Japanese American Directory and Yearbook (San Francisco: 1905)
The Japanese American Year Book / Zaibei nipponjin nenkan dai ichi
Publication: San Francisco: Nichibei Shimbunsha, 1905 (Meiji 38). First Edition.
Notes: The first issue of the first Japanese American yearbook and directory, printed and published in San Francisco during the Meiji era. Quite scarce, even rare, with no original holdings in OCLC (the National Diet Library in Japan records a reproduction; no US libraries record any copy at all). Most Japanese-language books about the United States were printed in Japan and imported to the US. According to the colophon, this book was printed in San Francisco on the presses of the Japanese American newspaper.
According to the introduction, this yearbook is intended to provide information for aspiring Japanese entrepreneurs and to facilitate the expansion of the Japanese empire to the United States. The book offers almanac-style entries on the history of Japan and of the United States, a discussion of the "misunderstanding" Americans on the West Coast have about Japanese immigrants, an overview of commercial law in the US, and farming opportunities by state, particularly California (sugar beets, hops, and poultry) and Texas (rice). The final section is a directory of Japanese living in the US, particularly California. The book is illustrated with half-tone photographs of Japanese-owned farms in California.
This is the second earliest directory of the Japanese in America and the earliest one to compile lists of immigrants throughout the country (the earliest one I have seen, from 1902, was limited to Fresno, California).
The directory's publication, by the most important Japanese-language newspaper at the time, the daily Japanese American (Nichibei Shimbun), was sponsored by dozens of immigrant-owned businesses who advertised in the book. There 80 ad pages, with more than half from businesses outside of San Francisco and dozens of ads from the Central Valley of California and Los Angeles.
[18], [2 leaves: maps], [10 leaves: halftone plates], 192, [2], 1–12, [32:ads], 13–20, [16:ads], 21–28, [32:ads], 29–43, [1:colophon] pages. 9-7/8 by 6-9/16 inches.
Edition + Condition: First edition (no reprints noted on the colophon). A very good copy in original brown wrappers printed in red and black.
Item No: #366144
Price: $5,000