An Introduction to Written Japanese — 1963 First Edition — Japanese Wood Veneer Binding

O’Neill, P. G., and S. Yanada. An Introduction to Written Japanese. London: The English Universities Press Ltd., 1963. Stated First Edition. An attractive and unusually bound first edition of this mid-century instructional work on reading and understanding written Japanese. Designed as a self-contained course for English-speaking students, the book introduces Japanese writing and progressively develops familiarity with written forms, vocabulary, sentence structure, and the practical use of Japanese characters. The volume retains its distinctive original publisher’s binding: orange cloth over the spine and adjoining portion of the boards, lettered in silver in English and Japanese, with the remaining board surfaces covered in genuine Japanese wood veneer. The copyright page expressly states that the book was “bound in Japanese Wood Veneer,” making this an especially appealing example of postwar British book design and production. Stated “First edition 1963” on the copyright page. Printed in Great Britain for The English Universities Press Ltd. The Japanese title, 日本文入門, appears vertically on the front board. Condition: Very Good−. Binding remains sound and the text block is secure. The orange spine cloth shows noticeable sun fading, with the silver spine lettering partially dulled but still legible. Wood-veneer boards show rubbing, surface wear, edge wear, small abrasions, and localized minor loss along the extremities. Corners and board edges exhibit expected shelf wear. Page edges show minor foxing and age toning. The front free endpaper contains several lines of unidentified Japanese writing in pencil. A small ink mark appears near the upper portion of a preliminary/title page. Pages are generally toned throughout, with occasional minor spotting or handling evidence. No extensive English-language annotations, highlighting, or underlining observed. No dust jacket present. A visually distinctive first edition that should appeal to collectors of Japanese-language materials, vintage linguistics and language instruction, Japanese design, unusual publisher bindings, and wood-veneer books. Inventory No. HSB-1064 Offered for collectible, historical, bibliographic, and research purposes only. Hidden Shelf Books does not endorse or verify the claims, legal theories, political views, or instructions contained in this publication. Not legal, tax, financial, or professional advice. …