June 16, 1997
Contact:
Yvonne French (202) 707-9191
New Library of Congress Publication Publishes Previously Unknown Works From Library's Japanese Section
The Library of Congress recently published Pre-Meiji
Works in the Library of Congress, a bibliography of books
in Japanese from the Library's Japanese Section. The
bibliography contains works of literature, linguistics,
drama, and music dating from the early 17th century to
1867, the year before the Meiji Restoration.
The book's entries include some of the Library's most
valuable Japanese works, including special pieces previously
unknown to much of the general public and to many scholars.
Among the many rare items mentioned in the book is the
Library's edition of the classic Japanese work The Tale
of Genji, which is the only known complete set of that
particular edition. Great works from the medieval period
are also listed, such as a volume in The Tale of the Heike
that indicates the way in which the text should be chanted
during a performance, making it an extremely valuable item.
There are also many volumes related to the art of the haiku
poet Matsuo Basho (1644-1694), the most revered figure in
early modern Japanese literature.
Containing 628 entries arranged alphabetically by their
romanized titles, the bibliography also includes a glossary
and name index. Each entry consists of an entry number,
title, author and statement and is usually accompanied
by an annotation.
The book was compiled by Shojo Honda, a former senior
reference librarian in the Japanese Section from 1961 to
1992 and annotated by Jin'ichi Konishi, president emeritus
of Tsukuba University and member of the Library's Council
of Scholars.
Pre-Meiji Works in the Library of Congress is available
for $16 and may be purchased from the U.S. Government
Printing Office, Superintendent of Documents, P.O. Box
371954, Pittsburgh, PA 15250-7954. When ordering, please
cite stock number 030-001-00166-1. Credit card orders are
taken at (202) 783-3238 and fax orders at (202) 512-2250.
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PR 97-109
6/16/97
ISSN 0731-3527