---
product_id: 621871325
title: "Basho: The Complete Haiku of Matsuo Basho (Collector’s Edition)"
price: "¥11079"
currency: JPY
in_stock: true
reviews_count: 13
url: https://www.desertcart.jp/products/621871325-basho-the-complete-haiku-of-matsuo-basho-collector-s-edition
store_origin: JP
region: Japan
---

# Basho: The Complete Haiku of Matsuo Basho (Collector’s Edition)

**Price:** ¥11079
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- **What is this?** Basho: The Complete Haiku of Matsuo Basho (Collector’s Edition)
- **How much does it cost?** ¥11079 with free shipping
- **Is it available?** Yes, in stock and ready to ship
- **Where can I buy it?** [www.desertcart.jp](https://www.desertcart.jp/products/621871325-basho-the-complete-haiku-of-matsuo-basho-collector-s-edition)

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## Description

Basho: The Complete Haiku of Matsuo Basho (Collector’s Edition) [Basho, Fitzsimons, Andrew] on desertcart.com. *FREE* shipping on qualifying offers. Basho: The Complete Haiku of Matsuo Basho (Collector’s Edition)

Review: A great book (especially as a “reference” work) - What a wonderful book. Now, that said, it’s important to make clear what this book actually is/does. The translation (in English) of each haiku is accompanied a syllabic transliteration of the original Japanese, (rendering of the texts of the haiku in the original Japanese occur in the back of the book. Perhaps more importantly, accompanying each haiku are footnotes explaining the important (and sometimes quite extensive) wordplay that occurs in the haiku. It’s important to note that such wordplay is a crucial characteristic of all classical Japanese haiku. This is not true of English-language haiku of course, and is —virtually by definition— impossible to portray in translation. So these footnotes are of great importance to anyone who is interested in seriously “drilling-down” into the details of what is actually happening in the original version the haiku. Finally, it’s probably worth noting that the translation that Fitzsimons gives of each haiku attempts to adhere to the classical 7/5/7 format whenever possible. So, in all fairness, I’d have to admit that these translations —while always very good— might not be the translations of Basho that I might choose to carry around in a convenient pocket-edition, nonetheless as an element of a critical/reference work they are invaluable. I guess that what I’m saying is that this volume might perhaps be more accurately be thought of as a kind of “reference work”. But, with its very affordable price, this is surely a book that everyone seriously interested in Haiku (or more specifically, in the work of Basho) should have on their shelf. (Note: In addition to a very good glossary and an extensive bibliography, the book also contains indices to the haiku in Japanese, Romanji, and English.)
Review: Beautiful book. Beautifully written. Scholarly work. - They still make beautiful books! I have several Basho translations. This book contains the Japanese, the transliterations and alternative translations. Beautifully bound. Very readable typeset, and an altogether lovely volume.

## Technical Specifications

| Specification | Value |
|---------------|-------|
| Best Sellers Rank | #63,865 in Books ( See Top 100 in Books ) #5 in Haiku & Japanese Poetry #7 in Japanese Literature #9 in Nature Poetry |
| Customer Reviews | 4.6 4.6 out of 5 stars (94) |
| Dimensions  | 5.5 x 1.3 x 8.5 inches |
| Edition  | First Edition |
| ISBN-10  | 0520400739 |
| ISBN-13  | 978-0520400733 |
| Item Weight  | 1.6 pounds |
| Language  | English |
| Part of series  | World Literature in Translation |
| Print length  | 480 pages |
| Publication date  | September 3, 2024 |
| Publisher  | University of California Press |

## Images

![Basho: The Complete Haiku of Matsuo Basho (Collector’s Edition) - Image 1](https://m.media-amazon.com/images/I/91XttWa-KVL.jpg)

## Customer Reviews

### ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ A great book (especially as a “reference” work)
*by N***L on April 5, 2025*

What a wonderful book. Now, that said, it’s important to make clear what this book actually is/does. The translation (in English) of each haiku is accompanied a syllabic transliteration of the original Japanese, (rendering of the texts of the haiku in the original Japanese occur in the back of the book. Perhaps more importantly, accompanying each haiku are footnotes explaining the important (and sometimes quite extensive) wordplay that occurs in the haiku. It’s important to note that such wordplay is a crucial characteristic of all classical Japanese haiku. This is not true of English-language haiku of course, and is —virtually by definition— impossible to portray in translation. So these footnotes are of great importance to anyone who is interested in seriously “drilling-down” into the details of what is actually happening in the original version the haiku. Finally, it’s probably worth noting that the translation that Fitzsimons gives of each haiku attempts to adhere to the classical 7/5/7 format whenever possible. So, in all fairness, I’d have to admit that these translations —while always very good— might not be the translations of Basho that I might choose to carry around in a convenient pocket-edition, nonetheless as an element of a critical/reference work they are invaluable. I guess that what I’m saying is that this volume might perhaps be more accurately be thought of as a kind of “reference work”. But, with its very affordable price, this is surely a book that everyone seriously interested in Haiku (or more specifically, in the work of Basho) should have on their shelf. (Note: In addition to a very good glossary and an extensive bibliography, the book also contains indices to the haiku in Japanese, Romanji, and English.)

### ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ Beautiful book. Beautifully written. Scholarly work.
*by C***E on March 13, 2025*

They still make beautiful books! I have several Basho translations. This book contains the Japanese, the transliterations and alternative translations. Beautifully bound. Very readable typeset, and an altogether lovely volume.

### ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ Translation is impossibly hard, Basho even moreso
*by J***I on January 19, 2025*

Andrew Fitzsimons has taken on an impossible task. Translation is, at best, crushingly hard, choices that must be made based on one's capability with a language, with the culture of that language and with the subtle, oftem deeply idiomatic use of that language by native speaker, perhaps even from centurys ago. Then they must decide, based on the language how to present the words and meanings in the best way to share the original purpose. This is especially hard with humor and subtle puns, cultural shifts in thought and phrase. Then they have to decide on what might represent that in the language being translated to. Unenviable and nearly impossible. Japanese is a wonderfully colorful language - whereas english is more structured and less inclined for the beauty of puns/alternate meanings, Dr Fitzsimons has a very good handle on this. He carefully lays out the moment of each hakko, giving a description of the meanings of words in japanese, and especially in the culturally subtle humor of the time. He puts each hakko in it's proper stage and helps the reader navigate the shifting meanings. This, is im my opinion, the finest translation of Basho, period. He gives you the whole meal and lets you choose to digest what you will.

## Frequently Bought Together

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*Product available on Desertcart Japan*
*Store origin: JP*
*Last updated: 2026-02-06*