4th Dec, 2019 10:30 GMT/BST
Books, Maps & Ephemera
182
Hawley, Frank Miscellanea Japonica: being Occasional Contributions to Japanese Studies. Kyoto:...
Miscellanea Japonica: being Occasional Contributions to Japanese Studies. Kyoto: Privately Printed for the Author, 1954-58. 4to (2 vols). Org. boards in djs, hand-made paper; I: facsimile journal page, II: one plate; provenance: a gift from Hawley to his mother (his card on upper pastedowns with MSS note). First and only edition, vol. I limited edition of 100.
Volume 1 is an extract from the journal of John T. Comerford, an English surgeon who was in Japan 1864-65. Volume II appears to be an extract from a larger work on Japanese whaling (pp. 51-102), which was also limited. Hawley intended the whaling work to be three volumes, but it seems only the first was completed. There is a loosely inserted prospectus (also limited to 300 copies) which explains the genesis of the whaling book.
Whilst the main book can be traced, the origin of this offprint is not as clear. It does not appear to have been intended as the prospectus (given the inclusion of one here) but is clearly labelled as an offprint. It has been possible to trace a few other copies of this separate volume in addition to the completed work, but we remain unclear as to why this offprint exists. A rare thing with an excellent provenance.
. There is a little edgewear to both jackets but, bar very slight foxing to the upper corner of the cover of the prospectus and a small brown mark near the bottom, the two volumes are in very nice condition, showing the quality of the paper.
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