McKNEW, Thomas W. Dai Nippon. Impressions and Observations … (With Eighteen Original Photographs by the Author). Washington, [privately published], July, 1932.
8vo. Original boards with silver paper covered spine; pp. 58, illustrations after photographs in the text; spine ends and corners a little worn, a little offsetting from endpapers, otherwise very good.
First edition, number 59 of a print run limited to 250 copies, presentation copy, inscribed and signed by the author on front fly-leaf, dated 1933. A charming report on how an America couple experienced - and was enchanted by - Japan.
'Dr. Thomas Wilson McKnew, a World War I Navy Veteran, held several positions in the National Geographic Society beginning in 1932 as the assistant secretary, receiving the title of Chairman Emeritus in 1987. In 1934-1935, he served as the project officer for the first human flight into the stratosphere where the curvature of the earth was photographed for the first time. He also participated in the financing of hundreds of research projects in geology, archeology, anthropology, botany, astronomy and related sciences' (Naval History and Heritage Command, online).
~Provenance: Early 1990s Henry Sotheran Ltd label inside front cover. This copy was presented to E. John Long, probably McKnew’s 1930s National Geographic colleague Captain Edward John Long, later head of the us Navy Photographic Division. 1993 cordial gift inscription by a Japanese couple on initial blank.
Not in LibraryHub, Worldcat locates four copies, at the Universities of Georgetown, East Carolina and Victoria in North America and at the International Research Centre for Japanese Studies, Japan.~i~
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