Description: Folio Society Hardcover 2 Volume Set Japan Described & Illustrated by the Japanese Written by Eminent Japanese Authorities and Scholars Edited by Cpt. F. Brinkley of Tokyo, JapanWith Essays on Japanese Art by Kakuzo Okakura, Director of the Imperial School at Tokyo, JapanIncludes a new introduction by David Perkins AS NEW UNREAD condition in DECORATIVE SLIPCASES 2012 Limited Edition of 980 Hand-Numbered Copies Copy # 741 of 980 This reproduction, in two large luxurious volumes, is the first time this landmark work has been reproduced in its entirety. A classic reprint of the rare 19th century photographic work. One of the most opulent pictorial books ever published, Japan captures a vanished world in 259 hand-colored photographs. This limited edition reprint features two volumes which reproduce all of the original photographs and includes a new introduction by David Perkins. There are 259 photographs, either full page or integrated into the text.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. The books also contains 10 full page art prints of Japanese artworks from different eras, accompanied by ten short essays by Okakura Kakuzo, director of the Imperial Academy in Tokyo and one of the most influential Japanese art historians of his day. Also included are 10 full-page reproductions of collotypes of Japanese flowers by the renowned photographer Ogawa Kazumasa, a pioneer of this type of photomechanical printing. Production Details: Bound in full cloth, blocked in three colors with a design by Neil GowerThe striking binding design is based on that of the “Emperor” edition of 1897 Gorgeous Chiyogami endpapers in both volumes hand-printed on handmade paper in Japan. First appearing during the Eco period, the Chiyogami paper is silk-screen printed with traditional Japanese designs inspired by kimonos. The paper is made from vegetable crops that are washed, beaten and then shaken into a tray and left to dry. The resulting paper is not only beautiful, but exceptionally strong - making it perfect for endpapers to hold the pages securely in the binding. Gilded on all three page edges Presented in cloth-bound slipcases blocked in gold foil Hand-numbered on a special limitation page Each volume measures 16 x 12½ inches Volume I: 304 pages Volume II: 312 pages 616 pages in total At the end of the 19th century, a craze for all things Japanese spread over the Western world. After two centuries of self-imposed seclusion, the country had begun to open up to outside eyes, and its art and craftwork were eagerly sought after by collectors and artists. By 1878 ‘Japonisme’ was being described by the writer George Augustus Sala as ‘a sort of religion’.Because of its links with the tea trade, Boston, Massachusetts was an epicenter of the movement. In the 1890s, the J. B. Millet Company of Boston embarked upon an extraordinary venture: a complete pictorial record of the country, entitled Japan, Described and Illustrated by the Japanese. Altogether, Japan represented an enterprise of enormous scale and ambition, with an approximate production cost of $200,000 – a staggering sum at the time, equivalent to millions today. As well as obtaining subscriptions in advance from collectors, J. B. Millet received financial backing from the Japanese government. Clearly this was more than simply a beautiful book; it was an important calling-card. Following its recent victory in the Sino-Japanese War, Japan was keen to present itself in the best possible light on the world stage. To edit Japan, the J. B. Millet company chose Captain Francis Brinkley, an Irish-born soldier who had become an adopted citizen of Japan, even marrying the daughter of a samurai. Brinkley gathered a group of Japanese writers to write a text explaining Japan to Westerners, under headings such as ‘The Early Japanese and Their History’, ‘Creeds and Castes’, ‘Observances and Pastimes’. Most of these writers are not named, and their text was heavily edited to appeal to a Western audience. The result was a book described in the introduction as ‘an ambassador extraordinary sent by the Japanese to the American people’. It remains a fascinating reflection of Japanese-American relations at a pivotal moment in both countries’ history, and one of the most remarkable publishing ventures of the 19th century. The creation of these volumes was painstaking and astonishingly labor-intensive. The original photographs, all taken in Japan, were individually printed, washed, fixed, toned, dried, cropped, hand-colored and pasted onto the page – a process that was repeated thousands of times across the sixteen editions of the book. The photographs were albumen prints created using silver salts suspended in egg white, a more time-consuming process than the gelatine and collodion method that had recently been introduced. The most distinctive feature of Japan was the hand-coloring of the photographs. This technique had largely been replaced by mechanical coloring, and was already seen as more traditional and prestigious. The Japanese excelled in the hand-coloring of decorative objects such as fans, lanterns and prints, and by the 1880s they were applying this expertise to coloring photographs. It is estimated that a total of 350 individual colorists would have worked for a year on their own part of the work, with each colorist completing, at most, three prints a day. - FREE USPS Priority Mail shipping - Will ship within 2 business days after payment - This set will be bubble wrapped and carefully packed in a sturdy box with packing material surrounding it I recently acquired a large and interesting collection of Folio Society titles in AS NEW UNREAD condition from a collector who purchased most of them new and sealed, and displayed them in a smoke free, climate controlled home. I will be listing these as time permits so please check back often for new listings. Please let me know if you have questions. PLEASE NOTE: To be eligible for returns, all books must be undamaged and be repacked as sent.
Price: 1550 USD
Location: Brooten, Minnesota
End Time: 2024-08-29T22:15:52.000Z
Shipping Cost: 0 USD
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Item Specifics
All returns accepted: ReturnsNotAccepted
Binding: Fine Binding
Language: English
Special Attributes: Illustrated, Decorative Slipcase, Limited Edition of 980 Hand-Numbered Copies, 2 Volume Set, A classic reprint of the rare 19th century photographic work
Publisher: Folio Society
Topic: 19th Century Japanese Art, Photography & Culture
Subject: Japan
Year Printed: 2012
