Eleven folding leaves. 8vo (242 x 168 mm.), self-wrappers, orig. stitching. [Japan]: copied late 19th or early 20th century.

Sakakibara (1832-81) was a scholar best known for his contributions to the study and dissemination of Japanese literature and philology. In his research, he also wandered into areas such as gastronomy.

The present work is a detailed study of methods of making a wide variety of soy sauces and by-products from many regions of Japan. The names of manufacturers and many recipes are given. Sakakibara begins with a most interesting philological discussion of the word “shoyu (soy sauce) and offers a.... More

49 folding leaves. Two kwŏn in one vol. Small folio (323 x 215 mm.), orig. patterned yellow-brown wrappers, new stitching. [Korea]: Preface dated 1741.

First edition of this rare late-Chosŏn Confucian manual on ethical cultivation and daily conduct, by Yi Sang-jŏng (1710-81), a scholar and government official known for his moral integrity, learning, and devotion to Confucian principles in state administration. He held a number of important posts including Chief Censor, Minister of Rites, and Senior Advisor to the king.

Structured in two sections, the text first presents 24 articles on proper daily behavior — addressing decorum in speech, demeanor... More

51 folding leaves. Large 8vo (270 x 180 mm.), orig. yellow patterned semi-stiff wrappers. Kyŏngsŏng (Seoul): Irhan Sŏbang 日韓書房, 1909.

An uncommon geographical treatise from the late Chosŏn period, compiled by Sŏng Hae-ŭng (1760-1839) during the reign of King Jeongjo (r. 1776-1800). This work surveys approximately 100 of Korea’s most celebrated scenic and historic mountains and sites, organized into nine regions: Gyeongdo, Giro, Haeseo, Gwanso, Hojung, Honam, Yeongnam, Gwandong, and Gwanbuk. Sŏng provides detailed descriptions of each site’s landscape, topography, legendary figures, historical episodes, and the cultural ethnography of local people.

Sŏng Hae-ŭng, appointed as a librarian at the Gyujanggak... More

41 folding leaves. Small folio (325 x 216 mm.), orig. yellow patterned wrappers, orig. stitching. Kyŏngsŏng 京城 (Seoul): 1928.

First edition of this rare work, printed by wooden movable type, that tells the life story of Chosŏn interpreter and diplomat (yŏkkwan) Hong Sun-ŏn 洪純彦 (1530-98). Impoverished in his youth, Hong made a name for himself with fluency in Chinese and a knack for international trade. The author of our book, Chŏng In-bo (1893-1950), was a prominent Korean historian and independence activist. In his Preface, acknowledging “the time gap” between Hong’s life and the time of writing, Chŏng notes: “I hope... More

53 folding leaves. Four kwŏn in one vol. Small folio (313 x 195 mm.), orig. wrappers (covers stained), new stitching. [Korea]: Preface dated 1806.

First and only edition of this rare early 19th-century literary collection documenting the life and works of Chae Eung-rin 蔡應麟 (1529-84), a distinguished mid-Chosŏn Confucian scholar and high government official, known by his pen name Songdam 松潭 (“Pine Tree Pond”). After forgoing advancement in officialdom, Chae dedicated himself to teaching, personal cultivation, and scholarly fellowship in rural seclusion — an ethos reflected in both his poetry and the enduring pavilions he built along the river in... More

2 p.l., 2001; 2 p.l., 2001 pp. Two vols. Small 4to (152 x 118 mm.), orig. black cloth over semi-stiff boards, gilt & silver lettering on upper covers and spines, housed in a cloth-covered slipcase. [Brussels]: Editions M. Szwajcer & M. Didier, 1999.

The scarce artist’s book revisiting On Kawara’s One Million Years. A total of 570 copies of this work were printed: 60 numbered and signed, 10 artist’s proofs, and 500 numbered; this is one of the numbered copies (no. 305). The first volume, “Past” (998031 BC to 1969 AD), begins with the phrase, “For all those who have... More

Many color illus. 470 pp. Large & thick 4to, orig. printed dust-jacket, pictorial wrappers. Bordeaux: CAPC musée d’art contemporain de Bordeaux, 2020.

An essential reference work on one of the most intrepid artist-run presses of the 1970s. Established by Felipe Ehrenberg, Martha Hellion, and David Mayor in 1971, the Beau Geste Press published around 75 books, multiples, and magazines in a farmhouse in Devon, UK. Their mission was to print materials in close collaboration with artists. This included figures like Ulises Carrión, Helen Chadwick, Ken Friedman, Klaus Groh, Raúl Marroquin, Opal L. Nations, Takako Saito, Carolee Schneemann, Endre Tot, Ben... More

68 folding pre-printed leaves. 8vo (240 x 162 mm.), orig. wrappers (wrappers a little rubbed & discolored), new stitching. [Japan]: late 19th or very early 20th century.

In Japan’s rapid industrialization following the Meiji Restoration, improved methods of the preservation of fish, for domestic consumption and for export, became extremely important.

This notebook contains highly detailed notes taken by an anonymous auditor who attended three lectures on seafood preservation. Throughout the notebook, the auditor has made dozens of small marginal and text illustrations of fish, their parts, techniques of breaking down fish, preservation equipment and processing buildings, and tools and... More

[Japan]: scrolls dated 1653-1856.

This is a fascinating collection, clearly assembled over a number of years by a private collector, of scrolls and other manuscripts concerning all aspects of the samurai, the elite warrior ruling class of Japan, known for martial skills, strict code of honor and morality (Bushidō), and considerable influence in Japanese history during the Tokugawa years. The range of topics covered by these manuscripts is wide and touches on many sides of samurai life and thinking.

We will list a few of the topics covered by the manuscripts: arms and body armor; samurai attire in general;... More

22 folding leaves. Narrow, tall 8vo (343 x 123 mm.), orig. self-wrappers, orig. stitching. [Japan]: on upper wrapper (in trans.): “28 January 1764.”

During the Edo period, 12 Korean delegations were sent to Japan, mostly to congratulate a new Tokugawa shogun. The missions, which normally included 300-500 Koreans, accompanied by roughly 1500 Japanese escorts, symbolized the amicable relationship between the two nations and, in the early years, served to legitimize the Tokugawa shogunate.

These delegations, which usually took nine or ten months round-trip, were enormously expensive undertakings for both countries. The Koreans brought many luxurious presents, both public and private... More

Four double-page & nine full-page color-printed illus. and ten pages of text with background coloring. 31.5 folding leaves. Small 8vo, orig. semi-stiff patterned wrappers, new stitching. Osaka: Unkindō 雲錦堂, 1857.

An early printing of this beautifully illustrated book with considerable blind embossing. The text and the illustrations have been printed on thickish paper, leaving deep impressions and giving a 3-D appearance. The subject of this book is a famous Osaka courtesan, Shikishima, of the Shinmachi pleasure quarter. For many years she worked in the Kyōya “tea house,” until she married a lacquer artisan. The book portrays her as a symbol... More

Color and black & white full-page illus. throughout. [12] pp. Square 4to, pictorial wrappers, staple-bound. Rotterdam: 1967.

A very rare exhibition catalogue, WorldCat does not record a single copy in North America (as of October 2025). Managed by Hans Sonnenberg (1928-2017), Galerie Delta in Rotterdam presented work by Allan D’Arcangelo, Yayoi Kusama, Claes Oldenburg, Larry Rivers, and Tom Wesselmann. Even though two of his Flowers paintings are depicted in the catalogue, Warhol is inexplicably not named as one of the artists presented. A small number of copies of this catalogue were published with a print of Warhol’s Self-Portrait, not present... More