"History of the Empire of Japan. Compiled and Translated for the Imperial Japanese Commission of the World's Columbian Exposition, Chicago, U.S.A.",

This attractive volume was issued to coincide with the 1893 World's Fair in Chicago. According to the introduction, it comprises "an epitome of salient facts from early ages down to the present time" and is profusely illustrated with 5 double-page colored woodcuts, 17 double-page black & white woodcuts, 11 single-page woodcuts, 3 photographic plates, and 2 folding plans. The volume also features a folding map entitled Japan and Provinces (16.6 x 17.7") that presents the railroad network, topography, and insets of Yezo, the Kurile Islands, and the Loochoo Islands in the corners. Published by Dai Nippon Tosho Kabushiki Kwaisha. 428 pages, hardbound in original pictorial boards with silk ties.

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Condition: B+

Contents are uniformly lightly toned with the first few and last few pages separated from the text block. The folding map has a 1" binding tear at left that has been closed on verso with archival tape. A former owner's bookplate is on the front pastedown. Covers are worn with bumped edges.