Published by Edition Synapse, Tokyo, and distributed outside Japan by Routledge.

There is a growing interest in the French Japonism movement of the late nineteenth century, and academic research in the subject is developing in both quantity and quality. However, much of this scholarly activity is confined to the area of art history and, apart from some work on leading authors like Pierre Loti or Judith Gautier, very little scholarship has emerged from the field of French literature. Indeed, many works produced by popular French authors during this period have long been forgotten, even in France.

Addressing the absence of source material for those studying such Japonism literature in France, the reprint series was created and this is the third collection. It includes five French popular novels published in the early twentieth century with Japan or Japanese as their main topic. The books include interesting illustrations and plates, many reproduced in full colour as they appeared in the original first editions.