Rare, antiquarian, used & out-of-print books on Japan, for sale at Horizon Books.
ANON, ; [Views of Hongan Temple]. Kyoto, np, [1939], , oblong folio [27 x 40 cm]; 25 fine plates from photos, each with accompanying text leaf in French, title printed in red [in Japanese], original pictorial cloth, title lettering on cover in Japanese, ribbon sewn binding, in original slipcase with ivory clasps, title label, slipcase a little rubbed at edges, minor wear on cover, else near fine, internally clean.
Attractive plates of views of the temple and grounds.
US$50. bookID # 11312
ANON, ; The Columbian Atlas of the World containing Large-scale Colored maps of each State and Territory in the United States, Provinces of Canada, Every Foreign Country, the Continents and their Subdivisions. Buffalo, NY, Garretson, Cox and Company, 1897, , folio [37 x 31 cm or 14.5 x 12 inches]; 159 pp, 156 pages of colored maps, charts, including many double page, title printed in red and black, original blue pictorial gilt and blind-stamped cloth, gilt title lettering on cover, a little worn at spine ends, corners, very good+ clean and sound copy.
This is not to be confused with the Columbian World's Fair atlas nor the Columbian Atlas of the World We Live In, which was in much smaller format. This atlas is quite large and filled with very detailed colored maps, starting with fine double-page maps of the world and of North America. The maps of the USA include the whole country, individual states and city maps showing streets (Boston, NY city, Brooklyn, Buffalo, Philadelphia, Baltimore, Washington DC, Cincinnati, Cleveland, Chicago, Detroit, St. Paul, Minneapolis, St. Louis, St. Joseph, Kansas city, New Orleans, San Francisco from Rand McNally Co, plus others as insets). Canadian maps include country, provinces and territories, some provinces showing counties. Other maps include: Mexico, Central America, West Indies, South America (plus other maps of regions of South America), Europe and individual countries, Polar area, Asia, double-page of Palestine with Jerusalem inset, Turkey and its provinces, Indochina, India, Japan, Persia, double of Africa showing colonial borders, South Africa, Egypt with Cairo inset, North Africa, Abyssinia, Australia, New Zealand, etc, plus other charts. Maps have city, province, county indexes in margins.
US$120. bookID # 12789
BURPEE, Lawrence J. (editor); Canadian Geographical Journal, Vol. XII, No. 2, February 1936. Ottawa, Montreal, The Canadian Geographical Society, 1936, First edition, 8vo [26 x 17 cm]; ii, [57]-110, x pp, numerous illustrations, mostly from photos, including full-page, maps, original heavy paper printed wraps, title and design on front cover, very light wear of cover (light mark), clean and near fine.
Well-illustrated articles including Vagabonding in the Arctic by Thomas H. Inkster; Charting the Great Lakes by Roy F. Fleming; Village Life in Japan by E. H. Cassidy; Old Fort St. John by Philip H. Godsell; A Canadian in Carthage by Gordon Fournier, etc. With interesting ads with illustrations.
US$5. bookID # 13587
CAMMANN, Schuyler; The Land of the Camel; Tents and Temples of Inner Mongolia. New York, The Ronald Press Company, [1951], First edition, 8vo [23.5 x 16 cm]; x, 200 pp, 42 illustrations from photos on plates, index, original cloth, spine lettering rubbed, dj (chipped at spine head, short tears, rubbed), else very good, interior clean and sound.
One of the few accounts of life and customs during this period, the author travelled in the area in 1945, being the first to observe conditions there since the Japanese sealed the area and being the last there before the Chinese again closed the area to outsiders. He provides good descriptions of religious rites, the lamaseries role in Mongolian life and interviewed the Living Buddha of Shandagu. Bibliog. Mongolica 2326.
US$40. bookID # 9144
FAIRCHILD, David; Garden Islands of the Great East; Collecting Seeds from the Philippines and Netherlands India in the Junk "Cheng Ho". New York, Charles Scribner's Sons, 1943, First edition, large 8vo [24.5 x 16 cm], xiv, 239pp, frontis, well illustrated from photos, pictorial eps, index, original cloth, dj (chipped at edges, tears), bookplate removed from blank endpaper, very good, clean throughout.
By the well-known American plant and seed collector; he had a tropical garden in Florida named after him. This book includes numerous fascinating photos, mainly of plant life but also of the native peoples, throughout the Malaya archipelago and related islands. Fairchild and his party were the last Americans to visit the Celebes and the Moluccas before the Japanese invaded in 1940.
