Skip to content

The Bells of Old Tokyo: Meditations on Time and a City
Stock Photo: Cover May Be Different

The Bells of Old Tokyo: Meditations on Time and a City Hardcover -

by Anna Sherman


From the publisher

An elegant and absorbing tour of Tokyo and its residents

From 1632 until 1854, Japan's rulers restricted contact with foreign countries, a near isolation that fostered a remarkable and unique culture that endures to this day. In hypnotic prose and sensual detail, Anna Sherman describes searching for the great bells by which the inhabitants of Edo, later called Tokyo, kept the hours in the shoguns' city.

An exploration of Tokyo becomes a meditation not just on time, but on history, memory, and impermanence. Through Sherman's journeys around the city and her friendship with the owner of a small, exquisite cafe, who elevates the making and drinking of coffee to an art-form, The Bells of Old Tokyo follows haunting voices through the labyrinth that is the Japanese capital: an old woman remembers escaping from the American firebombs of World War II. A scientist builds the most accurate clock in the world, a clock that will not lose a second in five billion years. The head of the Tokugawa shogunal house reflects on the destruction of his grandfathers' city: "A lost thing is lost. To chase it leads to darkness."

The Bells of Old Tokyo marks the arrival of a dazzling new writer who presents an absorbing and alluring meditation on life in the guise of a tour through a city and its people.

Details

  • Title The Bells of Old Tokyo: Meditations on Time and a City
  • Author Anna Sherman
  • Binding Hardcover
  • Pages 352
  • Volumes 1
  • Language ENG
  • Publisher Picador USA
  • ISBN 9781250206404 / 1250206405
  • Weight 0.9 lbs (0.41 kg)
  • Dimensions 8.3 x 5.4 x 1.3 in (21.08 x 13.72 x 3.30 cm)
  • Themes
    • Cultural Region: Asian - Japanese
  • Library of Congress subjects Tokyo (Japan) - History, Japan - Civilization - 1945-
  • Library of Congress Catalog Number 2019016492
  • Dewey Decimal Code 952.135

Media reviews

Citations

  • Booklist, 05/15/2019, Page 14
  • Kirkus Reviews, 04/15/2019, Page 0
  • Library Journal, 08/01/2019, Page 104
  • Shelf Awareness, 08/16/2019, Page 0
Back to Top

More Copies for Sale

The Bells Of Old Tokyo
Stock Photo: Cover May Be Different

The Bells Of Old Tokyo

by Anna Sherman

  • Used
  • Hardcover
  • first
Condition
Used - Very Good+
Binding
Hardcover
ISBN 13
9781250206404
ISBN 10
1250206405
Quantity Available
1
Seller
Wake Forest , North Carolina, United States
Seller rating:
This seller has earned a 4 of 5 Stars rating from Biblio customers.
Item Price
NZ$11.81
NZ$7.60 shipping to USA

Show Details

Description:
First American edition/first printing. Square spine, no writing or marks, no folded page corners. Dust jacket clean with no rips. Not a remainder.
Item Price
NZ$11.81
NZ$7.60 shipping to USA
The Bells of Old Tokyo : Meditations on Time and a City
Stock Photo: Cover May Be Different

The Bells of Old Tokyo : Meditations on Time and a City

by Sherman, Anna

  • Used
Condition
Used - Very Good
ISBN 13
9781250206404
ISBN 10
1250206405
Quantity Available
1
Seller
Mishawaka, Indiana, United States
Seller rating:
This seller has earned a 5 of 5 Stars rating from Biblio customers.
Item Price
NZ$12.50
FREE shipping to USA

Show Details

Description:
Picador. Used - Very Good. Used book that is in excellent condition. May show signs of wear or have minor defects.
Item Price
NZ$12.50
FREE shipping to USA
The Bells of Old Tokyo : Meditations on Time and a City
Stock Photo: Cover May Be Different

The Bells of Old Tokyo : Meditations on Time and a City

by Sherman, Anna

  • Used
Condition
Used - Very Good
ISBN 13
9781250206404
ISBN 10
1250206405
Quantity Available
2
Seller
Reno, Nevada, United States
Seller rating:
This seller has earned a 5 of 5 Stars rating from Biblio customers.
Item Price
NZ$14.31
FREE shipping to USA

Show Details

Description:
Picador. Used - Very Good. Former library book; may include library markings. Used book that is in excellent condition. May show signs of wear or have minor defects.
Item Price
NZ$14.31
FREE shipping to USA
The Bells of Old Tokyo : Meditations on Time and a City
Stock Photo: Cover May Be Different

The Bells of Old Tokyo : Meditations on Time and a City

by Sherman, Anna

  • Used
Condition
Used - Good
ISBN 13
9781250206404
ISBN 10
1250206405
Quantity Available
2
Seller
Mishawaka, Indiana, United States
Seller rating:
This seller has earned a 5 of 5 Stars rating from Biblio customers.
Item Price
NZ$14.31
FREE shipping to USA

