ZEN AND ZEN CLASSICS

[Tokyo 1966-1982], Hokuseido. 5 Volume set: vols.:2-4 cloth, vols.1 & 5 wrs.,123+211+185+340+225pp.,index,illustrated,all clean,dust jackets on vols. 2-4 mylar protector,mixed dates: 1982,1970,1976,1966,1979], vol.5 First Edition. A NICE SET . *** **** *** . . . . R.H. BLYTH'S MASTERPIECE . * This illusive title has been out of print for a long time, only a couple of the volumes were reprinted, the complete work consisting of 5 volumes is rare and seldom found complete regardless of edition. . * ONE OF THE MOST IMPORTANT WORKS IN ENGLISH ON ZEN: This is a comprehensive set of writings on Zen, Zen arts, the Zen masters and historical background. A wonderful set of works, with English, Japanese characters & Romanized texts. . * A very well written, readable set of books. The celebrated Zen master D.T. Suzuki described Blyth as "one of the most eminent exponents of Japanese culture." . **** OTHER RELATED WRITINGS BY BLYTH ON ZEN & HAIKU: ZEN AND HAIKU: Blyth's studies on Haiku, Japanese humor and Zen are "unique contributions towards East-West understanding." Blyth lived & worked in the east 40 years, until his death in 1964. The history of Zen is the history of moments. It cannot be, like the history of ideas, or even the history of the freedom of thought, an account of development, systematization, criticism, modification, replacement and so forth. Zen seems to become deeper sometimes, shallower, broader, narrower sometimes, but there is no progress of the ordinary kind. It is a history only in the sense of being a list of names of great men in the attainment of great and so forth. Zen seems to become deeper sometimes, shallower, broader, narrower sometimes, but there is no progress of the ordinary kind. It is a history only in the sense of being a list of names of great men in the attainment of great Buddha-hood. . * BLYTH'S CONTRIBUTION: Blyth lived and worked in the East for forty years, until his death in 1964 at the age of sixty-six. From the time of his internment in Japan during World War II, Blyth wrote assiduously. In the 1950's, his "ZEN IN ENGLISH LITERATURE" and "ORIENTAL CLASSICS" and "HAIKU" reached enthusiastic readers in America and Europe. Aldous Huxley describes Blyth's work as "illuminating." As William J. Higginson writes in his "HAIKU HANDBOOK," thanks to Blyth "a new interest in Japanese Haiku began to grow among poets of the immediate post World War II generation." . Blyth's Contribution to cross-cultural understanding was manifold. In 1945, Blyth assumed a post as professor of English at Tokyo's Gakushuin University, the former Peers' School. For almost twenty years he tutored Crown Prince Akihito, the present Emperor. Blyth played a leading role in Emperor Hirohito's historical declaration of January 1, 1946, that he was a human being rather than a god. Blyth edited numerous writings from English and American literature, making them available to avid Japanese readers. . **** FIRST EDITIONS: Following is a list of the First Editions: Vol. 1: 1960; vol. 2: 1964; vol. 3: 1970; vol. 4: 1966; vol. 5: 1962; vol. 7: 1962. [vol. 5, 7 are same contents] see additional notes below. There was no volume six ever published nor issued. . *** IMPORTANT NOTE ABOUT WHAT A COMPLETE SET IS: COMPLETE IN 5 VOLUMES. Blyth originally planned this work to be an 8 volume set, but due to his untimely death, it only went to 5 volumes [per dust jacket notes found on volume 2]. The back of the dust jacket on volume one [First Edition] shows the list planning on a total of 8 volumes in all. . The whole set now actually consists of 5 volumes only and is complete in that state. It contains the below list of volumes, the list is based on our primary observation of each volume in addition to the publisher's notice of the series found on the dust jackets of several volumes. . *** The set is complete with volumes 1-5, there can be an acceptable variant in the last volume which can either be numbered volume 5 or 7, contents remains the sam.…