Condition. The book is in Good+ condition. The covers and spine are soiled and the spine is sunned. The head and foot of the spine are frayed. The corners are bummped and scraped. There is an ink signature and date (November 23rd, 1891) on the series title page. Binding is strong and hinges solid. Approximately 10% of the text pages have pencil marking or underlining. The majority of the pages in the advertisements at the rear have multiple pencil markings.

 
Chamberlain, Basil Hall:
A Simplified Grammar of the Japanese Language (Modern Written Style) by Basil Hall Chamberlain Author of "The Classical Poetry of the Japanese," Etc., London, Trubner & Co.; Yokohama, Kelly and Walsh, 1886, 12mo (5 1/4 x 7 1/2 in - 13.3 x 18.8 cm), light tan cloth with black lettering and borders, yellow endpapers, series title page, main title page, preface (v-vii), errata (vii), text (pages 1-100), index (pages 101-105), Japanese language colophon, "List of Kegan, Paul, Trench, Trubner & Co.'s ("Limited) Publications" (89 numbered pages), illustrated advertisement for "Shakspere's Works" (4 pages). The Japanese language colophon at the end of the text pages lists a printing date of November 1885 (Meiji 18) and a publication date of March 1886 (Meiji 19). The text section was "Printed at the 'Japan Gazette' Office, No. 70, Main Street" (stated opposite the title page and at the foot of page 99) and the advertisements at the rear were "Printed by William Clowes and Sons, Limited, London and Beccles" (stated on page after advertisements). This book is number XV in the Trubner's Collection of Simplified Grammars of the Principal Asiatic and European Languages. Edited by Reinhold Rost, L.L.D., Ph. D. and this is stated on the series title page which precedes the main title page.

The book is sometimes described with a plate but I found no plate in the books I have examined. There is no listing of illustrations. Perhaps the text illustrations in the "Shakspere's Works" advertisements at the rear have been misdescribed.

Series Title Page.



Book Title Page.



Japanese Colophon after the Index.




Organization of the Text/Major Heading:


Japanese Grammar.

  Chapter I.  The Phonetic System (p.1-7)..

    Sec. 1.  Alphabet and Pronunciation. 


  Chapter II.  The Parts of Speech (p.7-8).
  


Uninflected Words. 


  Chapter III.  The Noun (p.9-12).

    Sec. 1. The Substantive Properly So-Called.


  Chapter IV.  The Pronoun (p.12-18).
  
    Sec. 1  Personal Pronouns.
    Sec. 2. Reflexive Pronouns.
    Sec. 3  (none)
    Sec. 4  Indefinite Pronouns.
    Sec  5. Reflective Pronouns.


  Chapter V.  The Numeral (p.18-22).
    
    Sec. 1.  The Cardinal Numbers.
    Sec. 2.  Auxiliary Numbers
    Sec. 3.  Ordinal Numbers, etc.



  Chapter VI.  The Postposition (p.22-38).
    
    Sec. 1.  The Simple Postposition.
    Sec. 2.  The Compound Postposition.


Inflected Words.


  Chapter VII.  The Adjective (p.39-46).
    
    Sec. 1.  Primary Adjective Forms.
    Sec. 2.  Tense and mood in the Adjective.
    Sec. 3.  Comparison of Adjectives.
             Table "Paradigm of Adjectives"
              "Affirmative & Negative Voices" (p. 44-45)


  Chapter VIII.  The Verb (p.47-86).
    
    Sec. 1.  Introductory Remarks.
    Sec. 2.  Conjugation of Verbs.
    Sec. 3   Remarks on the Paradigms.
    Sec. 4.  Irregular Verbs.
    Sec. 5.  Passive and Potential Verbs.
    Sec. 6.  On Certain Intransitive Verbs.
    Sec. 7.  On Transitive and Intransitive Pairs of Verbs.
    Sec. 8.  Causative Verbs.
    Sec. 9.  Compound Verbs.
    Sec. 10. Ornamental Verbs.
    Sec. 11.  he Various Substantive Verbs.


  Chapter IX.  Syntax (p.86-95).

    13 rules.  For instance:
      No. 1.  "The fundamental rule of Japanese construction is
               that qualifying words precede the words they qualify."
      No. 2.  "Most sentences are subjectless,...."
      No. 6.  "Japanese has no negative pronouns or adverbs, like the
               English words 'none," 'neither,'.'never.'"
      No. 7.  "Interrogation is marked, not as in English by an 
               inversion of the construction, but by the use of the
               interrogative particles (see ka..and ya)."
      No. 10. "Verbs are sometimes omitted at trhe end of a sentence, 
               especially in higher Chinese style."
      No. 13. "Inanimate objects are rarely, if ever, personified."
 


 Chapter X.  The Epistolary Style (p.95-100).

    Sec. 1.  A Peculiar Conjugation of Verbs and Adverbs.
    Sec. 2.  A Peculiar Phraseology.