'Exotics and Retrospectives' by Lafcadio Hearn is a collection of essays that transport readers to a foreign world through graceful and poetic prose. From his narrative on Japanese customs and traditional tales to personal observations and flights of fancy, Hearn's lucidly clear style lays bare philosophical truths, sometimes subtly, sometimes overtly. In this book, he covers subjects ranging from Buddhism to beauty to the color blue, and even "being".