Yesterday when I wrote about Winnifred Eaton and her book Me: A Book of Remembrance my curiosity was piqued, so I had to check my library's shelves to see what we had on hand by her. We have several of her books, but I was so enchanted by this one that I had to bring it home and share it. A Japanese Nightingale was her second book published in 1901 and it is a lovely volume.
It's hard to tell from this photo but the top of the book has gilt edging to match the lettering. It just shouts out at you from the shelf to come and pull it out and look at it and I was happy to comply.
There is one color illustration in the front of the book, which is very striking. Apparently this novel was translated into a number of languages and was made not only into a Broadway play but also a film in 1919.
Eaton moved from Chicago to New York after the publication of her first novel where she lived until 1917. During her years in New York her books, like A Japanese Nightingale, were set mainly in Japan and generally involved a romantic entanglement between a Japanese woman and American man. Due to the nature of her books--romances with an exotic setting where she could explore social issues and draw on an interest of the period for all things Oriental--they sold quite well.
All the pages in the book are illustrated with these very delicate lithographs. The motifs repeat throughout the story, but there are quite a few different subjects. I think these bamboo are my favorites.
Eaton is considered to have written the first novel by an Asian American author, though she has been criticized by writing under a Japanese name (going so far as to create a persona of a Japanese noblewoman for herself) rather than being truthful about her Chinese heritage. I find Winnifred Eaton really fascinating. I'm not sure, however, whether I'll read A Japanese Nightingale or not--I wonder if it will be too sentimental for my tastes, but it looks like it might read fast, so perhaps I'll at least give it a try. You can read it online here. And if you're curious about Eaton herself, you can see a photo of her here. Don't you think it's a lovely book? Yet another library treasure.