[Recent Guide to America] Saikin tobei annai

Tokyo: Tobei Zasshisha, 1906. First Edition. A collection of miscellaneous essays on America intended as a guide. All the essays first appeared in the Tobei Zasshi. A 12-page section on English conversation is appended."-A Buried Past, 131.

Tobei Zasshi (America-Bound Magazine), was "the official organ of the Tobei Kyokai (Association for the America-Bound), an organization formed by Katayama Sen in 1902 in Tokyo to encourage the Japanese to go to America..." See A Buried Past, 139, for more information on the magazine.

This very scarce anthology is a remarkable collection of nearly 20 first-hand accounts of Japanese immigrants in the United States at the beginning of the 20th century. The authors include laborers, students, and entrepreneurs. One writer describes the opportunities for women in the United States; another describes the Japanese shoemakers guild in San Francisco. The book concludes with a short section of basic English phrases useful for seeking employment and buying clothes.

[4] 2, 2, 190, 12, [8] pages.

OCLC: 672476899 (Japan). First edition (first printing). Loss of a narrow two-inch strip along the base of the front very; a few text leaves with short edge tears (not affecting text), else a very good copy.