US$19. bookID # 6541
FAIRCHILD, David; Garden Islands of the Great East; Collecting Seeds from the Philippines and Netherlands India in the Junk "Cheng Ho". New York, Charles Scribner's Sons, 1943, First edition, first issue with the 'A' on the verso title, large 8vo [24 x 16 cm], xiv, 239 pp, frontis, well illustrated from photos, pictorial endpapers, index, original cloth, silver title lettering on spine and front cover, minimal rubbing to edge, else fine clean copy.
By the well-known American plant and seed collector; he had a tropical garden in Florida named after him. This book includes numerous fascinating photos, mainly of plant life but also of the native peoples, throughout the Malaya archipelago and related islands. Fairchild and his party were the last Americans to visit the Celebes and the Moluccas before the Japanese invaded in 1940.
US$19. bookID # 11012
FARRER, Reginald J.; The Garden of Asia; Impressions from Japan. London, Methuen & Co., [1904], First edition, 8vo [20 x 13.5 cm]; xi, 296, 40 [publisher's catalogue dated Jul 1904] pp, original red cloth, gilt lettering on spine and cover, cover gilt ruled, edges rubbed, slightly foxed in a few margins, very good.
Called the 'Prince of Alpine Gardeners' by Tyler Whittle, the author, a renowned traveller and plant collector, traveled through Japan, describing the people, customs, plants, etc, with a chapter on Korea. This was his second book and his first non-fiction book. Cox 101.
US$180. bookID # 13292
FARRINGTON, Edward I.; Ernest H. Wilson Plant Hunter, with a List of his Most Important Introductions and Where to Get Them. Boston, The Stratford Company, [1931], First edition, 8vo [21.5 x 14.5 cm]; xxi, 197 pp, frontis (port), 33 illustrations mostly full-page, bibliog, chronology, index, original two-part green cloth with gilt lettering on front cover and spine, dj (chipped at spine ends, price clipped), slightly foxed at outer edge of text block, fine copy in good+ dj.
The author, who was a friend of Wilson, both professionally and socially, was able to write a biography of this famous plant hunter, the way few people can be able to. Wilson made seven plant hunting expeditions, to China, Tibet, Korea, Japan, Formosa, where he collected hundreds of new plants and trees new to science, many of which are not available at nurseries and might otherwise have been lost. The book includes a list of plants Wilson collected with descriptions as well as a bibliography of his articles and books. This copy includes a loose leaf from the publisher to the literary editor of the NY Herald Tribune asking for a review of the book.
US$40. bookID # 13278
FOLEY, Daniel J.; The Flowering World of "Chinese" Wilson. London, The Macmillan Company, [1969], First edition, 8vo [21 x 16 cm]; xv, 334 pp, frontis, plates from photos, bibliography, index, original 2 color, pictorial cloth with gilt lettering on spine, dj (price clipped, spine lightly faded), else a fine, clean copy.
Ernest Henry Wilson was one of the greatest plant hunters of his time, collected and introduced thousands of plants including lilies, rhododendrons, cherries, primroses, trees, etc based on his expeditions in China and Japan. We now take many of these plants for granted in our landscape. He later became the director of the Arnold Arboretum in Boston. Foley provides a good biography, well-illustrated and with selections from Wilson's many books.
US$22. bookID # 13276
HEARN, Lafcadio; Two Years in the French West Indies. New York, Harper & Brothers, [1890], , small 8vo [19 x 13 cm]; 431 pp, frontis, illus, plates, 6 pages of music, original cloth, spine ends worn, head of spine chipped, small tear, shelfwear, internally clean, good copy.
An often referred to and well-respected account, mainly on Martinique, but also on Trinidad, St. Pierre, St. Kitt's, St. Lucia, Granada, etc. The author is most well-known for his works on Japan. Griffen 4923: "A series of light, amusing and evocative sketches of Martinique at the end of the 19th century." Smith H80: 'This tells of the two years the author lived in the West Indies in the late 1880's, a time which captivated him. . . An appendix includes some Creole melodies, and the illustrations are interesting'.
US$38. bookID # 3652
IYER, Pico; Video Night in Kathmandu and Other Reports from the Not-so-far-East. New York, Alfred A. Knopf, 1988, First edition, 8vo [22 x 15 cm]; [vi], 376, [i] pp, original cloth-backed pictorial boards with gilt and bronze picture and title lettering, dj (slightly rubbed at edge, price clipped), near fine.
This popular travel writer describes his experiences in Bali, Tibet, Nepal, China, Philippines, Burma, Hong Kong, India, Thailand and Japan, both interesting and entertaining.
