Folio Archives 331: Japan - LIMITED EDITION 2012
Talk Folio Society Devotees
Join LibraryThing to post.
1wcarter
Japan Described and Illustrated by the Japanese by Eminent Japanese Authorities and Scholars. Edited by Cpt. F. Brinkley – LIMITED EDITION 2012
This magnificent two volume limited edition is reproduced from a late 19th. century original. It includes essays by Kakuzo Okakura and David Perkins.
At the end of the 19th. Century the J.B.Millet Company of Boston embarked on an extraordinary publication venture : a complete pictorial record of the history of Japan. This Folio Society publication is a facsimile of the original.
The photographs, which were originally hand painted, show everything from landscapes and cherry blossoms to street vendors and geishas as they were nearly 150 years ago. There are 259 photographs, either full page or integrated into the text, 10 collotypes and 10 art prints in the book.
Spread over two huge volumes, the endpapers (identical in both volumes) are a hand printed pattern on chiyogami paper. Volume one has 193 pages and is bound in red cloth with gilded and colour cover design and black slipcase with gilded front title. Volume two has 205 pages and is bound in black cloth with gilded and colour cover design and red slipcase with gilded title. The text is printed on off-white Natural Evolution paper. All page edges are gilded and the slipcases measure 43x32.9cm. The limitation was 1000 and the original cost £665.
Endpapers
Promotional leaflet with price in Australian dollars.
An index of the other illustrated reviews in the "Folio Archives" series can be viewed here.
This magnificent two volume limited edition is reproduced from a late 19th. century original. It includes essays by Kakuzo Okakura and David Perkins.
At the end of the 19th. Century the J.B.Millet Company of Boston embarked on an extraordinary publication venture : a complete pictorial record of the history of Japan. This Folio Society publication is a facsimile of the original.
The photographs, which were originally hand painted, show everything from landscapes and cherry blossoms to street vendors and geishas as they were nearly 150 years ago. There are 259 photographs, either full page or integrated into the text, 10 collotypes and 10 art prints in the book.
Spread over two huge volumes, the endpapers (identical in both volumes) are a hand printed pattern on chiyogami paper. Volume one has 193 pages and is bound in red cloth with gilded and colour cover design and black slipcase with gilded front title. Volume two has 205 pages and is bound in black cloth with gilded and colour cover design and red slipcase with gilded title. The text is printed on off-white Natural Evolution paper. All page edges are gilded and the slipcases measure 43x32.9cm. The limitation was 1000 and the original cost £665.
Endpapers
Promotional leaflet with price in Australian dollars.
An index of the other illustrated reviews in the "Folio Archives" series can be viewed here.
2ExLibrisDavid
Beautiful book! Thank you for sharing!
3dlphcoracl
Another fine entry in Warwick Carter's magnificent series of Folio Archives reviews and one of the most important. This 2-volume Limited Edition was one of Joe Whitlock Blundell's finest moments in his 30-year career with the Folio Society, with a considerable part of it planning and creating FS Limited Editions. It bears considerable similarity to another of his finest Limited Editions, the collaboration between H.G. Wells and photographer Alvin Langdon Coburn entitled 'The Door in the Wall'. These two FS masterworks share several similarities:
1. Original copies of both works were consulted and studied to create the most accurate facsimile possible, especially regarding the reproduction of the photographs and other artwork. Unless you own the original copies of these two works - and I do (!) - one cannot appreciate the care taken in creating these FS facsimiles and how close they come to the originals.
2. The production values of both editions are exceptional. The quality of the papers and materials used is far better than the usual FS LE fare and the reproduction & printing work done by Dot Gradations Ltd. (Wickford, Essex) and Butler, Tanner & Dennis (Frome, Somerset) is top notch.
3. Both works were relatively unappreciated by the FS faithful and both editions sold very slowly. IIRC, The Door in the Wall was heavily discounted just before it went OOP and I believe Japan was as well.
4. Both works have considerable historical value albeit for very different reasons. The Door in the Wall was one of the first true collaborations between a literary figure and a photographer who were both recognized internationally. The edition was planned together from the start with Coburn working closely with Wells in creating photographs to illustrate the collection of short stories rather than illustrating them after the fact with pre-existing photographs. 'Japan' is historically significant because it was Japan's attempt to introduce the country and its culture to the Western world, a calling card if you will. The Japanese monarchy and government spared no expense in employing the finest photographers, artists, historians, authors, etc., in creating the original edition - a ten-volume masterpiece. Japan clearly wanted to put its best foot forward in an attempt to promote trade with the Western world.
