The Kabuki Handbook

• Halford, Aubrey S, and Giovanna M. Halford, The Kabuki Handbook, Tuttle, 1956.

Subtitle: "A guide to understanding and appreciation, with summaries of favorite plays, explanatory notes, and illustration."

This book contains blow-by-blow summaries of over a hundred kabuki plays, covering much of the traditional repertory, which makes it very useful when watching plays. It also has discussions of items such as costumes, noh, lighting, plot devices such as heirlooms and substitutions (mi-gawari), the Genpei Wars, etc. There are also a detailed index and a short bibliography.