Smith of Wootton Major (Yumi Press)
22 Dec, 2020
(edited)
2020-12-22 11:10:56 AM UTC
2020-12-22 11:10:56 AM UTC
A friend at Facebook recently brought this publication to my attention: the Yumi Press edition of Smith of Wootton Major, published in Japan (hardback with dustwrapper). It's basically a reprint of the first edition GA&U SWM, and thus contains the English-language text and the Pauline Baynes illustrations, annotations to the text by Yoko Inokuma in Japanese (also translator??), and an afterword (a brief biography of Tolkien, also in Japanese).
The copyright page has the following description "English language textbook with Japanese annotations rights arranged with George Allen & Unwin Ltd., London through Charles E. Tuttle Inc., Tokyo". From what I can gather, this was first published in 1975, with a revised edition published in 1993.
It's quite a lovely book, and I can highly recommend this edition to fellow Tolkien book collectors. Being the same size as the first edition GA&U SWM, they display nicely together. I ordered it from Amazon.co.jp -- it took about five weekdays for it to arrive to Sweden and it cost about €20 (including postage).
It would be interesting if anyone has more information about this publication, and if there have been other titles published similarly in Japan?
The copyright page has the following description "English language textbook with Japanese annotations rights arranged with George Allen & Unwin Ltd., London through Charles E. Tuttle Inc., Tokyo". From what I can gather, this was first published in 1975, with a revised edition published in 1993.
It's quite a lovely book, and I can highly recommend this edition to fellow Tolkien book collectors. Being the same size as the first edition GA&U SWM, they display nicely together. I ordered it from Amazon.co.jp -- it took about five weekdays for it to arrive to Sweden and it cost about €20 (including postage).
It would be interesting if anyone has more information about this publication, and if there have been other titles published similarly in Japan?
A Japanese translation of Smith of Wootton Major by Yoko Inokuma was first published in 1975 in an omnibus volume with translations of Farmer Giles of Ham, Leaf by Niggle, and the Adventures of Tom Bombadil poems. In that same year, Yumi Shobo reprinted Smith in English in hardback and issued it in a cardboard slipcase with a pamphlet, "Notes on Smith of Wootton Major", by Inokuma. The "Notes" were combined in a single volume with the English-language text in 1993. Inokuma's Japanese translation was first separately published, in paperback, in 1991.
Wayne & Christina
Wayne & Christina
10
2005