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.

埃德濛·德瓦爾 （Edmund de Waal），世界著名的英國陶瓷藝術傢。1964 年生於英國諾丁漢，就讀於劍橋大學，主修英國文學，並在英國與日本學習陶藝。他的作品以大型裝置瓷器著稱，曾在世界各地許多博物館展齣，包括倫敦維多利亞和阿爾伯特博物館、英國泰特美術館、紐約高古軒畫廊和維也納藝術史博物館等。

《琥珀眼睛的兔子》是他第一本陶藝專業以外的作品，榮獲 2010 年科斯塔傳記文學奬、英國國傢圖書奬、翁達傑文學奬以及其他眾多文學奬項，並入圍南岸天空藝術奬（文學類）,登上《星期日泰晤士報》暢銷書總榜第一名。埃德濛也是2010年銀河圖書年度新人奬得主。

目前，他與傢人生活在倫敦。