There was no one who did more in the late 19th and early 20th centuries to bring the inner thoughts and ideals of Japan - its religions, its superstitions, its art, its way of thought, all that animates its people - to the West than did Lafcadio Hearn. He lived in Meiji Era Japan and became one of its citizens, linking East with West, but received no public recognition, no decorations; yet, the world places a crown of laurel upon his head. Todai moto kurashi. "The foot of the beacon is dark." In this edition of Reminiscences of Lafcadio Hearn, Setsuko Koizumi, Mrs. Hearn, has written wonderful, affectionate recollections of her life with Lafcadio Hearn in a book that is simply written, almost naive at times; sometimes funny yet at other times almost tragic, providing insights into herself, her family, and her husband and his wonderful writings on Old Japan. This volume is profusely illustrated with rare, black and white, antique photographs from the editor's private collection of Setsuko Koizumi, Lafcadio Hearn, their children, their homes, the places they visited and saw, as well as Hearn's own sketches, including those from his final vacation visit to Yaidzu, making the book an even more personal and enjoyable experience for the reader.