JIJIMUSAI.

Inquire · Offered by Peter Harrington

Kaigai jinbutsu shoden ("Short Tales of Foreign People"). First edition of this biography of Napoleon, Alexander the Great, and Tsar Alexis I. It was published in the year of Perry's first expedition, when interest in Europeans was growing, and four years before the first Japanese translation of a Western biography of Napoleon.The work opens with accomplished woodblock illustrations of the streets of Paris, Napoleon at court with European royalty, and a shipyard with a frigate under construction. It then moves to a positive and glorifying biography of Napoleon, depicted as anything from royalty to a Dutch pastor, reflecting early modern Japanese conceptions of Europeans. Key events from Napoleon's life are illustrated, such as his marriage to Joséphine de Beauharnais, a failed assassination attempt, the occupation of Moscow, and his imprisonment on St Helena. However, many details are incorrect, as the author was unfamiliar with Western historical sources. For example, the execution of Louis Antoine, Duke of Enghien, is shown as a gruesome burning at the stake, where in reality he was shot by firing squad.Volume 4 follows the life of Alexander the Great, with an illustration of him meeting Diogenes of Sinope, and Volume 5 recounts semi-fictionalized events from 17th-century Russian history, such as the emperor chasing down King Charles of Sweden on horseback.

Found via Rare Books Intel, a search across rare-book dealers, auction houses and marketplaces worldwide.