A Bibliography of the Japanese Empire

For to fix a marketprice, even of the standard works only, would be an impossible task, beside being utterly uselessImpossible as books are even more than most other commodities of life subject to considerable fluctuations in price, according to the supply and demand — and useless, even if the price is fixed by the publisher, as the additional expense for postage, customduty, labour to procure them etc. vary greatly in each particular case in different countries.

Thanks to the facilities, which the British Museum, the Patent Office and several other public libraries as well as those of the Middle Temple, various scientific societies a. o. in London and the Bibliothèque Nationale, Musée Guimet a, o. in Paris (during my repeated stay there) accorded to me, I was enabled to consult whole serials, manuscript catalogues a. o. I am consequently in the position to quote numerous titles of works difficult to find and mentioned nowhere else. A small number of editors of scientific periodicals and secretaries of learned societies sent me likewise on my application a full list of articles on Japan, which were published in their serials. I owe further my respectful thanks to the directors of two foreign statelibraries, who exercised their discretional power to lend books, in sending me a few, which are not available here.

Finally I am greatly indebted to Mr A. Diósy, ViceChairman of the Japan Society for the advice and encouragement he gave me during this rather arduous and frequently tedious task and to Mr A. Gramatzky, Dr. phil. in Ostende for reading the second proof of the greater part of this work.

Nobody can be better aware of the weak side or rather sides of this compilation than I myself, but only those few who ever undertook a similar task have an idea of the labour involved as the difficulty increases with the extent of the work not in arithmetical but geometrical progression. However I shall not regret having undertaken the task nor having borne myself the large pecuniary outlay, which it involved, if the work proves to be useful and to meet the requirements of the student and bibliophile.

December 1894. 10 Leinster Square.

Bayswater,

London S W.

F. VON WENCKSTERN.