times "Clever, very funny, imaginative and brilliantly acted!" -The Guardian "Dizzyingly entertaining show!" -Daily Telegraph