In 2005, the celebrated scholar of Japanese literature Haruo Shirane published Classical Japanese: A Grammar. Now, with Classical Japanese Reader and Essential Dictionary, he completes his two-volume textbook for learning classical, or literary, Japanese& mdash;the primary written language in Japan from the seventh to the mid-twentieth century. The text contains carefully selected readings that address a wide array of grammatical concerns and that steadily progress from easy to difficult. The selections encompass a wide range of historical periods and styles, including essays, fiction, and poetry from such noted works as The Tale of Genji, The Tales of Ise, The Pillow Book, The Tales of the Heike, and Essays in Idleness, and such authors as Ihara Saikaku, Matsuo Basho, Ueda Akinari, Motoori Norinaga, and Fukuzawa Yukichi. Each reading is accompanied by a short English introduction, a vocabulary list, and extensive grammatical notes, and ends with a comprehensive grammatical annotation.

The classical Japanese-English dictionary composes the last third of the book and features approximately 2,500 key words, highlighting those used most frequently. The first of its kind, this volume is a vital tool for students, scholars, and translators of classical Japanese.

Preface
Acknowledgments
Major Historical Periods
Romanization
Grammatical Terms and Abbreviations
Part I. Base Texts
1. An Account of a Ten-foot-square Hut
2. The Tale of the Bamboo Cutter
Part II. Heian Period
3. The Tales of Ise
4. The Pillow Book
5. The Tale of Genji
6. Sarashina Diary
7. Collection of Tales of Times Now Past
Part III. Kamakura Period
8. Hundred Poets, Hundred Poems
9. Collection of Tales from Uji
10. The Tales of the Heike
11. Essays in Idleness
Part IV. Edo/Tokugawa Period
12. Japan's Eternal Storehouse
13. Narrow Road to the Deep North
14. Tales of Moonlight and Rain
15. The Tale of Genji, a Small Jeweled Comb
Part V. Meiji Period
16. Encouragement of Learning
Part VI. Nara Period
17. Collection of Ten Thousand Leaves
Essential Dictionary

Haruo Shirane is Shincho Professor of Japanese Literature and Culture at Columbia University. His many books include Early Modern Japanese Literature: An Anthology, 1600-1900; Traces of Dreams: Landscape, Cultural Memory, and the Poetry of Basho; and The Bridge of Dreams: A Poetics of The Tale of Genji.