Webster, Noah

和譯スヘルリーング / Wayaku Suheruringu. English & Japanese spelling book. Shohen. Zen. [Translated by Nishimura Shu-suke]

Kyoto: Shobougou-shi, 1872. Small 8vo (7" x 4 3/4"), 32 leaves folded and sewn in the Japanese manner, xylographically printed throughout, inserted title page in English on yellow paper, printed paper label on upper cover, original blue mottled wrappers; and remarkably retaining the original printed sleeve (i.e. fukuro) in Japanese and English; near fine throughout. Collector's stamp of Sogo Masaaki. Rare testimony to the worldwide appeal and usefulness of the most famous American textbook. Contains an introduction in the Japanese character, a page of alphabets and numbers, and 29 lessons on syllables, words, and sentences, the English text printed in a cursive hand, and with interlinear Japanese translation. Some copies in Japan; Berkeley only in the US. Whether the fukuros are present is unknown. Osaka Joshi Daigaiku Library, Select Catalogue on Dutch and English Studies, p. 43. Item #60310

Price: $5,000.00