Japon

Roy. 8vo., First English Edition, with a portrait frontispiece in photogravure, 10 plates (one large and folding) in photogravure, 63 illustrations in the text and a large folding coloured map (lightly spotted; one short tear without material loss in one fold); original cloth gilt, gilt back, mildly rubbed at joints, corners lightly bruised else a remarkably bright, clean copy of a very scarce work. Classic account of a journey by a Japanese monk through Tibet to Nepal between 1897-1903, and including a year's residence in the forbidden city of Lhasa disguised as a local doctor. His extraordinary narrative, detailing a series of events that ought never to have occurred at all, was originally published in a long series of articles written for two leading Japanese newspapers, and subsequently issued in book form (in Japanese) by Hakubunkwan. This is the first appearance in English. ONE OF THE RAREST MODERN BOOKS ON TIBET AND A VALUABLE PRIMARY SOURCE. EXTREMELY SCARCE IN THE ORIGINAL EDITION OF WHICH THIS IS A WELL ABOVE AVERAGE COPY. Cordier BS 4382; Yakushi K35.