Shobido Printing Office

Tokyo, Shobido Printing Office, 1934.

8vo. Original near black, bevelled pictorial cloth. Original brown pictorial slip-case.

The first edition in English of an "attempt to visualise the unique customs of the bewitched metropolis" (Parr & WassinkLundgren), presenting Shanghai as a haven away from the raging Chinese civil war: Chinese statesmen and wealthy persons wishing not to suffer from internal turmoils took their refuge in this great town. The photographs are wide-ranging in their content, showing pedlars selling food, books, sandals and curios, the municipal fire brigade in action, policemen, customs officials, parks, shopping streets, and the racecourse.