US$9. bookID # 8886
KEMP, E. G.; The Face of Manchuria, Korea & Russian Turkestan. London, Chatto & Windus, 1910, First edition, 8vo [24 x 17 cm]; xv, 248 pp, 24 plates from author's paintings and drawings, including colored frontis, large foldout colored map with the author's route in red, other illus, index, title page printed in blue & black, original green cloth, bookplate removed from front endpaper, extra illustrations pasted on blank pages, corners a little worn, edges lightly rubbed but a very good copy.
Cordier Sinica 4036. With the political situation with Japan and Russia as background, the author travelled widely through these areas producing some excellent descriptions both in text and through artwork.
US$110. bookID # 7739
KERNER, Robert J.; Northeastern Asia: A Selected Bibliography - Contributions to the Bibliography of the Relations of China, Russia, and Japan with Special Reference to Korea, Manchuria, Mongolia and Eastern Siberia, in Oriental and European Languages. Berkeley, University of California Press, 1939, First edition, thick 8vo [23.5 x 16 cm]; 2 volumes complete, xxxix, 675; xxxi, 621 pp, indexes, original cloth, gilt spine title lettering, library stamps on endpapers and title pages, spine number blacked out, text pages are clean and unmarked, still quite a good copy, sound and tight, of the original edition.
A massive work, over 1,300 pages, with reference to almost 14,000 works in all subjects, and a basic reference in this area. Includes extensive introductions in each volume.
US$65. bookID # 12900
LINKLATER, Eric; The Voyage of the Challenger. Garden City, NY, Doubleday, [1972], First American Edition, 4to [25.5 x 19 cm]; 288pp, numerous illus, including full-page, many color plates, including from orig sources, original cloth, gilt spine title lettering, in slightly worn dj, fine..
The author of over 50 books gives a very readable account of the important scientific voyage of the Challenger that began in 1872. The purpose was to investigate marine life, chart the sea depths and collect scientific data. The naturalists aboard (Henry Moseley, John Murray) also made many observations and drawings at the many places the ship landed. The voyage included Atlantic islands, West Indies, Patagonia, Pacific islands, Tahiti, New Guinea, Fiji, Tonga, Japan, Antarctic, etc. An interesting and well-produced book.
US$1. bookID # 3094
LINKLATER, Eric; The Voyage of the Challenger. Garden City, NY, Doubleday, [1972], First American Edition, 4to [25.5 x 19 cm]; 288pp, numerous illus, including full-page, many color plates, including from orig sources, original cloth, gilt spine title lettering, dj (slightly rubbed at spine head, not price clipped), fine, clean and unmarked.
The author of over 50 books gives a very readable account of the important scientific voyage of the Challenger that began in 1872. The purpose was to investigate marine life, chart the sea depths and collect scientific data. The naturalists aboard (Henry Moseley, John Murray) also made many observations and drawings at the many places the ship landed. The voyage included Atlantic islands, West Indies, Patagonia, Pacific islands, Tahiti, New Guinea, Fiji, Tonga, Japan, Antarctic, etc. An interesting and well-produced book, beautifully illustrated with many historical pictures.
US$2. bookID # 12278
OLIPHANT, Lawrence; Narrative of the Earl of Elgin's Mission to China and Japan in the Years 1857, '58, '59. New York, Harper & Brothers, 1860, First American edition, 8vo [24 x 16 cm]; xvi, [17]-645, [i], 2 [ads] pp, color lithograph (chromolithograph) frontis of winter scene in Japan from Japanese painting, 61 engraved illustrations of which 10 are full-page, tables, original brown pictorial gilt cloth with gilt spine title lettering, spine ends chipped and repaired, cover lightly rubbed, bookplate removed from front endpaper, very good copy, clean interior.
Taylor 239. Cordier Sinica 2376. Cordier Japonica 1735. The diplomatic mission lasted over two years with the work describing the countries in detail, from the arrival in Hong Kong, up the Canton River to Pekin, Yedo, many other cities, side trips to Philippines, India, good descriptions of political and social conditions, productions, agriculture, military, geography, art, etc.
US$200. bookID # 8310
ROSS, Christopher; Mishima's Sword; Travels in Search of a Samurai Legend. London, Fourth Estate, [2006], , 8vo [22.5 x 14 cm]; [x[, 262 pp, illustrations from drawings, glossary, original cloth, silver spine title lettering, dj (not price clipped), fine, clean and unmarked.
