Unlike other anonymously painted  zuan  designs that come through the shop,  this  original block printed book of butterfly designs  is by a  significant  early 20th century artist Kamisaka Sekka  神坂 雪佳 (1866–1942).   This is volume 2 of a two volume set called 蝶千種  'A Thousand Types of Butterfly'.  These  designs weren't for textiles specifically but this copy was owned by a kimono shop at one point.  You can find quite a bit more information online - including catalogue entries from the British Museum and the Met in New York. 

It's been reprinted a number of times  but this is an original woodblock print copy from Meiji 37 (1904).  It's a  traditional concertina type book with 27 individual designs.  Closed it measures 18cm x 25cm x 2cm. Unfortunately it isn't in pristine condition. The  rear cover has come off completely and the  cloth cover is in a shabby condition as you can see in the photos. There is some discolouration and also marks and stains in the corners of some pages.  There is one largish and one small split between pages. It has had a couple of previous owners at least with stamps from  the kimono shop crossed out and another name written over them. 

This is an absolute treasure for anyone interested in early 20th century Japanese art and particularly how traditional design was  influenced by modern art movements in Europe at the time.... or for butterfly lovers! 

Price includes GST and Postage within Australia