My Diary in a Chinese Farm, c1895

Type I - Illustrated Cover

My Diary in a Chinese Farm, c1895

To see the title page, click here.

Little, Mrs. Archibald (A.E.N. Bewicke)
Ogawa, K. (Kazumasa) (Collotypes and Halftone Illustrations):
My Diary in a Chinese Farm, Kelly & Walsh, Ltd, Shanghai, Hong Kong, Singapore and Yokohama with collotypes and photo-engravings by K. Ogawa, Tokyo, c1895, printed at the Tokyo Tsukiji Type Foundry, limited edition of 500 copies, 8vo (7 3/4 x 10 1/2 in - 19.6 x 27 cm), decorated paper over cardboard covers, 7 collotype plates with tissue guards, 19 photo-engraved (half-tone) text illustrations, all plates and illustrations by K. Ogawa, illustrated front and rear end pages, 74 pp. The diary starts on July 6, 1893 and ends on August 3, 1894 and records the day by day events on a farm in the interior of China near Chunking (1500 miles from the sea). Recounts life in rural China from a Westerner's perspective. Also deals with interaction of Christian missionaries and the Chinese.

On the back of the title page there is notice stating:

Collotypes and Photo-Engravings by K. Ogawa, Tokyo, Japan
Printed at the Tokyo Tsukiji Type Foundry
Five Hundred copies printed. No. __
(the number would be entered by hand)

It is reported that copies of the book, from the original limited printing of 500, were marketed in England by the firm of Gay and Bird. These book bear the Kelly and Walsh imprint but I am not sure if Gay and Bird also appears.

Alicia Bewicke married Archibald John Little in 1886. At this time Archibald Little, having arrived in China in the early 1860s, was well established entrepreneur in China. She lived with her husband in China from 1887 through 1907. In summer of 1894 she traveled to Japan and while there met with Kazumasa Ogawa and in August of that year contracted for the production of this book. The photographs were supplied by Little. While the publication date is not stated, it most likely in early 1895. Alicia Little and her husband were also associated with Takejiro Hasegawa and during the period from 1891-1904 Hasegawa published color woodblock books on Chinese Fairy Tales written by her. This is the only publication I am aware of by either Alicia or Archibald Little which was produced by K. Ogawa.

Covers. I have seen this book with two different covers, both of which appear to be original.

Type I. Decorated, paper over card board, 8vo (7 3/4 x 10 1/2 in - 19.6 x 27 cm). Illustrated inside front and back covers and the adjoining end pages.

Type II. Plain cloth (blue) with gilt title on front cover, 8vo (slightly smaller - (7 5/8 x 10 1/4 in - 19.4 x 26 cm). No illustrations inside covers or adjoining end pages. On the copies I have seen the manuscript number is not entered on the limited edition notice behind the title page.

For information on Kazumasa Ogawa, click here.

Full Page Collotype Plates Tissue Guard Protected - Type Set Descriptive Title

Country House on the Yangtse
Chungking from across the Yangtse
Dinner Party to Village Elders
Changking from "Little" River
Country Road
Dinner Party with Theatricals
View of Our mountain as see from Chungking

Text Illustrations
Half-tone (Photo-Engraved)

Our Farm
Family Group
Hoang Ko Tree
Fortress of Refuge
View from Fir Woods
Monastery with Pagoda
Country House near Chungking
Entrance to Monastery
Garnered Maize
Begging Priest counting Cash
Ladies at House
Cargo Junk
Rice Fields and Opium Poppies
Enterance to Hoa Hgai Monastery
Opinm (sic) Poppies
Stage with Actors
Child Visitors
Roots of Hoang Ko Tree (see below)
(Untitled, perhaps the author)

Credits Ogawa & Tokyo Tsukiji Type Foundry