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[letterhead: Harvard Club/ 27 West 44th Street] Dear B.B., Since I got your letter, telling me to see Dr. Horovitz of Phaidon Press, I met him once, & we arranged to meet again to discuss how to bring out the Japanese edition of your Italian Painters. But then he has been busy, going to various other places, to Washington, to Philadelphia etc., and only yesterday we met again and studied the question of the Japanese Edition. That is the reason, why I was slow in answering you. It is really wonderful that your standard-work be issued in my own language & with such beautiful illustrations! For the translation, one of my pupils, either Prof. Masui, who is my successor as professor of European Art at the University of Fine Arts (former Imperial Academy of Art ) or Mr. Miwa would do, under my careful & constant supervision. That I will decide, when I go back to Tokyo at the end of May. The most important problem would be to find the best publisher in Japan. Japanese publishers would take it as their honour to publish such an authoritative work, especially when such good illustrations are provided by Phaidon. At the same time, we must consider that Japan is now an altogether poor country & that expensive publications do not sell well. Horovitz wants to publish 3000 copies in Japanese versions. I am not sure whether Japanese publishers would issue so many copies. It is true that in Japan there is a great interest in Italian Painting. So I do not say that it is impossible to find a good publisher. All that depends upon with what price -- Japanese price -- the book can be sold in Japan. Horovitz is giving me the financial details of the publication, with which I will talk to Japanese publishers, when I arrive in Tokyo. Anyway trust me that Yashiro, your pupil, will do his utmost, to publish the Japanese edition in the best possible way. At the same time Phaidon proposed to me to write a book on Chinese & Japanese Arts, principally, on paintings, which I am willing to do. Japanese Exhibition in New York is going on quite well, I am happy to say, I am going to meet K. Clark in about 10 days. I met Richard Offner. I am happy meeting many old pupils of yours. Mrs. Shapley in Washington wrote to me that your Chinese scroll had arrived in Italy. I hope you will find it satisfactorily remounted. Yesterday I was called on in the Metropolitan by your relative Mrs. Julia Goldman, with whom I had a nice talk about you. I am leaving New York on 17th April for Boston, from where I shall visit Cleveland, Chicago etc. on my way back to Japan, which I shall reach by the end of May. So please write to me, from now on, in Japan. My best wishes to you & to Nicky, Yours ever, Yukio Yashiro |