Travels through Japan to discover more about Japanese writer Yukio Mishima who committed hara-kiri with his own antique sword and discovers much about Japanese culture and society. There is a full-page illustrating how to tie a Fundoshi in detail.
US$5. bookID # 13038
SOWERBY, R. R.; Sowerby of China; Arthur de Carle Sowerby. Kendall, Titus Wilson and Son, 1956, First edition, 8vo [22 x 14 cm]; [viii], 58 pp, frontis portrait, plates from photos, drawing, folding genealogical table, bibliog, original cloth, gilt spine title lettering, dj (not price clipped, residue of price sticker removal, light wear at top edge), else fine and clean, unmarked.
A biography of scientist, explorer, writer, artist, author of Through Shen-kan; Fur and Feather in North China; A Naturalist's Holiday by the Sea; A Naturalist's Notebook in China, and many others. The work includes much on the Sowerby family, the Clark Expedition, the Shensi Relief Expedition, early collecting, the bandit situation in China, life in Shanghai, much on China including the Japanese occupation, etc.
US$55. bookID # 13127
SYKES, Sir Percy; A History of Exploration From the Earliest Times to the Present Day. New York, The Macmillan Company, 1934, third edition, with a new appendix, large 8vo [25.5 x 16 cm]; xiv, 426 pp, colored frontis from painting, 24 full-page plates from early sources, 44 maps including many folding, detailed index, original cloth, gilt spine title lettering, dj (old clear tape repair, worn at edges, not price clipped), short tear to a margin, list of illustrations re-mounted, else a very good, clean copy in good jacket.
A useful and authorative survey with a surprising amount of detail, covering all parts of the world, eg, detailed chapter on exploration of Tibet, several chapters on Arabia, the discovery of Siberia and Japan, Australia, Marco Polo, etc. The new appendix of 52 pages describes exploration in recent times, published just before the death of the author, and includes additional chapters on Bashakard and Makran, Mecca, south-eastern Tibet, Valley of the Assassins, Gobi Desert, Hadhramaut, the Yemen, Central Asia, Southern Lut, New Hebrides, Manchuria, Nile-Congo divide, Antarctic, etc, and includes the latest journey of St. John Philby.
US$30. bookID # 13485
TAYLOR, Bayard; Japan in Our Day. New York, Charles Scribner's Sons, 1887, , 8vo [19 x 14 cm]; xvi, 280 pp, frontis, 38 plates from drawings, original pictorial decorated cloth, gilt titlle lettering on spine and cover, cover only slightly rubbed, presentation inscription dated 1888 on endpaper, else a fine copy, interior is quite clean and unmarked.
Taylor had first visited Japan as part of Perry's expedition of 1854. A good picture of life as it was with travels throughout the country including Yedo, Yokohama, an ascent of Fuji-Yama, Kamakura, Tokio (Tokyo), Echizen, etc and which includes Humbert's and Alcock's account of journeys from Nagasaki to Yedo. Very well illustrated.
US$22. bookID # 11253
TAYLOR, Bayard, revised by William Elliot Griffis; Japan in Our Day. New York, Charles Scribner's Sons, 1892, first revised edition, 8vo [19 x 14 cm]; x, 293 pp, frontis, plates from drawings, original brown cloth, gilt spine title lettering, corner worn, else a clean solid and near fine copy.
Taylor had first visited Japan as part of Perry's expedition of 1854 and Griffis updates the account with new information but preserving the best of the original. A good picture of life as it was with travels throughout the country including Yedo, Yokohama, an ascent of Fuji-Yama, Kamakura, Tokio (Tokyo), Echizen, etc and which includes Consul-general Harris's account of his journey to Yedo.
US$14. bookID # 7154
TREVES, Sir Frederick; The Other Side of the Lantern; an Account of a Commonplace Tour Round the World. London/Paris/New York etc, Cassell and Company, 1905, reprint, same year as first edition, 8vo [24 x 16 cm]; xvi, 424, 16 [ads] pp, 40 plates from photos by the author including frontis, index, original cloth, gilt lettering on front cover and spine, joints rubbed, hinges cracked but holding, slight foxing but a good clean copy.
The author's describes in some detail, his experiences in India, Burma, Ceylon, China, Japan with a brief mention of Hawaii. The frontis appears to by a photogravure. Despite the title the descriptions are quite good
US$10. bookID # 6270
WELLS, Carveth; North of Singapore. New York, National Travel Club, [1940], First Edition, 8vo; 271 pp, numerous illustrations from photos, map endpapers, original cloth, dj (wear and bit chipped at spine ends), light foxing on few leaves, else very good.