If you missed either The Door in the Wall or this 2-volume set of Japan illustrated above the first time around, they both deserve serious consideration for acquisition by serious FS collectors.
1. Original copies of both works were consulted and studied to create the most accurate facsimile possible, especially regarding the reproduction of the photographs and other artwork. Unless you own the original copies of these two works - and I do (!) - one cannot appreciate the care taken in creating these FS facsimiles and how close they come to the originals.
2. The production values of both editions are exceptional. The quality of the papers and materials used is far better than the usual FS LE fare and the reproduction & printing work done by Dot Gradations Ltd. (Wickford, Essex) and Butler, Tanner & Dennis (Frome, Somerset) is top notch.
3. Both works were relatively unappreciated by the FS faithful and both editions sold very slowly. IIRC, The Door in the Wall was heavily discounted just before it went OOP and I believe Japan was as well.
4. Both works have considerable historical value albeit for very different reasons. The Door in the Wall was one of the first true collaborations between a literary figure and a photographer who were both recognized internationally. The edition was planned together from the start with Coburn working closely with Wells in creating photographs to illustrate the collection of short stories rather than illustrating them after the fact with pre-existing photographs. 'Japan' is historically significant because it was Japan's attempt to introduce the country and its culture to the Western world, a calling card if you will. The Japanese monarchy and government spared no expense in employing the finest photographers, artists, historians, authors, etc., in creating the original edition - a ten-volume masterpiece. Japan clearly wanted to put its best foot forward in an attempt to promote trade with the Western world.
If you missed either The Door in the Wall or this 2-volume set of Japan illustrated above the first time around, they both deserve serious consideration for acquisition by serious FS collectors.
5cwl
When we complain about the current crop of LEs, it’s books like this that we compare them to, and they are found obviously wanting.
7TheEconomist
>5 cwl: Part of the reason why FS is no longer publishing LEs like this may be explained by this paragraph in the preceding post:
"Both works were relatively unappreciated by the FS faithful and both editions sold very slowly. IIRC, The Door in the Wall was heavily discounted just before it went OOP and I believe Japan was as well."
Wonderful production though this set is, I find myself wondering whether it was a sound commercial decision. Unlike most of their LE facsimiles, early editions of the Japan set were (and still are) available at similar amounts to the published price.
"Both works were relatively unappreciated by the FS faithful and both editions sold very slowly. IIRC, The Door in the Wall was heavily discounted just before it went OOP and I believe Japan was as well."
Wonderful production though this set is, I find myself wondering whether it was a sound commercial decision. Unlike most of their LE facsimiles, early editions of the Japan set were (and still are) available at similar amounts to the published price.
8TheEconomist
It is perhaps worth noting that the US price of $1260 is almost twice the sterling price of £665. Whatever one feels about FS setting different prices for different markets, it is clear that this has been happening since at least 2012.... (the exchange rate was round about 1.6 back then).
9kdweber
>8 TheEconomist: I bought this beautiful set when it first came out. I remember being very annoyed with the high differential between the US & UK price. At the time it was the most expensive edition I’d ever bought. Still don’t regret buying it.
10assemblyman
Beautiful set. The photos in those books are just amazing.
>1 wcarter: Whenever you review a large book I always have to reference your large books photo in the wiki for reference.
>1 wcarter: Whenever you review a large book I always have to reference your large books photo in the wiki for reference.
11wcarter
>8 TheEconomist:
The advertised price in the leaflet is Australian dollars, not US, as mentioned above the leaflet. Unfortunately, Australian dollars are usually less valuable than American.
The advertised price in the leaflet is Australian dollars, not US, as mentioned above the leaflet. Unfortunately, Australian dollars are usually less valuable than American.
12What_What
I don’t think The Door in the Wall was discounted prior to going out of print, as I bought it when there weren’t that many copies left, and paid full price.
13AMindForeverVoyaging
>12 What_What: I believe it was part of past special LE Summer Sales, although I don't recall how much it was discounted.
14wcarter
>12 What_What:
Door in the Wall was listed at 20% off in the 2019 LE sale.
Door in the Wall was listed at 20% off in the 2019 LE sale.
