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Suggested Bibliography 


Compiled by Joe McFadden

Notes

1
Please note that this book list is not exhaustive. This list is intended as a guide to a few haiku and haiku related books that I have found useful. Books are listed in no particular order. Prices, editions and ISBN’s are subject to change.

2
Links bring either to the book or to some haiku by the author mentioned. They are only extracts for information purposes. See the copyright note.
Visit the Books, Anthologies and Japanese Haiku Sections for more extracts.



‘The Haiku Handbook- How to write, share and teach haiku’ William J Higginson. Kodansha International 1985 ISBN 4-7700-1430-9 cUS$10.00 331pp.
An encyclopaedia of basic information on haiku and related genres. Suggestions for writing haiku, detailed bibliography, season-word index. Essential.

‘Haiku in English’ Harold G Henderson Tuttle 1967  ISBN 0-8048-0228-9 price not available 74pp
A practical guide to haiku composition in English. (His classic ‘Introduction to Haiku’ has recently been republished)

‘On Love and Barley-Haiku of Basho’ Lucien Stryk Penguin 1985 ISBN 0-14-044445-9 UK£3.99 92pp.
250 haiku by Basho translated into English with notes and sketches.

‘The Narrow Road to the Deep North and other travel sketches’ Matsuo Basho translated by Noboyuki Yuasa Penguin 1985 ISBN 0-14-044185-9 UK£5.99 167pp.
A selection of Basho’s best known haibun with extensive notes and maps.

‘Matsuo Basho -the master haiku poet’ Makoto Ueda Kodansha International 1982 ISBN 0-87011-553-7 US$13.50 194pp Detailed literary biography.

BASHO AND HIS INTERPRETERS (Selected Hokku with Commentary) by Makoto Ueda. Stanford University Press ISBN 0-8047-2526-8.

BASHO’S HAIKU in 2 Volumes by TOSHIHARU OSEKO. The 1,000 haiku or so written by Basho faithfully translated with “Literal explanations for those who wish to read the original Japanese text, with grammatical analysis and explanatory notes.
Published by Toshiharu Oseko. Produced by Maruzen Co., Ltd.

‘The Autumn Wind-a selection of poems of Issa’ Lewis Mackenzie Kodansha International 1984 ISBN 0-87011-657-6 137pp.
250 haiku of Issa in English and Japanese. Index has original text of poems.

‘The Zen Haiku and other Zen Poems’ J W Hackett Japan Publications Inc 1983 ISBN 0-87040-533-0 256pp Includes useful guidelines on composition.

‘The Japanese Haiku-its essential nature, history, and possibilities in English’ Kenneth Yasuda Tuttle 1957/1995 ISBN 0-8048-10960-6 232pp

‘Haiku Seasons-Poetry of the Natural world’ William J Higginson Kodansha International 1996 ISBN 4-7700-1629-8  US$16.00 171pp.
Introduces haiku and the role of nature in Japanese poetry. Detailed bibliography in several languages.

‘Haiku World- an international poetry almanac’ William J Higginson Kodansha International 1996 ISBN 4-7700-2090-2 cUS$20 407pp.
The first international haikai sajiki-season word almanac with examples in many languages.

‘The Classic Tradition of Haiku-an anthology’ Faubion Bowers (ed) Dover Publications 1996 ISBN 0-486-29274-6 UK£1.25 96pp.

‘Words on the Wind-haiku and scroll poems’ James Norton Waning Moon Press 1997 ISBN 0-9529775-3-2.

‘Mountain Tasting-Zen haiku of Santoka Taneda’ John Stevens Weatherhill 1980 ISBN 0-8348-0151-5 US$12.50 126pp.

‘Seeds from a birch tree-writing haiku and the spiritual journey’ Clark Strand Hyperion 1997  ISBN 0-7868-8323-5.
A spiritual approach to haiku composition.

‘Masaoka Shiki-selected poems’ Burton Watson Columbia University Press 1997 ISBN 0-231-11091-X 127pp.  Excellent introduction to the work of Masaoka Shiki-the man who saved haiku and tanka from extinction as Japan modernized.

‘The Spring of my life and selected haiku- Kobayashi Issa’ Translated by Sam Hamill Shambhala Publications 1997 ISBN 1-57062-144-6 US$14.00 180pp.
A translation of Issa’s famous literary journal with 160 haiku

‘The Path of Flowering Thorn-the life and poetry of Buson’ Makoto Ueda Stanford University Press 1998 ISBN 0-8047-3042-3 226pp.
Lavishly produced scholarly biography with illustrations.

‘A Hidden Pond-Anthology of Modern Haiku (1, 2, 3 and 4)’ Koko Kato & David Burleigh Kadokawa Shoten 1997 ISBN 4-04-883453-3 246pp.
Award winning anthology of modern Japanese haiku arranged seasonally with notes on authors.

‘The Essence of Modern Haiku-300 poems by Seishi Yamaguchi’ Takashi Kodaira & Alfred Marks Mangajin Atlanta 1993 ISBN 0-9634335-3-9 330pp.
300 modern haiku by a celebrated Japanese author. Includes biographical and season notes.

*‘Haiku Volumes 1-4’, ‘A History of Haiku Volume 1, 2’ ‘Zen in English Literature and Oriental Classics’  R H Blyth  Hokuseido Press Tokyo 1949-1964.
Traditionally included in every haiku bibliography. Available at enormous expense from Hokuseido’s American distributor: Book East, Portland, Oregon.

Further details available on request.
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