In addition to the diversity of perspectives that non-Western books bring to my collection, the physical books themselves reveal differing characteristics of book-making around the world. These Japanese books are bound by punching holes through the boards and text block and then externally stitching the boards and text block together with a string. The pages themselves are made from a thin but supple type of paper folded in half with printed portions on only the outside, but not the inside, surfaces of the resulting folded leaf.
Wakan Sansai Zue [Volumes 48-51, comprising the complete fish section of the encyclopedia]