Published by Ashmolean Museum Oxford, 2020. English texts by Naoko Matsubara and Penny Boxall; 76 pages, 21 × 15 cm (8.25 × 5.9 inches), Smyth-sewn softcover, offset. Design by Yoshiki Waterhouse and Beatriz Cifuentes.

This creative collaboration between artist Naoko Matsubara and poet Penny Boxall celebrates in words and colors the beauty and variety of the human hand.

The series of dynamic woodcuts at the heart of this book was initially inspired by the artist’s wonder at the busy hand movements of her baby son and grew into a wider celebration of hands in all their extraordinary variety – hands engaged in music, sport, prayer, or creative acts. The woodcuts convey a sense of joy and energy, whether exploring the symbolism of gestures, playing with form and color, or expressing a mood or emotion.