The Pillow Book
Revelations of a Japanese Lady-in-Waiting
Will be published approx. on 20. October 2026
Book
Hardback
96 pages
978-1-83886-699-0 (ISBN)
Description
"A preacher ought to be good looking. For if we are to properly understand his worthy sentiments, we must keep our eyes on him while he speaks ... "
"Hateful things: one has been foolish enough to invite a man to spend the night in an unsuitable place - and then he starts snoring."
"Things that give a clean feeling: the play of light on w ater as one pours it into a vessel."
Known for its refined style, sharp wit and observational detail, The Pillow Book is a masterpiece of Japanese literature that introduces the reader to the musings of lady-in-waiting Sei Shonagon, who spent her life inside the Japanese Imperial court in the early 11th century. Bold, funny and highly perceptive, Sei Shonagon offers a deeply personal view of court life - including the ceremony, the pomp and the elegance - but most of all, provides an intimate view of human foibles and behaviour. If Sei Shonagon was alive today, she would be a social media phenomenon.
The Pillow Book is a classic example of zuihitsu, a genre of loosely connected essays, lists and diary entries that reflect the author's spontaneous thoughts. This abridged edition offers hundreds of stories, poems and aphorisms from the original, exploring themes as wide-ranging as tales of annoying lovers who make too much noise on leaving a room in the early morning; through a court scene where a misbehaving cat disrupts a royal visit; to the delights of pinching a plump baby or seeing a garden covered in fresh snow.
Beautifully produced in traditional Chinese binding, The Pillow Book is an utterly delightful collection that will amuse, entrance and surprise at turns.
"Hateful things: one has been foolish enough to invite a man to spend the night in an unsuitable place - and then he starts snoring."
"Things that give a clean feeling: the play of light on w ater as one pours it into a vessel."
Known for its refined style, sharp wit and observational detail, The Pillow Book is a masterpiece of Japanese literature that introduces the reader to the musings of lady-in-waiting Sei Shonagon, who spent her life inside the Japanese Imperial court in the early 11th century. Bold, funny and highly perceptive, Sei Shonagon offers a deeply personal view of court life - including the ceremony, the pomp and the elegance - but most of all, provides an intimate view of human foibles and behaviour. If Sei Shonagon was alive today, she would be a social media phenomenon.
The Pillow Book is a classic example of zuihitsu, a genre of loosely connected essays, lists and diary entries that reflect the author's spontaneous thoughts. This abridged edition offers hundreds of stories, poems and aphorisms from the original, exploring themes as wide-ranging as tales of annoying lovers who make too much noise on leaving a room in the early morning; through a court scene where a misbehaving cat disrupts a royal visit; to the delights of pinching a plump baby or seeing a garden covered in fresh snow.
Beautifully produced in traditional Chinese binding, The Pillow Book is an utterly delightful collection that will amuse, entrance and surprise at turns.
More details
Series
Language
English
Place of publication
United Kingdom
Publishing group
Amber Books Ltd
Product notice
Imitation cloth
Dimensions
Height: 272 mm
Width: 202 mm
Thickness: 12 mm
ISBN-13
978-1-83886-699-0 (9781838866990)
Copyright in bibliographic data and cover images is held by Nielsen Book Services Limited or by the publishers or by their respective licensors: all rights reserved.
Schweitzer Classification
Persons
Sei Shonagon (????, c. 966-1025) was a Japanese court lady and writer during the Heian period (circa 966-1017). Serving Empress Teishi, she gained fame for The Pillow Book, a witty, observational diary blending essays, lists, and anecdotes. Her work offers rich insight into court life and aesthetics of the time. Although little is known about her later life, she remains celebrated for her literary style and sharp, often humorous, commentary.
