Hokusai, the 19th Century master of the woodblock print, anticipated many of the elements of manga according to Jocelyn Bouquiliard and Christophe Marquet, the authors of Hokusai: First Manga Master, an 80-page hardcover from art book publisher Harry N. Abrams.  Hokusai was a master of ukiyo-e ('pictures of the floating world'), the colored woodblock prints that constituted a popular Japanese art form of the 19th century.  He is best known for his stylish landscapes, but he also created a plethora of surreal and often downright wacky sketches and drawings filled with many of the characters and themes found in modern manga. His studies of facial expressions and postures will strike many familiar chords with readers of modern manga.

Hokusai: First Manga Master (ISBN: 0-8109-9341-4) is due out in June and will have a cover price of $19.95.