68 leaves, printed recto only, plus 2 leaves of text. Quarto (10 1/4 x 7 3/8 inches). Original embossed beige coth printed with gold, black, and orange. Some soiling and staining to covers, light consistent toning throughout, overall very good. Tokyo: Sosaku zuan kankokai, 1933.

This striking and bizarre volume contains sixty-eight plates showcasing Japanese renditions of supposedly English monograms (or, in any case, of languages using Latin letter shapes). Among them are both individual letters and compound monograms. They appear to be more the author's fantasy than any recognizable monograms found in European or North American graphic design usage of the time.

After the Second World War and the American occupation of Japan, the anglicization of Japanese culture became very apparent in signs, printed materials, and placards. According to Seigensha Publishing, "After World War II, alphabet typography became an everyday part of life in Japan as printed materials, notices, and signs in foreign languages, particularly English, flooded streets and homes alike. With their well-defined forms, rhythmical lines, and variously delicate, dignified, or fanciful air, these letters and symbols not only brilliantly satisfied their original design purpose, but are delightful to look at even today" (Seigensha Art Publishing, "Old-Style Alphabet Lettering of Japan"). This volume pre-dates that sweeping phenomenon by several decades, a precursor to what would become an omnipresent style in Japan.

Little is known apart from Japanese sources about Tomoyuki Onuma (sometimes written Oonuma), who authored several works on typography and lettering in the 1930s, mostly tending towards the Art Deco style. Very scarce; as of August 2026, OCLC locates only a single copy, at the National Diet Library in Tokyo.

Book ID: 53760

Price: $1,250.00