From the private press of Will Ransom: Jun Fujita. Tanka: Poems in Exile. Chicago, Covici-McGee, 1923. 61 pp.; 7.625 x 5.625 inches. Printed by Will Ransom at his private press for the publisher. No. 212 of 365 copies printed. Lacking dust jacket. Spine ends a bit worn; lower corners bumped, worn; pages uncut; sections roughly opened; edges age-darkened. Author’s first book.

From Will Ransom's notebooks in the archives at the Newberry Library pertaining to this book: “5-5/8 x 7-5/8 61 pp, colophon. Garamond (A T F); San Marco Italian handmade [paper]; Mulberry Canson & Montgolfier handmade boards; black cloth spine, gold stamped; blue Japanese paper dust-wrapper, printed gold on front and spine”

This copy is inscribed “Charlotte -- I think you'll like these poems of my friend. Jack.”

After contacting the author's grandnephew, Graham Lee, I believe “Jack” is Jack Oppenheim. The “Charlotte” is likely to be Charlotte Foye. Both were at the University of Chicago together, and Jack interviewed the author for a UC publication called “The Circle” in 1923, so the timing is right as well. Mr. Lee has written a biography of his great-uncle (“Jun Fujita: Behind the Camera”), scheduled to be published in March of 2024.

This is a very scarce book by an important Japanese-American poet, photo-journalist, photographer and silent film actor. He was the first Japanese-American photo-journalist and was the only photographer to document the aftermath of the St. Valentine’s Day massacre. See his entry in Wikipedia for more information on this fascinating man.