Travels from Japan, Korea and Manchuria to Singapore and Malaysia by way of the Philippine Islands. Appendices on geography of Malaya, trade, principal fruits.
US$5. bookID # 1743
WESTON, Walter; The Playgrounds of the East. London, John Murray, 1918, First edition, 8vo [22 x 14.5 cm]; xii, 333, [iv, publisher's ads] pp, plates, 2 folding colored maps with author's route in red, index, orig red cloth, gilt badge of the Japanese Alpine Club on front cover, gilt spine title lettering, spine faded with small stain, bookplate of Thomas Barratt on endpaper, interior is clean and fine with very minor foxing on few leaves in very good cover.
Neate W46: 'Follow-up on his first book on mountaineering in Japan'. 'Weston is revered as the Father of mountaineering in Japan (Neate), and is the first foreign climber to climb all the major Japanese mountains. The maps show the Japanese Alps. The foreword is by Professor Shigetaka (Juko) Shiga.
US$300. bookID # 8276
WILSON, Ernest H.; China Mother of Gardens. Boston, The Stratford Company, [1929], First Edition, the author's signed edition, large 8vo [26.5 x 18 cm]; [vi], x [i] 408 pp, frontis, plus 60 plates, folding map partly colored at end (short tear at stub), index, title page printed in red and black, original decorated cloth, gilt spine title lettering, top edge gilted, cover lightly rubbed, interior near fine and clean copy, signed by author on the half title plage.
Wilson was one of the prime botanical collectors in China and Japan in the early 1900's, introducing many species. Besides his descriptions of the plants he found, including some fascinating adventures in little explored places, he describes the geography, the native peoples and tribes, temples, timber trees, cultivated gardens and fruits, agriculture plant products, tea and tea-yielding plants, etc, during his extensive explorations, including Szechuan, Ancient Kingdom of Pa, Sungpan Ting, the Chino-Tibetan border area, Tachienly, Omei Shan, Laolin. 'He crossed the Laolin from north to south, probably the only European to have done so' [Coats - The Plant Hunters, p. 120]. There is also a much more common unsigned edition printed at the same time.
US$250. bookID # 13031
WILSON, Ernest H.; Plant Hunting. Boston, The Stratford Company, 1927, First edition, the special autographed issue with author's signature, 8vo [24 x 17 cm]; 2 volumes, xxix, 248; ix, 276 pp, 127 plates from photos, map endpapers, index, original green cloth with gilt title lettering, edges lightly rubbed, near fine set, interior is clean and unmarked, the dust jacket for volume I is present (bit chipped at spine end, small hole, not price clipped) & is scarce.
Wilson, originally worked for Kew and later became the keeper of the Arnold Arboretum at Harvard University, was one of the most important plant collectors of his time, having traveled extensively in China and Japan, where he found many new species which were introduced to the west for the first time. These included lilies, rhododendrons, azaleas, hydrangea, cherries, jasmine, etc. This work surveys his many travels, including Africa, Australia and New Zealand, the tropics of America, China, Japan. He provides excellent descriptions of plant life including orchids, as well as natural history, the people he encountered, and a good overview of previous plant exploration. This copy also includes the loose article, "On the Trail of E. H. Wilson", Eliot Tozer, extracted from Horticulture, November 1994, which describes Wilson's progress as a plant hunter, from the beginning of his carreer through his many discoveries, including of the regal lily, numerous new rose species, over 5.000 species of plants and seeds of over 1,500 other plant species, including 2,000 new to science. The article contains several illustrations, including his portrait.
US$200. bookID # 13279
WILSON, Ernest H.; Plant Hunting. Boston, The Stratford Company, 1927, First edition, 8vo [24 x 17 cm]; 2 volumes, xxix, 248; ix, 276 pp, 127 plates from photos, map endpapers, index, original green cloth with gilt title lettering, spine a little faded, interior is clean and fine, in very good covers.
Wilson, originally worked for Kew and later became the keeper of the Arnold Arboretum at Harvard University, was one of the most important plant collectors of his time, having traveled extensively in China and Japan, where he found many new species which were introduced to the west for the first time. These included lilies, rhododendrons, azaleas, hydrangea, cherries, jasmine, etc. This work surveys his many travels, including Africa, Australia and New Zealand, the tropics of America, China, Japan. He provides excellent descriptions of plant life including orchids, as well as natural history, the people he encountered, and a good overview of previous plant exploration.
US$150. bookID # 10797
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