264 wood and ivory carvings, none of them larger than a matchbox: potter Edmund de Waal was entranced when he first encountered the collection in the Tokyo apartment of his great uncle Iggie. Later, when Edmund inherited the 'netsuke', they unlocked a story far larger than he could ever have imagined...The Ephrussis came from Odessa, and at one time were the largest grain exporters in the world; in the 1870s, Charles Ephrussi was part of a wealthy new generation settling in Paris. Charles's passion was collecting; the netsuke, bought when Japanese objets were all the rage in the salons, were sent as a wedding present to his banker cousin in Vienna. Later, three children - including a young Ignace - would play with the netsuke as history reverberated around them. The Anschluss and Second World War swept the Ephrussis to the brink of oblivion. Almost all that remained of their vast empire was the netsuke collection, dramatically saved by a loyal maid when their huge Viennese palace was occupied. In this stunningly original memoir, Edmund de Waal travels the world to stand in the great buildings his forebears once inhabited. He traces the network of a remarkable family against the backdrop of a tumultuous century and tells the story of a unique collection.

埃德蒙·德瓦尔 （Edmund de Waal），世界著名的英国陶瓷艺术家。1964 年生于英国诺丁汉，就读于剑桥大学，主修英国文学，并在英国与日本学习陶艺。他的作品以大型装置瓷器著称，曾在世界各地许多博物馆展出，包括伦敦维多利亚和阿尔伯特博物馆、英国泰特美术馆、纽约高古轩画廊和维也纳艺术史博物馆等。

《琥珀眼睛的兔子》是他第一本陶艺专业以外的作品，荣获 2010 年科斯塔传记文学奖、英国国家图书奖、翁达杰文学奖以及其他众多文学奖项，并入围南岸天空艺术奖（文学类）,登上《星期日泰晤士报》畅销书总榜第一名。埃德蒙也是2010年银河图书年度新人奖得主。

目前，他与家人生活在伦敦。