«Kwaidan» by Lafcadio Hearn

Kwaidan: Stories and Studies of Strange Things features several Japanese ghost stories and a brief non-fiction study on insects. Most of these stories were translated from old Japanese texts. The author also states that one of the stories — Yuki-onna — was told to him by a farmer in Musashi Province, and his was apparently the first record of it. Riki-Baka is based on a personal experience of the author._x000D_ Table of Contetns:_x000D_ The Story of Mimi-nashiHōichi_x000D_ Oshidori_x000D_ The Story of O-Tei_x000D_ Ubazakura_x000D_ Diplomacy_x000D_ Of a Mirror and a Bell_x000D_ Jikininki_x000D_ Mujina_x000D_ Rokurokubi_x000D_ A Dead Secret_x000D_ Yuki-Onna_x000D_ The Story of Aoyagi_x000D_ Jiu-Roku-Zakura_x000D_ The Dream of Akinosuke_x000D_ Riki-Baka_x000D_ Hi-Mawari_x000D_ Hōrai_x000D_ In the last half of the book, Hearn lists collected Chinese/Japanese superstitions and his own personal thoughts on various members of the insect world._x000D_ Butterflies: Personification of the human soul._x000D_ Mosquitoes: Karmic reincarnation of jealous or greedy people in the form of Jiki-ketsu-gaki or “blood-drinking pretas”._x000D_ Ants: Mankind's superior in terms of chastity, ethics, social structure, longevity and evolution.