Tales and Essays from Old Japan is a spirited and engaging entry into the world of pre-industrial Japan, a world that was already fast disappearing when author Lafcadio Hearn first arrived there in 1890. During his fourteen-year stay, Hearn quickly developed a fascination with Japan's traditional culture and literature, particularly its legends and ghost stories. These he collected and wrote English renditions of, making him one of the first to present these wonderful tales to the West. Despite being long out of print, Tales and Essays from Old Japan is sure to delight any reader with an interest in traditional Japanese stories.