Japan's March to Empire: Some Bibliographical Evaluations

Abstract

I elapsed since the first World War, have seen a phenomenal growth in the volume of our historical literature in Western languages, particularly in English, on Japan. The fascination exercised by Japanese life and culture over the minds of Western students is, of course, nothing new. There is ample testimony to this interest, ephemeral and substantial, in the monumental bibliographies of Friedrich von Wenckstern.' He undertook to compile a classified list of all books, essays, and maps in European languages, beginning with I859. This invaluable work was continued by Oskar Nachod for the years I90632 and by Hans Praesent and Wolf Haenisch for 1933-35.2 After I9I2 students of the Far East could also turn to Henri Cordier, whose bibliography was particularly good on the early Roman Catholic missions in Japan.3 It will be noted that these earlier bibliographies reflect the interest and energy of continental European rather than of American or British scholarship. Only since the first World War have American bibliographical works of inportance made their appearance. Of these the most useful is the Pritchard list of current books and articles which has been published periodically since 1936.4 More restricted in scope and less systematic in content is the list edited by Robert J. Kerner.5 The basis of Kerner's selection is not defined dearly, and some important works are omitted. Then, in I940, appeared a new selected list of books and articles on Japan designed for