Content
Introduction (2500 words)
Opening Passage (500 words)
On Nature & the Seasons (3500 words) 1. In Spring It Is the Dawn 2. On the Third Day of the Third Month 9. On the First Day of the First Month 27. Trees 28. Birds 30. Insects 42. Herbs and Shrubs 43. 73. On the Last Day of the Fourth Month 84. I Remember a Clear Morning 118. Winds 122. In the Fifth Month 123. During the Hot Months 137. Clouds 178. It Is Noon on a Summer Day
On Things & Aesthetics (3500 words) 13. Depressing Things 14. Hateful Things 16. Things That Make One's Heart Beat Faster 17. Things That Arouse a Fond Memory of the Past 29. Elegant Things 32. Unsuitable Things 43. Poetic Subjects 44. Things That Cannot Be Compared 47. Rare Things 54. Things That Give a Pathetic Impression 57. Splendid Things 62. Annoying Things 63. Embarrassing Things 64. Surprising and Distressing Things 75. Things That Look Better in Paintings 78. Things That Give a Hot Feeling 80. Things That Have Lost Their Power 97. Things That Give a Clean Feeling 98. Things That Give an Unclean Feeling 99. Adorable Things 101. Squalid Things 104. Things That One Is in a Hurry to See or to Hear 109. Things That are Distant Though Near 110. Things That are Near Though Distant 126. Things That Should Be Large 127. Things That Should Be Short 136. Things That Fall from the Sky 148. Pleasing Things 183. Things That are Unpleasant
On Etiquette & Form (3500 words) 128. Nothing Annoys Me So Much 134. Letters are Commonplace 143. To Feel That One is Disliked by Others 144. Men Really Have Strange Emotions 145. Sympathy is the Most Splendid of All Qualities 146. It is Absurd of People to Get Angry 149. One Day, When Her Majesty Was Surrounded by Several Ladies 153. On One Occasion a Man 165. Once I Wrote down a Poem 170. I Cannot Stand a Woman Who Wears Sleeves of Unequal Width 172. I Cannot Bear Men to Eat 184. When the Middle Captain 185. It Is Getting So Dark
On People & Places (3500 words) 3. Especially Delightful Is the First Day 4. How Delightful Everything Is! 5. That Parents Should Bring Up Some Beloved Son 19. Oxen Should Have Very Small Foreheads 21. A Preacher Ought To Be Good- Looking 22. When I Visited Bodai Temple 24. It Is So Stiflingly Hot 45. To Meet One's Lover 79. Shameful Things 81. Awkward Things 100. Presumptuous Things 102. People Who Seem to Suffer 103. Enviable People 104. 112. When a Woman Lives Alone 117. People Who Look Pleased with Themselves 124. One Has Carefully Scented a Robe 154. One Day the Sky, Which until Then Had Been Quite Clear 160. Once When I Had Gone to Kiyomizu Temple 162. It Is Delightful for the Master of a Household 163. Times When One Should Be on One's Guard 169. A Young Man Has Lost His Mother 173. It Is Very Annoying 175. One Night in the Ninth Month 180. At First Dawn a Carriage Passes
On Courtly Life (3500 words) 10. I Enjoy Watching the Officials 40. Travelling in My Carriage One Day 59. A Group of Senior Courtiers 60. Once in the Fifth Month 66. It Was a Clear, Moonlit Night 67. One Day When There Were Several People in the 68. His Excellency the Middle Counsellor, Takaie 82. When the Emperor Returned from His Visit to Yawata 96. Two Handsome Men 113. When a Court Lady Is on Leave 114. It Is Delightful When There Has Been a Thin Fall of Snow 115. One Evening during the Reign of Emperor Murakami 121. Things Worth Seeing 122. 129. There was a Man in the Corridor 138. People Who Have Changed as much as if They had been Reborn 151. At Noon When the Sun Is Shining Brightly 155. The Thunder Guards are Awe- Inspiring 168. One Day I Was in the Apartment 171. Illnesses 177. A Young Bachelor 179. The Floorboards in the Ante- Room
Longer Entries (4000 words)