Show Details

Description:
Picador. Used - Good. Former library book; may include library markings. Used book that is in clean, average condition without any missing pages.
Item Price
NZ$14.31
FREE shipping to USA
The Bells of Old Tokyo : Meditations on Time and a City
Stock Photo: Cover May Be Different

The Bells of Old Tokyo : Meditations on Time and a City

by Sherman, Anna

  • Used
Condition
Used - Very Good
ISBN 13
9781250206404
ISBN 10
1250206405
Quantity Available
3
Seller
Mishawaka, Indiana, United States
Seller rating:
This seller has earned a 5 of 5 Stars rating from Biblio customers.
Item Price
NZ$14.31
FREE shipping to USA

Show Details

Description:
Picador. Used - Very Good. Former library book; may include library markings. Used book that is in excellent condition. May show signs of wear or have minor defects.
Item Price
NZ$14.31
FREE shipping to USA
The Bells of Old Tokyo: Meditations on Time and a City

The Bells of Old Tokyo: Meditations on Time and a City

by Sherman, Anna

  • Used
  • good
  • Hardcover
Condition
Used - Good
Binding
Hardcover
ISBN 13
9781250206404
ISBN 10
1250206405
Quantity Available
1
Seller
Seattle, Washington, United States
Seller rating:
This seller has earned a 4 of 5 Stars rating from Biblio customers.
Item Price
NZ$14.32
FREE shipping to USA

Show Details

Description:
Picador USA, 2019. Hardcover. Good. Pages can have notes/highlighting. Spine may show signs of wear. ~ ThriftBooks: Read More, Spend Less.Dust jacket quality is not guaranteed.
Item Price
NZ$14.32
FREE shipping to USA
The Bells of Old Tokyo: Meditations on Time and a City

The Bells of Old Tokyo: Meditations on Time and a City

by Sherman, Anna

  • Used
  • Acceptable
  • Hardcover
Condition
Used - Acceptable
Binding
Hardcover
ISBN 13
9781250206404
ISBN 10
1250206405
Quantity Available
1
Seller
Seattle, Washington, United States
Seller rating:
This seller has earned a 4 of 5 Stars rating from Biblio customers.
Item Price
NZ$14.32
FREE shipping to USA

Show Details

Description:
Picador USA, 2019. Hardcover. Acceptable. Former library book; Readable copy. Pages may have considerable notes/highlighting. ~ ThriftBooks: Read More, Spend Less.Dust jacket quality is not guaranteed.
Item Price
NZ$14.32
FREE shipping to USA
The Bells of Old Tokyo: Meditations on Time and a City

The Bells of Old Tokyo: Meditations on Time and a City

by Sherman, Anna

  • Used
  • very good
  • Hardcover
Condition
Used - Very Good
Binding
Hardcover
ISBN 13
9781250206404
ISBN 10
1250206405
Quantity Available
2
Seller
Seattle, Washington, United States
Seller rating:
This seller has earned a 4 of 5 Stars rating from Biblio customers.
Item Price
NZ$14.32
FREE shipping to USA

Show Details

Description:
Picador USA, 2019. Hardcover. Very Good. Former library book; May have limited writing in cover pages. Pages are unmarked. ~ ThriftBooks: Read More, Spend Less.Dust jacket quality is not guaranteed.
Item Price
NZ$14.32
FREE shipping to USA
The Bells of Old Tokyo: Meditations on Time and a City

The Bells of Old Tokyo: Meditations on Time and a City

by Sherman, Anna

  • Used
  • good
  • Hardcover
Condition
Used - Good
Binding
Hardcover
ISBN 13
9781250206404
ISBN 10
1250206405
Quantity Available
4
Seller
Seattle, Washington, United States
Seller rating:
This seller has earned a 4 of 5 Stars rating from Biblio customers.
Item Price
NZ$14.32
FREE shipping to USA

Show Details

Description:
Picador USA, 2019. Hardcover. Good. Former library book; Pages can have notes/highlighting. Spine may show signs of wear. ~ ThriftBooks: Read More, Spend Less.Dust jacket quality is not guaranteed.
Item Price
NZ$14.32
FREE shipping to USA
The Bells of Old Tokyo: Meditations on Time and a City
Stock Photo: Cover May Be Different

The Bells of Old Tokyo: Meditations on Time and a City

by Sherman, Anna

  • Used
  • Hardcover
Condition
Used: Good
Binding
Hardcover
ISBN 13
9781250206404
ISBN 10
1250206405
Quantity Available
1
Seller
HOUSTON, Texas, United States
Seller rating:
This seller has earned a 4 of 5 Stars rating from Biblio customers.
Item Price
NZ$18.61
FREE shipping to USA

Show Details

Description:
Picador, 2019-08-13. Hardcover. Used: Good.
Item Price
NZ$18.61
FREE shipping to USA