Closing Passage (500 words)
Opening Passage (500 words)
On Nature & the Seasons (3500 words) 1. In Spring It Is the Dawn 2. On the Third Day of the Third Month 9. On the First Day of the First Month 27. Trees 28. Birds 30. Insects 42. Herbs and Shrubs 43. 73. On the Last Day of the Fourth Month 84. I Remember a Clear Morning 118. Winds 122. In the Fifth Month 123. During the Hot Months 137. Clouds 178. It Is Noon on a Summer Day
On Things & Aesthetics (3500 words) 13. Depressing Things 14. Hateful Things 16. Things That Make One's Heart Beat Faster 17. Things That Arouse a Fond Memory of the Past 29. Elegant Things 32. Unsuitable Things 43. Poetic Subjects 44. Things That Cannot Be Compared 47. Rare Things 54. Things That Give a Pathetic Impression 57. Splendid Things 62. Annoying Things 63. Embarrassing Things 64. Surprising and Distressing Things 75. Things That Look Better in Paintings 78. Things That Give a Hot Feeling 80. Things That Have Lost Their Power 97. Things That Give a Clean Feeling 98. Things That Give an Unclean Feeling 99. Adorable Things 101. Squalid Things 104. Things That One Is in a Hurry to See or to Hear 109. Things That are Distant Though Near 110. Things That are Near Though Distant 126. Things That Should Be Large 127. Things That Should Be Short 136. Things That Fall from the Sky 148. Pleasing Things 183. Things That are Unpleasant
On Etiquette & Form (3500 words) 128. Nothing Annoys Me So Much 134. Letters are Commonplace 143. To Feel That One is Disliked by Others 144. Men Really Have Strange Emotions 145. Sympathy is the Most Splendid of All Qualities 146. It is Absurd of People to Get Angry 149. One Day, When Her Majesty Was Surrounded by Several Ladies 153. On One Occasion a Man 165. Once I Wrote down a Poem 170. I Cannot Stand a Woman Who Wears Sleeves of Unequal Width 172. I Cannot Bear Men to Eat 184. When the Middle Captain 185. It Is Getting So Dark
On People & Places (3500 words) 3. Especially Delightful Is the First Day 4. How Delightful Everything Is! 5. That Parents Should Bring Up Some Beloved Son 19. Oxen Should Have Very Small Foreheads 21. A Preacher Ought To Be Good- Looking 22. When I Visited Bodai Temple 24. It Is So Stiflingly Hot 45. To Meet One's Lover 79. Shameful Things 81. Awkward Things 100. Presumptuous Things 102. People Who Seem to Suffer 103. Enviable People 104. 112. When a Woman Lives Alone 117. People Who Look Pleased with Themselves 124. One Has Carefully Scented a Robe 154. One Day the Sky, Which until Then Had Been Quite Clear 160. Once When I Had Gone to Kiyomizu Temple 162. It Is Delightful for the Master of a Household 163. Times When One Should Be on One's Guard 169. A Young Man Has Lost His Mother 173. It Is Very Annoying 175. One Night in the Ninth Month 180. At First Dawn a Carriage Passes
On Courtly Life (3500 words) 10. I Enjoy Watching the Officials 40. Travelling in My Carriage One Day 59. A Group of Senior Courtiers 60. Once in the Fifth Month 66. It Was a Clear, Moonlit Night 67. One Day When There Were Several People in the 68. His Excellency the Middle Counsellor, Takaie 82. When the Emperor Returned from His Visit to Yawata 96. Two Handsome Men 113. When a Court Lady Is on Leave 114. It Is Delightful When There Has Been a Thin Fall of Snow 115. One Evening during the Reign of Emperor Murakami 121. Things Worth Seeing 122. 129. There was a Man in the Corridor 138. People Who Have Changed as much as if They had been Reborn 151. At Noon When the Sun Is Shining Brightly 155. The Thunder Guards are Awe- Inspiring 168. One Day I Was in the Apartment 171. Illnesses 177. A Young Bachelor 179. The Floorboards in the Ante- Room
Longer Entries (4000 words)
Closing Passage (500 words)